[Illustration: THE MUSIC AT CANCUC]

IN INDIAN MEXICO

A NARRATIVE OF TRAVEL AND LABOR

BY

FREDERICK STARR

CHICAGO FORBES & COMPANY

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Starr, Frederick, 1858-1933. In Indian Mexico. 

Reprint of the ed. Published by Forbes, Chicago. 1. Indians of Mexico. 2. Mexico--Description and travel. 3. Starr, Frederick, 1858-1933. I. Title. F1220. S78 1978 972'. 004'97 74-9025 ISBN 0-404-11903-4

First AMS edition published in 1978. 

Reprinted from the edition of 1908, Chicago. [Trim size of the originalhas been slightly altered in this edition. Original trim size: 15. 5 x23. 7 cm. Text area of the original has been maintained in this edition. ]

IN INDIAN MEXICO IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED TO A. A. ROBINSON TO WHOMALL MY WORK IN MEXICO IS DUE AND WHOSE INTEREST HAS BEEN CONTINUOUS ANDUNFAILING

PREFACE

The reading public may well ask, Why another travel book on Mexico?Few countries have been so frequently written up by the traveler. Many books, good, bad, and indifferent, but chiefly bad, have beenperpetrated. Most of these books, however, cover the same ground, and ground which has been traversed by many people. Indian Mexico ispractically unknown. The only travel-book regarding it, in English, isLumholtz's "Unknown Mexico. " The indians among whom Lumholtz workedlived in northwestern Mexico; those among whom I have studied are insouthern Mexico. The only district where his work and mine overlap isthe Tarascan area. In fact, then, I write upon an almost unknown anduntouched subject. Lumholtz studied life and customs; my study has beenthe physical type of south Mexican indians. Within the area covered byLumholtz, the physical characteristics of the tribes have beenstudied by Hrdlicka. His studies and my own are practically the onlyinvestigations within the field. 

There are two Mexicos. Northern Mexico to the latitude of the capitalcity is a _mestizo_ country; the indians of pure blood within that areaoccupy limited and circumscribed regions. Southern Mexico is indiancountry; there are large regions, where the _mestizos_, not the indians, are the exception. From the time of my first contact with Mexicanindians, I was impressed with the notable differences between tribes, and desired to make a serious study of their types. In 1895, theaccidental meeting with a priest from Guatemala led to my making ajourney to Central America. It was on that journey that I saw how thework in question might be done. While the government of Mexico ismodeled upon the same pattern as our own, it is far more paternal in itsnature. The Republic is a confederation of sovereign states, each ofwhich has its elected governor. The states are subdivided into districtssomewhat corresponding to our counties, over each of which is a _jefepolitico_ appointed by the governor; he has no responsibility to thosebelow him, but is directly responsible to the man who names him, andwho can at will remove him; he is not expected to trouble the stategovernment unnecessarily, and as long as he turns over the taxes whichare due the state he is given a free hand. Within the districts arethe cities and towns, each with its local, independent, elected towngovernment. 

The work I planned to do among these indian towns was threefold: 1. Themeasurement of one hundred men and twenty-five women in each population, fourteen measurements being taken upon each subject; 2. The makingof pictures, --portraits, dress, occupations, customs, buildings, andlandscapes; 3. The making of plaster busts of five individuals in eachtribe. To do such work, of course, involved difficulty, as the Indiansof Mexico are ignorant, timid, and suspicious. Much time would benecessary, in each village, if one depended upon establishing friendlyand personal relations with the people. But with government assistance, all might be done promptly and easily. Such assistance was readilysecured. Before starting upon any given journey, I secured letters fromthe Department of Fomento, one of the Executive Departments of theFederal Government. These letters were directed to the governors of thestates; they were courteously worded introductions. From the governors, I received letters of a more vigorous character to the _jefes_ of thedistricts to be visited. From the _jefes_, I received stringent ordersupon the local governments; these orders entered into no detail, butstated that I had come, recommended by the superior authorities, forscientific investigations; that the local authorities should furnish thenecessaries of life at just prices, and that they should supply suchhelp as was necessary for my investigations. In addition to the ordersfrom the _jefes_ to the town authorities, I carried a general letterfrom the governor of the state to officials of every grade within itslimits. This was done in case I should at any time reach towns indistricts where I had been unable to see the _jefe politico_. It wasdesirable, when possible, that the _jefe_ should be seen before seriouswork was undertaken. As Governor Gonzales of Oaxaca once remarked, when furnishing me a general letter: "You should always see the _jefepolitico_ of the district first. These Indians know nothing of me, andoften will not recognize my name; but the _jefe_ of their district theyknow, and his orders they will obey. " In using these official orders, Iadopted whatever methods were best calculated to gain my ends; successdepended largely on my taking matters into my own hands. Each officialpractically unloaded me upon the next below him, with the expectationthat I should gain my ends, if possible, but at the same time he felt, and I knew, that his responsibility had ended. In case of seriousdifficulty, I could not actually count upon the backing of any one abovethe official with whom I then was dealing. 

Upon the Guatemala expedition, which took place in January-March, 1896, my only companion was Mr. Ernst Lux, whose knowledge of the language, the country, and the people was of the utmost value. As the result ofthat journey, my vacations through a period of four years were devotedto this field of research. The first field expedition covered theperiod from November, 1897, to the end of March, 1898; the plan of workincluded the visiting of a dozen or more tribes, with interpreter, photographer, and plaster-worker; the success of the plan depended uponothers. Dr. W. D. Powell was to serve as interpreter, Mr. BedrosTatarian as photographer; at the last moment the plans regarding theplaster-worker failed; arrived in the field, Dr. Powell was unable tocarry out his contract; the photographic work disintegrated, and failurestared us in the face. Reorganization took place. Rev. D. A. Wilson wassecured as interpreter, two Mexican plaster-workers, Anselmo Pacheco ofPuebla and Ramon Godinez of Guadalajara, were discovered, and work wasactually carried through upon four tribes. The second field expeditioncovered the period of January-March, 1899; eight tribes were visited, and a most successful season's work was done; Charles B. Lang wasphotographer, Anselmo Pacheco plaster-worker, and Manuel Gonzalesgeneral helper. The third field season, January-March, 1900, was inevery way successful, six populations being visited; my force consistedof Louis Grabic photographer, Ramon Godinez plaster-worker, and ManuelGonzales general assistant. The work was brought to a conclusion inJanuary-March, 1901, during which period six tribes were visited; theparty was the same as the preceding year. 

"In Indian Mexico" claims to be only a narrative of travel and of work. It is intended for the general public. The scientific results of ourexpeditions have been published under the following titles:

1. The Indians of Southern Mexico: an Ethnographic Album. Chicago, 1899. Cloth; oblong 4to; pp. 32. 141 full-page plates. 

2. Notes upon the Ethnography of Southern Mexico. 1900. 8vo, pp. 98. 72cuts, maps, etc. Proc. Dav. Acad. Nat. Sci. , Vol. VIII. 

3. Notes on the Ethnography of Southern Mexico, Part II. 1902. 8vo, pp. 109. 52 cuts, map, etc. Proc. Dav. Acad. Nat. Sci. , Vol. IX. 

4. The Physical Characters of the Indians of Southern Mexico. 4to, 59 pp. Sketch map, color diagram, and 30 double cuts. DecennialPublications, University of Chicago, 1902. 

5. The Mapa de Cuauhtlantzinco or Codice Campos. 1898. 8vo, pp. 38. 46engravings. University of Chicago Press. 

6. Recent Mexican Study of the Native Languages of Mexico. 1900. 8vo, pp. 19. 7 portraits. 

7. Picture of Otomi woman beating bark paper. Printed on sheet of theoriginal paper; mounted. 

8. The Mapa of Huilotepec. Reproduction; single sheet, mounted. 

9. The Mapa of Huauhtla. Reproduction; single sheet, mounted. 

10. Survivals of Paganism in Mexico. The Open Court. 1899. 

11. Mexican Paper. American Antiquarian. 1900. 

12. The Sacral Spot in Maya Indians. Science. 1903. 

Naturally, in a work of such extent we have been under obligationto many parties. It is impossible to acknowledge, in detail, suchobligations. We must, however, express our indebtedness, for assistancerendered, to the Mexican Central Railroad, the Mexican Railway, theMexican National Railroad, the Tehuantepec Railroad, the MexicanSouthern Railroad, and the Interoceanic Railroad; also to the WardLine of steamers. Among individuals, it is no unfair discrimination toexpress especial thanks to Mr. A. A. Robinson and Mr. A. L. Van Antwerp. President Diaz has ever shown a friendly interest in my plans of workand the results obtained. Señor Manuel Fernandez Leal, Minister of theDepartment of Fomento, more than any other official, lent us every aidand assistance in his power; his successor, Señor Leandro Fernandez, continued the kindness shown by Minister Leal. And to all the governorsof the states and to the _jefes_ of the districts we are under manyobligations, and express to each and all our appreciation of theirkind assistance. Those personal friends who have been helpful in thisspecific work in Indian Mexico are mentioned in the appropriate placesin the text. To those companions and assistants who accompanied us uponthe journeys a large part of the results of this work are due. 

CHICAGO, January, 1908. 

 CONTENTS

 CHAPTER Page

 I. PRIESTLY ARCHAEOLOGY 1

 II. WE START FOR GUATEMALA 13

 III. THE LAND OF THE MIXES 22

 IV. THROUGH CHIAPAS 39

 V. AT HUIXQUILUCAN 56

 VI. LAKE PATZCUARO 68

 VII. TO URUAPAN BEFORE THE RAILROAD 76

 VIII. TLAXCALA 85

 IX. ZAMORA AND THE ONCE PUEBLOS 95

 X. THE BOY WITH THE SMILE 108

 XI. IN THE MIXTECA ALTA 112

 XII. THE MIXES REVISITED 142

 XIII. ABOUT TEHUANTEPEC 161

 XIV. ON THE MAIN HIGH-ROAD 173

 XV. CUICATLAN 181

 XVI. IN TLAXCALAN TOWNS 188

 XVII. IN THE CHINANTLA 198

 XVIII. TO COIXTLAHUACA 216

 XIX. HUAUHTLA AND THE MAZATECS 228

 XX. TEPEHUAS AND TOTONACS 239

 XXI. IN THE HUAXTECA 274

 XXII. IN MAYA LAND 293

 XXIII. OX-CART EXPERIENCES 328

 XXIV. AT TUXTLA GUTIERREZ 351

 XXV. TZOTZILS AND TZENDALS 360

 XXVI. CHOLS 381

 XXVII. CONCLUSION 395

 GLOSSARY 399

 APPENDIX 405

IN INDIAN MEXICO

CHAPTER I

PRIESTLY ARCHAEOLOGY

(1895)

While we stood in the Puebla station, waiting for the train to be madeready, we noticed a priest, who was buying his ticket at the office. Onboarding the train, we saw nothing of him, as he had entered anothercar. Soon after we started, Herman made his usual trip of inspectionthrough the train, and on his return told me that a learned priest wasin the second-class coach, and that I ought to know him. As I paid nogreat attention to his suggestion, he soon deserted me for his priestlyfriend, but presently returned and renewed his advice. He told me thispriest was no common man; that he was an ardent archaeologist; that henot only collected relics, but made full notes and diagrams of all hisinvestigations; that he cared for live Indians also, and had made agreat collection of dress, weapons, and tools, among Guatemalan tribes. When I even yet showed no intention of hurrying in to visit his newacquaintance, the boy said: "You must come in to see him, for I promisedhim you would, and you ought not to prove me to be a liar. "

This appeal proved effectual and I soon called upon the priestlyarchaeologist in the other car. He was an interesting man. By birtha German, he spoke excellent English; born of Protestant parents andreared in their faith, in early manhood be became a Catholic; renouncedby his parents and left without support, he was befriended by Jesuitsand determined to become a priest. Entering the ministry at twenty-nineyears of age, he was sent as mission priest to foreign lands. He hadlived in California, Utah, and Nevada; he had labored in Ecuador, Panama, and Guatemala. His interest in archaeology, kindled in theSouthwest, continued in his later fields of labor. Waxing confidentialhe said: "I am a priest first, because I must live, but it does notinterfere much with my archaeology. " For years past the padre has livedin Guatemala, where he had charge of one of the largest parishes in thatRepublic, with some eighteen thousand full-blood indians in his charge. Like most Germans a linguist, the padre spoke German, French, Spanish, English, and Quiche, the most important indian speech of Guatemala. Inhis parish, he so arranged his work as to leave most of his time freefor investigation. Twice a week he had baptisms, on Thursday and Sunday;these duties on Thursday took but a couple of hours, leaving the rest ofthe day free; Sundays, of course, were lost, but not completely, for theindians often then told him of new localities, where diggings might beundertaken. Always when digging into ancient mounds and graves, he hadhis horse near by ready for mounting, and his oil and other necessariesat hand, in case he should be summoned to the bedside of the dying. Asthe indians always knew where to look for him, no time was lost. 

Not only was the padre an archaeologist: he also gathered plants, birds, and insects. When he was leaving Germany, his nephew, the ten-year-oldchild of his sister, wished to accompany him. The parents refused theirpermission, but the uncle gave the boy some money, and they met eachother in Frankfort and started on their journey. They have been togetherever since. The padre depends completely on the younger man, whom he hasfashioned to his mind. The plants, birdskins, and insects have supplieda steady income. The plants cost labor; insects were easier to get. Allthe indian boys in the parish were supplied with poison-bottles and setto work; a stock of prints of saints, beads, medals, and crucifixes wasdoled out to the little collectors, according to the value of theirtrophies. To allay the suspicions of his parishioners, the padreannounced that he used the insects in making medicines. One Sunday apious old indian woman brought to church a great beetle, which she hadcaught in her corn field four days before; during that time it had beentied by a string to her bed's leg; she received a medal. One day a manbrought a bag containing some five hundred living insects; on openingit, they all escaped into the house, causing a lively time for theirrecapture. 

The nephew, Ernst, had made a collection of eleven hundred skins ofGuatemalan birds. The padre and he have supplied specimens to many ofthe great museums of the world, but the choicest things have never beenpermitted to leave their hands. 

The padre is a great success at getting into trouble. He fled fromEcuador on account of political difficulties; his stay in Guatemala isthe longest he has ever made in one place. During his eight years therehe was successful; but he finally antagonized the government, wasarrested, and thrown into jail. He succeeded in escaping, fled toSalvador, and from there made his way to the United States, where, for alittle time, he worked, unhappily, at San Antonio, Texas. A shorttime since, the Archbishop of Oaxaca was in Texas, met the padre, andpromised him an appointment in his diocese. The padre was now on his wayto Oaxaca to see the prelate and receive his charge. 

He was full of hope for a happy future. When he learned that we werebound for the ruins of Mitla, he was fired with a desire to accompanyus. At Oaxaca we separated, going to different hotels. My party wascounting upon the company of Mr. Lucius Smith, as interpreter andcompanion, to the ruins, but we were behind our appointment and he hadgone upon another expedition. This delighted the padre, who saw a newlight upon the path of duty. The archbishop had received him cordially, and had given him a parish, although less than a day had passed sincehis arrival. When the padre knew of our disappointment, he hastened tohis prelate, told him that an eminent American archaeologist, with aparty of four, wished to visit Mitla, but had no interpreter; might henot accompany these worthy gentlemen, in some way serving mother churchby doing so? So strong was his appeal, that he was deputed to say massat Mitla Sunday, starting for his new parish of Chila on the Mondayfollowing. 

In the heavy, lumbering coach we left next morning, Saturday, for Mitla. The road, usually deep with dust, was in fair condition on account ofrecent rains. We arrived in the early afternoon and at once betookourselves to the ruins. At the curacy, we presented the archbishop'sletter to the indian cura, who turned it over once or twice, then askedthe padre to read it, as his eyes were bad. While the reading proceeded, the old man listened with wonder, and then exclaimed, "What a learnedman you are to read like that!" As we left, the padre expressed hisfeelings at the comeliness of the old priest's indian housekeeper, atthe number of her children, at the suspicious wideness of his bed, andat his ignorance, in wearing a ring, for all the world just like abishop's. But he soon forgot his pious irritation amid those marvelousruins of past grandeur. In our early ramble he lost no opportunity totell the indians that he would repeat mass on the morrow at seven, andthat they should make a special effort to be present. 

[Illustration: WITH THE PADRE IN MITLA RUINS]

[Illustration: THE PADRE, ERNST AND THE DOGS]

But as we wandered from one to another of the ancient buildings, thethought of the morrow's duty lost its sweetness. He several timesremarked that it was a great pity to lose any of our precious morninghours in saying mass, when there were ruins of such interest to be seen. These complaints gained in force and frequency as evening approached, until finally, as we sat at supper, he announced his decision to saymass before daybreak; he would call me at five o'clock, we would godirectly to the church, we would be through service before six, wouldtake our morning's coffee immediately after, and then would have quite apiece of the morning left for the ruins, before the coach should leavefor Oaxaca. 

The plan was carried out in detail. At five we were called from our bedsby the anxious padre. Herman and I were the only members of the partywho were sufficiently devout to care to hear mass so early. With thepadre, we stumbled in the darkness up to the church, where we roused theold woman who kept the key and the boy who rang the bell. The vestmentswere produced, the padre hastily robed, and the bell rung; the padre wasevidently irritated at the absence of a congregation, as he showed bythe rapid and careless way in which he repeated the first part of theservice. When, however, at the _Credo_, he turned and saw that severalpoor indians had quietly crept in, a change came over him; his tonebecame fuller, his manner more dignified, and the service itself moreimpressive and decorous. Still, we were through long before six, andthrowing off his vestments, which he left the boy to put away, the padreseized me by the arm, and we hastened down the hill to our morning'scoffee. On the way we met a number of indians on their way to mass, whom the padre sternly rebuked for their laziness and want of devotion. Immediately after coffee, we were among the ruins. 

The padre had kindly arranged for my presentation to his Grace, Archbishop Gillow. Reaching Oaxaca late on Sunday afternoon, we calledat the Palace. His Grace is a man of good presence, with a face of somestrength and a courteous and gracious manner. He appeared to be aboutfifty-five years of age. After the padre had knelt and kissed the ring, the archbishop invited us to be seated, expressed an interest in ourtrip to Mitla, hoping that it had proved successful. He then spoke atsome length in regard to his diocese. He emphasized its diversity inclimate and productions, the wide range of its plant life, the greatnumber of indian tribes which occupied it, the Babel of tongues withinit, its vast mineral wealth. A Mexican by birth, the archbishop is, inpart, of English blood and was educated, as a boy, in England. He speaksEnglish easily and well. He showed us many curious and interestingthings. Among these was a cylindrical, box-like figure of a rain-god, which was found by a priest upon his arrival at the Mixe Indian villageof Mixistlan. [A] It was in the village church, at the high altar whereit shared worship with the virgin and the crucifix. The archbishophimself, in his description of the incident, used the word _latria_. We were also shown a little cross, which stood upon the archbishop'swriting-table, made in part from a fragment of that miraculous cross, which was found by Sir Francis Drake, upon the west coast. That"terrible fanatic" tried to destroy it, according to a well-known story. The cross was found standing when the Spaniards first arrived and iscommonly attributed to St. Thomas. Sir Francis upon seeing this emblemof a hated faith, first gave orders to hew it down with axes; but axeswere not sharp enough to harm it. Fires were then kindled to burn it, but had no effect. Ropes were attached to it and many men were set todrag it from the sand; but all their efforts could not move it. So itwas left standing, and from that time became an object of especialveneration. Time, however, destroys all things. People were constantlybreaking off bits of the sacred emblem for relics until so little wasleft of the trunk near the ground that it was deemed necessary to removethe cross. The diggers were surprised to find that it had never set morethan a foot into the sand. This shows the greatness of the miracle. 

[A] Survivals of Paganism in Mexico. The Open Court. 1899. 

The padre had been assigned to the parish of Chila, a great indian town, near Tehuacan. Early the next morning he left for his new home. 

Not only did the padre, while in Oaxaca, urge us to call upon him inhis new parish; after he was settled, he renewed his invitation. So westarted for Chila. We had been in the _tierra caliente_, at Cordoba. From there we went by rail to Esperanza, from which uninteresting townwe took a street-car line, forty-two miles long, to Tehuacan. This savedus time, distance, and money, and gave us a brand-new experience. Therewere three coaches on our train, first-, second-, and third-class. Whenbuying tickets we struck acquaintance with a Syrian peddler. Three ofthese were travelling together; one of them spoke a little English, being proficient in profanity. He likes the United States, _per se_, anddoes not like Mexico; but he says the latter is the better for trade. "In the United States, you sell maybe fifteen, twenty-five, fifty centsa day; here ten, fifteen, twenty-five dollars. " The trip lasted threehours and involved three changes of mules at stations, where we foundall the excitement and bustle of a true railroad station. 

The country was, at first, rolling, with a sparse growth of yuccas, manyof which were exceptionally large and fine. On the hills were occasional_haciendas_. This broken district was succeeded by a genuine desert, covered with fine dust, which rose, as we rode, in suffocating clouds. Here the valley began to close in upon us and its slopes were sprinkledwith great cushion cactuses in strange and grotesque forms. After thisdesert gorge, we came out into a more open and more fertile districtextending to Tehuacan. Even this, however, was dry and sunburned. 

Our party numbered four. We had written and telegraphed to the padreand expected that he, or Ernst, would meet us in Tehuacan. Neither wasthere. No one seemed to know just how far it was to Chila. Replies toour inquiries ranged from five to ten leagues. [B] Looking for some modeof conveyance, we refused a coach, offered at fifteen pesos, as theprice seemed high. Hunting horses, we found four, which with a foot_mozo_ to bring them back, would cost twenty pesos. Telling the ownerthat we were not buying horses, but merely renting, we returned to theproprietor of the coach and stated that we would take it, though hisprice was high, and that he should send it without delay to the railroadstation, where our companions were waiting. Upon this the owner of thecoach pretended that he had not understood that there were four of us(though we had plainly so informed him); his price was for two. If wewere four, he must have forty pesos. A fair price here might be eightpesos for the coach, or four for horses. So we told the coach ownerthat we would walk to Chila, rather than submit to such extortion. This amused him greatly and he made some facetious observations, whichdetermined me to actually perform the trip on foot. Returning to therailroad station, where two of the party were waiting, I announced myintention of walking to Chila; as the way was long and the sand heavyand the padre's silence and non-appearance boded no great hospitality inwelcome, I directed the rest to remain comfortably at Tehuacan until myreturn on the next day. Herman, however, refused the proposition; myscheme was dangerous; for me to go alone, at night, over a strange road, to Chila was foolhardy; he should accompany me to protect me. Consentingthat he should accompany, we began to seek a _mozo_, as guide toChila. With difficulty, and some loss of time, one was found who wouldundertake the business for two pesos. In vain a Jew peddler standing byand the station agent remonstrated with the man; two pesos was a fullweek's wages; it was ridiculous to demand such a price for guiding twofoot travellers to Chila. He admitted that two pesos might be a week'swages; but he did not have to go to Chila and if we wanted him to do sowe must pay his price. We capitulated, the station agent loaned us arevolver, we left our friends behind us and started on our journey. Itwas now dark. In a mysterious voice, our guide said we must go first tohis house; there he secured his _serape_ and a heavy club. As we lefthis house he feared we must be hungry and indicated a bread-shop; wepurchased and all three ate as we walked; a moment later he suggestedthat we would need _cigarros_ of course, and a stock of these wereadded, at our expense. Then, at last, we came down to business. 

[B] The Mexican league is 2. 7 miles. 

Plainly our guide did not enjoy his task. Shortly after we started, themoon rose and, from its shining full on the light sand, it was almostas bright as day. We were in single file, our guide, Herman, and I. Atsight of every bush or indistinct object, our guide clutched his cluband crossed himself, as he mumbled a prayer. When we met anyone, wekept strictly to our side of the road, they to theirs, and, in passing, barely exchanged a word of greeting. The timidity and terror of ourguide increased as we advanced, until I concluded to be prepared for anyemergency and carried the revolver in my hand, instead of in my pocket. Mile after mile we trudged along through the heavy sand, into which wesunk so far that our low shoes repeatedly became filled and we had tostop to take them off and empty them. We passed through San Pablo, leftthe Hacienda of San Andres to one hand, and, finally, at 10:10 foundourselves in the great indian town of San Gabriel de Chila. It was muchlarger than we had anticipated and almost purely indian. We walkedthrough a considerable portion of the town before we reached the plaza, the church, and the _curato_. Our journey had probably been one offifteen miles. All was dark at the _curato_; an indian was sleeping inthe corridor, but he was a traveller and gave us no information on beingawakened. At our third or fourth pounding upon the door, Ernst appearedat the window; on learning who we were he hastened to let us in. Hereported trouble in the camp; the padre had gone hastily to Oaxaca tosee the archbishop; our telegram had not been received; our letter camethat morning. We found that things were packed ready for removal. A goodsupper was soon ready, but while it was being prepared we took a coolbath, by moonlight, in the trough bath-tub out in the _patio_. 

In the morning we heard the full story. Formerly there was here apriest, who devoted his whole life to this parish, growing old in itsservice; in his old age he was pensioned, with sixty pesos monthly fromthe parish receipts. The priest who succeeded him, coming somethingover three years ago, was a much younger man. During his three years ofservice, he was continually grumbling; the work was hard, his health wasbad at Chila, the heat was intolerable; he wished another parish. Thearchbishop finally took him at his word; without warning he transferredhim to another parish, and sent our friend, the archaeologist here, inhis place. This did not suit the man relieved; Chila itself was much tohis liking; what he really wanted was to be relieved from the supportof his superannuated predecessor. No sooner was he transferred than hebegan to look with longing on his former charge and to make a vigorouseffort to regain it. Accusations were hurried to Oaxaca; the new priestwas pursuing agriculture as a means of profit; he had not paid the duesto the aged priest; he had himself admitted to parishioners that hisobject in coming to Chila was more to study antiquities and naturalhistory than to preach the gospel. It is claimed that, immediately onreceiving this communication, the archbishop sent a peremptory letter tothe padre demanding an explanation; this letter, Ernst said, never wasdelivered, hence no explanation was sent. The prelate acted promptly;orders were sent to our friend to give up the parish to the formerpriest, who appeared on the scene to receive his charge. Then, and thenonly, it is said the delayed letter came to light. The padre had left, at once, for Oaxaca and his archbishop. From there he sent messagesby telegraph: "Pack up, and come to Tehuacan;" "Wait until you hearfurther. " A third came the morning we were there: "Pack up; meet me atTehuacan, ready to go to a new parish. "

It was really sad to look about the new home, to which he had come withsuch buoyant hopes and of which he had been so soon dispossessed. Whenhe arrived, the place was neglected and filthy; two whole days werenecessary to clean it. It had contained practically no furniture; hehad made it look like a place in which to live. He had improved andbeautified its surroundings. He had planted a little corn and set outsome young banana trees; he had gathered many species of cactus from theneighboring hills and had built up a fine bed of the strange plantsin his _patio_. Passionately fond of pets, he had two magnificentgreyhounds and a pug--all brought from Guatemala--a black collie, doves, hens and turkeys on the place. And now, he was again without a home andhis time, money, and labor were lost. 

Ernst accompanied us to Tehuacan. We rented three horses and a man onfoot went with us to bring them back to the village. And for the wholewe paid the regular price of eighty-seven centavos--twenty-five each forthe animals, and twelve centavos for the man--something less than thetwenty pesos demanded the day before at Tehuacan. 

CHAPTER II

WE START FOR GUATEMALA

(1896)

The evening we were at Mitla, Señor Quiero came hurrying to our room andurged us to step out to the corridor before the house to see someMixes. It was our first glimpse of representatives of this little knownmountain people. Some thirty of them, men and women, loaded with fruit, coffee, and charcoal, were on their way to the great fair and market, at Tlacolula. They had now stopped for the night and had piled theirburdens against the wall. Wrapping themselves in their tattered anddirty blankets, they laid themselves down on the stone floor, so closetogether that they reminded me of sardines in a box. With a blazingsplinter of fat pine for torch, we made our inspection. Their broad darkfaces, wide flat noses, thick lips and projecting jaws, their coarseclothing, their filthiness, their harsh and guttural speech, profoundlyimpressed me and I resolved to penetrate into their country and see themin their homes, at the first opportunity. 

Our friend the padre never tired of telling how much more interestingGuatemala was than Mexico; he could not understand why any man of senseshould waste his time in Mexico, a land so large that a dozen studentscould not begin to solve its problems, while Guatemala, full ofinteresting ruins and crowded with attractive Indians, was of such sizethat one man's lifetime could count for something. His tales of indiantowns, life, dress, customs, kindled enthusiasm; but it was only afterthinking over the Mixes, that I decided to make a journey to Guatemala. The padre, himself, could not accompany me, being a political refugee, but he had told me Ernst should go with me. After three months'consideration my plan was made. We would start from Oaxaca overland viathe Mixes country; we would everywhere keep in the mountains; in Chiapaswe would completely avoid the usual highway, hot and dusty, near thecoast; in Guatemala itself, we would go by Nenton, Huehuetenango andNibaj. This did not suit the padre: he had had in mind a journey allrail and steamer; and friends, long resident in Mexico, shook theirheads and spoke of fatigues and dangers. But I was adamant; the Mixesdrew me; we would go overland, on horse, or not at all. 

When the Padre left Chila, he took a letter of recommendation from theArchbishop of Oaxaca to the Bishop of Vera Cruz at Jalapa. By him, the padre was located at Medellin, a few miles from Vera Cruz itself. Thither I journeyed to join Ernst and make the final preparations forthe journey. Ernst met me at the station at 6:30 in the evening and westayed the night in the hot, mosquito-tortured, plague-stricken city. Leaving at eight o'clock in the morning we were at Medellin in an hour. Our journey was through low, swampy ground on which the chief growth wasof palm. The padre, whom we had not seen since we parted at Oaxaca, metus at the station and took us at once to his house. The town is small, the population a miserable mixture of black, white, and indian elements. Few of the couples living there have been legally married. The parish isone of the worst in the whole diocese. The bishop warned the padre thatit was an undesirable field, but it was the only one then unoccupied. But the padre was working wonders and the church was then undergoingrepairs and decorations. The actual _curato_ was long ago seized bythe government and is now used as a schoolhouse. The priest lived in arented house close by the river bank. The house is a double one and thepriest occupied but half of it; those in the other half were hostile tohim and he was anxious to rent the whole place. His neighbors, however, did not care to leave and threatened vengeance; they were behind a massof accusations filed against him with the bishop. His friends rallied tohis support, sent in a strong endorsement, and he remained. The padrehad been industrious while here. Behind his house is the little river, with a bath-house built over it; crossing in a dugout canoe we found hisgarden flourishing, filled with fresh vegetables. The family of pets hadgrown; Baldur, Freia, Votan, Doxil--the dogs--were here as at Chila, buthe also had fantail and capuchin pigeons, hens and chicks, ducksand geese, canary birds, and native birds in cages. Here also werearchaeological relics, plants, beetles and birds for gathering. And heretoo, for the first time, I had the opportunity of examining his greatcollection of Ecuadorean humming-birds and a magnificent lot ofGuatemalan quetzal skins, among them probably the finest ever collected. 

[Illustration: THE PADRE'S HOUSE; MEDELLIN]

[Illustration: THE CHURCH; MEDELLIN]

We left Medellin on January 8th; went by rail to Puebla, then to Oaxaca. Here we found our friend Doctor Hyde, of Silao, who was nursing LuciusSmith, in what proved to be a final illness. He aided us in findinganimals and completing preparations for our journey. We secured a largebay horse for myself, a roan for Ernst, a little mule for baggage. Formy own part, I dislike mules; Ernst and the doctor, however, were loudin their praise of such a beast; both asserted that a good mule shouldsell for double its cost on our arrival at Guatemala City. When, finally, after inspecting a variety of animals we found one lively, young one, the doctor was delighted. Taking me to one side, he informedme that such an opportunity was unlikely to occur again. I yielded andthe little mule was ours. We named the three animals Mixe, Zapotec, andChontal, from three tribes through whose country we expected to pass. 

The doctor's helpfulness was not confined to advice regarding mules. Heinsisted upon our buying various supplies, such as boxes of sardines, sago, coffee, etc. , the utility of which appeared neither at the timenor later. Also at his suggestion a quart of whiskey was purchased andcarefully divided into two flasks, one for each saddlebag. Most usefulof all the doctor's suggestions, and one for which we had reason manytimes to thank him, was the securing from the governor of a letter toall local authorities in the state, directing them to supply us with thenecessities of life, at just prices. 

We had hoped to start from Oaxaca in the early morning, but it was wellon in the afternoon before all arrangements were completed. The doctorand his Mexican friend rode with us to Tule to see us well started. Itwas out over the old road to Mitla. The afternoon was hot, dust wasdeep, and a heavy wind blew it up into our faces in clouds. The sun wasalready setting when we rode into Santa Maria Tule, and we went at onceto see the famous cypress tree, which no one in the party, save myself, had seen. It seems now to be a single tree, but was perhaps, originally, three; at present it displays a single, vast trunk, buttressed withheavy irregular projecting columns. So irregular is this enormous massthat no two persons taking its girth exactly agree. We measured it fourfeet above the ground and made the circumference one hundred and sixtyfeet. The mass of delicate green foliage above was compact, vigorous, and beautiful. Many years ago Humboldt cut a rectangular piece of barkfrom the old trunk and on the smooth surface thus exposed carved aninscription with his name. 

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

Bark has since grown over the sides and corners of this tablet, but muchof the inscription may still be read. Since Humboldt's visit many lessermen have gashed the old tree to leave their mark. 

As it was now darkening we hurried to the _meson_ of the village. Theold lady in charge received us with suspicion; she could not feed us andrefused to receive us into the house for the night; she would permitus to sleep outside, in the corridor--which we might have done withoutasking permission. At this moment, the doctor's friend remembered thathe knew a man here and went out to reconnoitre; he soon returned and ledus to his friend's house, where we were well received. A supper of eggs, _tortillas_, and chocolate was soon served. Before we had finished themoon had risen and by its light the doctor and his friend startedon their return to town. We slept on beds, made of boards laid uponsawhorses, in a grain store-room, where rats were running around allnight long. 

The next day, we were again at Mitla. It was a festival day, that of theConversion of St. Paul the Apostle. In the evening there were rockets, the band played, and a company of drummers and _chirimiya_ blowers wentthrough the town. Señor Quiero had fires of blazing pine knots at thedoor. When the procession passed we noted its elements. In front was theband of ten boys; men with curious standards mounted on poles followed. The first of these standards was a figure, in strips of white and pinktissue paper, of a long-legged, long-necked, long-billed bird, perhaps aheron; next stars of colored paper, with lights inside; then were largeglobes, also illuminated, three of white paper and three in the nationalcolors--red, white, and green. Grandest of all, however, was a globularbanner of cloth on which was painted a startling picture of the saint'sconversion. All of these were carried high in the air and kept rotating. Behind the standard bearers came a drummer and the player on the shrillpipe or _pito--chirimiya_. The procession stopped at Señor Quiero's_tienda_, and the old man opened both his heart and his bottles; spiritsflowed freely to all who could crowd into the little shop and bottlesand packs of _cigarros_ were sent out to the standard-bearers. As aresult we were given a vigorous explosion of rockets, and several piecesby the band, the drummer, and the _pitero_. 

Beyond Mitla the valley narrows and the road rises onto a gently slopingterrace; when it strikes the mountains it soon becomes a bridle-pathzigzagging up the cliffside. As we mounted by it, the valley behindexpanded magnificently under our view. We passed through a belt oflittle oak trees, the foliage of which was purple-red, like the autumnalcoloring of our own forests. Higher up we reached the pine timber. Assoon as we reached the summit, the lovely valley view was lost and weplunged downward, even more abruptly than we had mounted, along the sideof a rapidly deepening gorge. At the very mouth of this, on a prettyterrace, we came abruptly on the little town of San Lorenzo withpalm-thatched huts of brush or cane and well grown hedges of _organo_cactus. Here we ate _tortillas_ and fried-eggs with chili. Immediatelyon setting out from here we rode over hills, the rock of which wasdeeply stained with rust and streaked with veins of quartz, up to acrest of limestone covered with a crust of stalagmite. 

[Illustration: THE START FROM OAXACA]

[Illustration: THE CELEBRATION AT MITLA]

The road up to this summit was not good, but that down the other sidewas _bad_. The irregular, great blocks of limestone, covered with thesmooth, dry, slippery coating, caused constant stumbling to our pooranimals. From this valley we rose onto a yet grander range. Here we hadour first Mixe experience. At the very summit, where the road becamefor a little time level, before plunging down into the profound valleybeyond, we met two Indians, plainly Mixes. Both were bareheaded, andboth wore the usual dirty garments--a cotton shirt over a pair of cottontrousers, the legs of which were rolled up to the knees or higher. Theyounger of the men bore a double load, as he had relieved his companion. The old man's face was scratched and torn, his hands were smeared withblood and blood stained his shirt. We cried an "_adios_" and the old mankissed my hand, while the younger, pointing to his friend said "_Sangre, Señor, sangre_" (Blood, sir, blood. ) Vigorously they told the story ofthe old man's misfortune, but in incomprehensible Spanish. While theyspoke three others like them, each bent under his burden came up ontothe ridge. These kissed my hand and then, excitedly pointing to the oldman, all talking at once, tried to tell his story. Having expressed oursympathy, we left the five looking after us, the old man, with his tornand bleeding face, being well in the foreground. 

Down in the valley, across a little stream, we struck into a pleasantmeadow road leading to the Hacienda of San Bartolo. Suddenly, before us, in the road, we saw a man lying. We thought he was dead. He was a youngman, an indian in the usual dress, apparently a Zapotec. His face wasbloody and his shirt was soaked in front with blood, which had trickleddown upon the ground forming a pool in which he lay. We could see nodeep wound, but, as he lay upon his side, there may have been such. Nearhim in the road there lay a knife, the blade covered with blood. The manlay perfectly still, but we fancied we could see a slight movement ofthe chest. In Mexico, it is best not to investigate too closely, becausethe last to touch a murdered man may be held responsible for his death. So we hurried on toward the _hacienda_ but, before reaching it, met twogirls about nineteen years of age and a little lad all Zapotecs. We toldthem what we had seen and bade them notify the authorities. One ofthe girls cried, "_Si, Señor, es mi hermano_" ("Yes, sir, it is mybrother"), and they ran down the road. As for us, we hurried onward, without stopping at the _hacienda_, in order not to be delayed or heldas witnesses. 

There is no love between the Zapotecs and Mixes. We never learnedthe actual story, but imagined it somewhat as follows. The old Mixe, carrying his burden, had probably encountered the young Zapotec andhad words with him. Probably there had been blows, and the old man washaving the worst of it when his companions came along and turned thetide of battle. 

The road, after passing the _hacienda_, ascended almost constantly formany miles. We passed clumps of yuccas. As we mounted we faced a strongand cutting wind, and were glad when any turn in the road gave us amoment's relief. The final ascent was sharp and difficult, up a hill ofred or purple slate, which splintered into bits that were both slipperyand sharp to the feet of our poor animals. Just as the sun wassetting and dusk fell, we reached the miserable pueblo of Santa MariaAlbarradas. It was situated on a terrace or shelf, and its little houseswere made of red or purple adobe bricks, and thatched with grass. Littlegarden patches and groups of cultivated trees surrounded the houses. Thechurch was little larger than the dwellings, and was constructed of thesame clay, thatched with the same grass. Near it was the town-house. Wesummoned the _presidente_, and while we waited for him, the men, women, and children of the town thronged around us and watched our everymovement, commenting the while on our actions and words. When the_presidente_ came, we made known our wants and soon had supper forourselves, food for our animals, a shelter for the night, and a _mozo_as guide for the morrow. The town-house was put at our disposition; itwas sadly in need of repairs, and consisted of two rooms, one largerthan the other. In the larger room there was a long and heavy table, abench or two, and some wooden chairs. We slept upon the ground, andlong before we rolled ourselves up in our blankets the wind was blowingsquarely from the north. The sky was half covered with a heavy blackcloud; as the night advanced, it became colder and colder, the windcutting like a knife, and while we shivered in our blankets, it seemedas if we had been born to freeze there in the tropics. 

CHAPTER III

THE LAND OF THE MIXES

(1896)

Santa Maria was the last Zapotec town; we were on the border of thecountry of the Mixes. Starting at seven next morning, we followed adizzy trail up the mountain side to the summit. Beyond that the roadwent down and up many a slope. A norther was on; cold wind swept overthe crest, penetrating and piercing; cloud masses hung upon the highersummits; and now and again sheets of fine, thin mist were swept downupon us by the wind; this mist was too thin to darken the air, but onthe surface of the driving sheets rainbows floated. The ridge, which fora time we followed, was covered with a thicket of purple-leaved oaks, which were completely overgrown with bromelias and other air-plants. From here, we passed into a mountain country that beggars description. I know and love the Carolina mountains--their graceful forms, theirsparkling streams and springs, the lovely sky stretched above them; butthe millionaires are welcome to their "land of the sky"; we have ourland of the Mixes, and to it they will never come. The mountains hereare like those of Carolina, but far grander and bolder; here the sky ismore amply extended. There, the slopes are clad with rhododendrons andazaleas, with the flowering shrub, with strawberries gleaming amidgrass; here we have rhododendrons also, in clusters that scent the airwith the odor of cloves, and display sheets of pink and purple bloom;here we have magnificent tree-ferns, with trunks that rise twenty feetinto the air and unroll from their summits fronds ten feet in length;fifty kinds of delicate terrestrial ferns display themselves in a singlemorning ride; here are palms with graceful foliage; here are orchidsstretching forth sprays--three or four feet long--toward the hand forplucking; here are pine-trees covering slopes with fragrant fallenneedles. A striking feature is the different flora on the differentslopes of a single ridge. Here, too, are bubbling springs, purlingbrooks, dashing cascades, the equals of any in the world. And hither thetourist, with his destroying touch, will never come. 

We had thought to find our wild Mixes living in miserable huts among therocks, dressed in scanty native garb, leading half wild lives. We foundgood clearings on the hillside; fair fields of maize and peas, gourdsand calabashes; cattle grazed in the meadows; fowls and turkeys werekept; the homes were log-houses, substantially built, in good condition, in neat enclosures; men and women, the latter in European dress, werebusied with the duties of their little farms. Clearing after clearingin the forest told the same story of industry, thrift, and moderatecomfort. 

After more than five hours of hard travel we reached the Mixe town ofAyutla, and rode at once to the _curato_. The priest was not at home. Itwas market-day, and people were in town from all the country round. Themen, surprised at sight of strangers, crowded about us; some gazed at uswith angry glances, others eyed us with dark suspicion, some examined uswith curious and even friendly interest. Many of them spoke little or noSpanish. Thronging about us they felt our clothing, touched our skins, saddles, baggage, and exhibited childish curiosity. The women at the_curato_ spoke Spanish, of course; we told them we should stay therefor a day or two, and sent out for the _presidente_. On his coming, weexplained to him our business and asked leave to occupy the _curato_ inthe absence of the priest. 

Ayutla is situated on a high terrace, before which opens a lovely valleyand behind which rises a fine mountain slope. The village church, whilelarge, is roofless; the town-house lies below the village, and by itare two jails for men and women. The houses of the village are small, rectangular structures of a red-brown-ochre adobe brick; the roofs slopefrom in front backward, and are covered with red tiles they project infront so as to cover a little space before the house. 

By evening most of the indians in the town were drunk. At sunset amiserable procession started from the church, passed through thevillage, and then returned to the church; composed mostly of women, itwas preceded by a band of music and the men who carried the _santito_. Later, we heard most disconsolate strains, and, on examination, foundfour musicians playing in front of the old church; three of them hadcurious, extremely long, old-fashioned horns of brass, while the fourthhad a drum or _tambour_. The _tambour_ was continuously played, whilethe other instruments were alternated in the most curious fashion. Themusic was strange and weird, unlike any that we had ever heard before. However, we became thoroughly familiar with it before we had traversedthe whole Mixe country, as we heard it twice daily, at sunrise and aftersunset. It was the music of the Candelaria, played during the nine dayspreceding February 2d. As we sat listening to the music the _presidente_of the town appeared. His Spanish, at no time adequate, was now at itsworst, as he was sadly intoxicated. We tried to carry on a conversationwith him, but soon seeing that naught but disaster could be expected, ifwe continued, we discreetly withdrew to our room. 

[Illustration: A STREET IN SAN LORENZO]

[Illustration: AYUTLA]

There we found the _fiscal_, and I have rarely seen so drunk anofficial. When drunk, he is violent and abusive, and it was plain thatthe women at the _curato_ were afraid of him. More than one hundred andfifty years ago Padre Quintana, who was the mission priest at Juquila, translated the _Doctrina_ into Mixe and wrote a _Gramatica_ of thelanguage, both of which were then printed. We wished to secure copies ofthese old and rare books, and asked the _fiscal_ if there were any here. He promptly replied that he had one at his house, and invited us to gothere with him to see it. We at once started, and on our way had to passthe drunken _presidente_ and the musicians. As we drew near them the_presidente_, with drunken dignity, rose and said: "Where are you going, Señores?" The _fiscal_ was for going directly onward without givinganswer; we hesitated and began a reply. Our delay was fatal; staggeringup to us, his Honor said: "I shall not permit you to go; this man isdrunk; he will be dangerous. I am responsible for your safety. " The_fiscal_, standing at a little distance, cried: "Señores! shall we go?"We started toward him; the _presidente_ interfered: "No, Señores, you shall not go to-night; the man is drunk; return to your house. ""_Vámonos_, " (Let us go) hiccoughed the _fiscal. "Mañana_, " (to-morrow)hiccoughed the _presidente_. The _fiscal_ stormed; the _presidente_threatened him with jail, ordered him home, and with a body-guardfor our protection led us to our room. Scarcely able to totter, the_presidente_ assured us that drunken men were dangerous and ought notto be trusted; at the same time he produced his bottle and offered usa drop to warm us. It required tact and time to get rid of him andhis corps of protectors. Early the next morning both of these worthyofficials, _presidente_ and _fiscal_, still drunk, called upon us withthe book--a _Doctrina_ of 1729. With the _presidente_ were two stalwartfellows, intended, as he whispered to us audibly, to handle the_fiscal_ in case he became dangerous. The audience ended, and the partydismissed, the _presidente_ stood in the road until the _fiscal_ hadstarted for home, when he left for the town-house. The _fiscal's_home-going, however, was mere pretense. No sooner was the _presidente_gone than he came staggering into the _patio_ of the _curato_. The womenran into our room, in terror: "The _fiscal_ comes; bar the door; donot let him in. " A moment later a feeble rap at the door, a call anda mournful request for admission; the barricaded door gave noencouragement. At intervals through the morning there came the flyingmaids: "He comes! don't let him in. " Again and again the barricade;again and again, the vain appeal for entrance. We left Ayutla at noon. We had scarcely well started when we heard some one calling behind us. Turning, we saw the _fiscal_, running unsteadily toward us. We waited;he came up out of breath. "_Ya se va_?" (Now you are leaving?) "_Si, señor_, " (Yes, sir. ) With a look of despair he removed his hat, andfumbling in its depths produced two cigarettes; presenting one to eachof us, he waved his hand as we rode away and cried: "_Adios! señores_. "

For some distance our road led up a cañon. Reaching its head, we gainedthe pass at two o'clock. A wonderful sight here presented itself. Aboveus was a brilliant blue sky--cloudless; every detail of the rock crestupon which we stood was clear. Forested to its summit, the ridge formedthe half of a magnificent amphitheatre, whose slopes had been verticallyfurrowed at a hundred points by torrents; to the left a spur projected, the crest of which sloped gently downward, forming an enclosing wallupon that side. Before us, beyond the valley, was a boundary line ofmountain masses, sharply outlined against the sky. Lower ridges, nearerto us, paralleled this distant rampart. The only apparent outlet fromthis valley was around the spur to our left. Looking down upon thismagnificent valley, we saw it occupied by a sea of clouds, the levelsurface of which looked like a lake of water flecked here and there withwhitecaps. The higher hills within the valley rose like islands from thewater; to the left a mighty river seemed to flow around the spur, outinto a boundless sea of cloud beyond. The level surface of this lake, river, and sea of clouds was hundreds of feet below us. 

From this summit, our trail plunged downward into this sea of mists. When we reached its upper surface, which was plainly defined, littlewisps of mist or cloud were streaming up along the furrowed channels ofthe mountain walls. As we entered the lake of cloud the sunlight becamefainter, uprushes of cold mists struck us, gloom settled, denser anddenser grew the fog, drops of condensed vapor dripped from the treesunder which we passed. At the bottom of the valley, we could scarcelysee a dozen yards in any direction. We were passing along meadows, likethose of New England, with brakes, sunflowers, and huckleberries; hereand there were little fields of wheat or peas. The fog was too dense forus to know whether we lost fine scenery. We saw nothing of the littlevillages through which we passed. On and on we plunged along the trail, until it began an ascent of a ridge, almost like a knife-edge, withsteep slopes on both sides. When we had reached the summit of thisridge, we found the trail level, through a growth of oak trees whichwere loaded with bromelias and orchids. Though still dim, the light hadbrightened as we rose to higher levels. Graceful ferns and sprays ofterrestrial orchids overhung our trail at every cutting or slope. Onespray, which I plucked as I rode under it, was more than a yard inlength, and its curiously colored brown and yellow flowers werestrangely like insects in form. At one level summit of our ridge, wecame upon a little whitewashed building of adobe, dome-topped, with nowindows and but one little door. Pushing this open, I entered througha doorway so narrow that I had to remove my hat, and so low that I wasforced to bend, and found myself in a little shrine with a cross andpictures of two or three saints, before which were plain vases filledwith fresh flowers, the offerings of travelers. We added our spray oforchids before we resumed our journey. 

For three hours, during which no distant view had delighted our eyes, wehad traveled in the mists; we had almost forgotten that the sun couldshine. At the end of a long, narrow ridge, where it joined the greatermountain mass, we found a rest-house. Here the trail turned abruptlyonto the larger ridge, mounted sharply through a dugway, and then to ourcomplete surprise emerged into the fair sunlight. The clear, blue skywas over us, and directly below us, at our horses' feet, was the flattop of the sea of clouds. A moment more and we rose to a point of viewfrom which the grandest view of a lifetime burst upon our vision. Opposite, the evening sun was nearing the horizon, before and below uslay the valley; we were upon the very edge of a great mountain slope. Toour right lay the cloud mass, which was all in movement, precipitatingitself down the slope into the profound valley. It was a river ofvapors, more than two miles, perhaps, in width, plunging, perhaps, twothousand feet into the abyss. Niagara, which I have often seen, is apigmy cataract in comparison. The cloud mass tossed and heaved, whirledand poured in one enormous sheet over the precipice, breaking into sprayas it struck against projecting rock masses. Every movement of whirlingand plunging water was there; the rapid above the fall, the plunge, thewhirlpool, the wild rush of whirlpool rapids, all were there, but allsilent, fearfully and impressively silent. We could have stood theregazing for hours, but night was coming and a stretch of unknown roadstill lay before us. At the other end of the valley, in the dusk ofearly evening, we saw a second cataract pouring in. From both ends thecloud rivers were rushing in to fill the valley, along the edge of whichwe crept. And presently we plunged down again into the mists; nightfell; our trail was barely visible, and we had to trust to our horses tofind it; the air was cold and penetrating. Long after dark, we rode intoJuquila. 

[Illustration: CLOUD CATARACT; NEAR JUQUILA]

[Illustration: DANCERS IN THE DANZA DE LA CONQUISTA; JUQUILA]

The _cura_ had gone to bed; the _meson_ had no room for us and no foodfor our horses; our case seemed desperate. We heard, however, noisylaughter and the loud voices of men drinking. So I begged Ernst toseek the _presidente_ and tell him our needs while I looked after theanimals. The official was at the _tienda_, drinking with his friends. Ernst made known our wishes, producing our letter from the governor. Atthis, the _presidente_ became furious: "Who is this with orders from thegovernor? Let me kill him, " and with that he drew his _machete_ andmade at Ernst. Some of his less-intoxicated friends restrained him, andErnst, concluding that the moment was not propitious, returned to me. After other fruitless efforts to get food for ourselves and animals weresigned ourselves to our fate, and lay down upon the stone floor ofthe corridor outside the _meson_, with a crowd of sleeping indians ascompanions. 

Very early in the morning, all the town officials, except the_presidente_, came to apologize for the occurrence of the night. Theyannounced that the _presidente_, realizing what he had done, had takento the mountains, and asked what they could do for us. We ordered fodderfor our hungry beasts, food for ourselves, and a place of shelter. Thetown-house was offered to us, and we were moved into those quarters withdue ceremony. 

Although we stayed several days at Juquila, the _presidente_ did notreturn, during our presence, to resume his duties of office. We were, however, well treated. The _cura_ aided us with advice, information, andhelpers. While we were in the village the _danza de la Conquista_ tookplace. It is a popular play, with much dancing and music, and littleaction or dialogue, which celebrates the Conquest of Mexico by Cortez. It was rendered in the shade of a great tree near the church. In thefirst act, nine men and two girls took part; in the second act, therewere many others. The nine men and two girls represented Indians; theywore crowns with plumes of snow-white down; in their hands they carrieda rattle, made from the fruit of a tree and a wand of white down, withwhich they beat time. One man, representing Montezuma, had a crown ofbrilliantly colored plumes. The other eight men were warriors; the twogirls were "_Malinches_. " The first act consisted of a series of dances, including a very pretty maypole dance. The play lasted aboutthree hours, and represented the life of the indians before theConquest--Montezuma in his court, with the amusements celebrated for hisentertainment. Hearing of the arrival of the Spaniards, he is filledwith sad forebodings, which the amusements fail to dispel. In the secondact, Hernando Cortez appears, with soldiers. While the costumes of theindians were gay, and more or less attractive, those of these Europeanwarriors were ludicrously mongrel and unbecoming. The new-comersdemanded that Montezuma acknowledge the authority of the King of Spainand the cross of Christ. Conversations, demands, replies, tableaus, sword-dances, etc. , ensued. Finally, Montezuma and his warriors yielded, and kissed the crucifix. 

[Illustration: ROAD APPROACHING QUEZALTEPEC]

While this drama was being enacted under the shade-tree, anotheramusement, in connection with the _fiesta of_ _San Marcos_, was inprogress in front of the church. The musicians with the long horns madedoleful music; a dozen gayly-costumed dancers took part. They wore darktrousers slitted up the sides; bright kerchiefs, with the point hangingdown in front, were tied about the waists; crowns of plumes were onthe heads; red vests and kerchiefs, crossed at the neck, completed thecostume. One player, who seemed to be a leader, carried a tri-coloredflag; another represented a man on horseback, by creeping into a frameof sticks, covered with cloth, in the shape of a horse. They danced inthe full sunlight for hours; their movements were varied and pretty, quite different, too, from the figures in the _danza de la Conquista_. Two outside characters played the clown. One of these was a little laddressed in a garment representing a tiger-skin, while over his face hewore a heavy, old wooden mask, imitating an animal's head. The otherwas older, dressed in a leather suit, with a wooden mask like avacant-looking human face. These two were very popular, and indulgedin many acts that bordered on the obscene. We got no satisfactoryexplanation of this whole performance. The _cura_ said that itrepresented the conflict between Christ and the Jews; this we greatlydoubted. 

Mixe roads avoid no mountains, and usually go straight up one slope anddown the other. The Mixe villages are set upon the very crests, or uponlittle terraces a few hundred feet below the crest, or the summit ofsome spur that juts out from the great mountain mass, of a long andnarrow ridge. The road from Juquila, by Ocotopec to Quezaltepec wasbeautiful and typical. The ascent, just before Quezaltepec, wasmagnificent. We had a letter of introduction from the _cura_ at Juquilato the schoolteacher at Quezaltepec, and therefore rode directly to theschool. The four boys who were in attendance were promptly dismissed andthe _maestro_ was at our disposition. He was a _mestizo_, and possessedthe art of lying in a fine degree, like so many of his kind. This manset us an excellent supper, having asked us beforehand what we wouldlike. We replied that we would be glad to have fresh meat, if there wasany to be had. He replied, "There is always fresh meat here; someonekills every day. " It really appeared in the dinner, but, as we ate it, our host remarked--"Gentlemen, it is indeed lucky that you arrived herejust now, because to-night we have fresh meat, and like enough a monthwill pass before anyone in town kills again. " Our teacher friend fullyappreciated his opportunity, and we paid a large price for our meal, with its fresh meat, our beds on the school benches, and the foddersupplied our horses. The next day being Saturday, the _maestro_ offeredto accompany us to Ixcuintepec, where his half-brother, the localteacher, would welcome our coming and arrange for our entertainment. 

Passing Camotlan, we entered a magnificent gorge, along one side ofwhich we climbed, passing in front of lovely cascades and havingmagnificent outlooks. While we were on this trail, we encountered the_maestro_ from Ixcuintepec, who was on his way to Quezaltepec to spendhis holiday. A whispered word with his half-brother, our companion, quickly changed his plan, and he accompanied us. Upon this trail wefound our first swinging foot-bridges made of _lianas_, or vines, hanging from trees. These are, of course, only suitable forfoot-travellers, but are a great convenience, where streams are likelyto be swollen. Two or three long and slender vines, laid side by sideand lashed together, form the footway, which is swung from one tree toanother; other _lianas_ are stretched across as side rails, smallervines being twined in between and around them to hold them in place;long vines, pendant from the high branches of the supporting trees, arefastened to the upper rails to steady and anchor these frail bridges, which swing and yield with every weight. 

[Illustration: TREE FERN IN TROPICAL FOREST; QUEZALTEPEC]

[Illustration: CASCADE, NEAR QUEZALTEPEC]

Ixcuintepec is upon one of the most abrupt ridges of this wholedistrict. We went first to the schoolhouse, where our animals were tobe guarded in a little open space before it; then we walked over tothe _curato_ which was being prepared for us. We had ordered _zacate_(fodder) for our animals and had divided it suitably between them. Weate our own meal, took a turn around the town, and were about to go toour quarters for the night, when Ernst noticed that the fodder, forwhich we had paid an outrageous price, had completely disappeared frombefore the two horses, although the pile before the mule had diminishedbut little. No doubt the two school teachers could have explained thismysterious disappearance; we could not, however, tax them with theft, but we made so much fuss over the matter that the officials brought anew supply. While I went to our room to write up my notes, Ernst sat inthe gathering darkness watching the animals, as they ate, to preventfurther robbery. I was busily writing, listening now and then to thefierce gusts of a gale that was blowing without, when the door burstopen and Ernst, greatly excited, called me to follow, and we hastenedto the place where our animals were tied. There we found that the greattree under which Chontal, the little mule, had been feeding, had beentorn by the tempest and half of it had fallen upon the animal, bearingit to the ground. The crash had come without a moment's warning. Fortunately, the mule was unhurt, though it could not move until thebranches which had crushed it to the earth had been cut away with axes. When we had released the beast and were retiring to our quarters, wesaw a sight never to be forgotten. Looking down from our crest into thevalley and across upon the other ridges and mountains beyond, we sawthat the camp-fires of charcoal-burners and wayfarers had been fannedby the winds and spread into the forest until a dozen great lines ofblazing trees lit up the landscape in every direction. 

Our leaving Ixcuintepec in the early morning was not agreeable. Theteachers were irritated over the affair of the _zacate_; the townauthorities were dissatisfied with our refusal to pay for two lots ofit. There was grumbling, and many dark looks followed us. We were ratherglad to get away from the town without a serious outbreak. We were nowon the road to the last of the Mixe towns we should visit, Coatlan. Theroad seemed endless, the ascent interminable; the town itself impressedus as exceptionally mean and squalid, and we stopped only long enoughto eat a miserable dinner of eggs with chili and _tortillas_. The womenhere wore native dress. Several were clad as the Zapotec women from hereto Tehuantepec, but a few were dressed in striking _huipilis_ of nativeweaving, with embroidered patterns, and had their black hair done up ingreat rings around their heads, bright strips of cloth or ribbon beingintermingled in the braiding. Literally and figuratively shaking thedust of the Mixe towns from our feet, we now descended into the Zapoteccountry. We were oppressed by a cramped, smothered feeling as wedescended from the land of forested mountains and beautiful streams. Atevening we reached San Miguel, the first Zapotec settlement, a littlegroup of houses amid coffee plantings. 

[Illustration: FIESTA OF SAN MARCOS; JUQUILA]

[Illustration: BRIDGE OF VINES, NEAR IXCUINTEPEC]

At the first indian house, we asked if we might have shelter for thenight. The owner cordially answered, "_Como no? señores_, " (Why not?sirs). He explained, however, that there was nought to eat. After eatingelsewhere, we made our way back to our lodging-place, a typical Zapotechut, a single room, with dirt-floor, walls of canes or poles, and thatchof grass. The house contained a hammock and two beds of poles, comfortswe had not known for days. I threw myself into the hammock; Ernst laydown upon one of the beds; the man and woman, squatting, were huskingcorn for our horses; a little girl was feeding a fire of pine splints, built upon the floor, which served for light. As they worked andwe rested the man asked that question which ever seems of supremeimportance to Mexican indians, "_Como se llama Ud. Señor_?" (What isyour name, sir?). "Ernst, " replied our spokesman, to whom the questionwas addressed. "_Y el otro_?" (And the other?), pointing to me. Ireplied for myself, "_Federico_. " The man seemed not to catch the wordand badly repeated it after me. "_No, no_, " said the much quickerwoman, "_Federico! Federico! si, señor, nosotros tenemos un Federico, también_, " (Yes, sir, and we have a Frederick, also). "Ah, and where ishe?" "He will come, sir; we have four boys, Luca and Pedrito, Castoloand Federico; Federico is the baby; the little girl, here, is betweenhim and Castolo; they are working in the coffee-field, but they willsoon be here. " At nine o'clock the little fellows appeared. They linedup in the order of age, placed their hands behind them, and waited to beaddressed. Castolo, then about ten years of age, most pleased me, andI asked him, among other things, whether he could read and write. Hisfather answered for him, that he could not read or write; that theopportunities were not good; but that he believed Castolo _could_ learn, that he had a good mind. At this point the mother spoke to her husbandin Zapotec. Some argument ensued, in which at last she triumphed. Turning to me, the man said: "She says you may have Castolo; you maytake him to your country and there he can learn to read and write andwhatever else you wish. " It was not altogether easy to refuse this gift;finally I replied that we had a long journey ahead and that Castolowould weary on the road; that he had better wait until some later time. 

It was now time for the family to dispose of itself for the night. I wasalready in the hammock and Ernst had one of the pole-beds; the man, hiswife, and little Federico occupied the other bed; the little girl andthe three older boys climbed, by a notched log, up to a loft constructedof poles or canes on which they laid themselves down. After all werelocated, the woman barred the door and we were soon asleep. 

All rose early. Not only did we wish to make an early start, but theboys, too, were to make a journey. Our friends had agreed to make ussome coffee and _tortillas_. We had made our preparations for startingand were waiting for our breakfast, when a shriveled and wrinkledold woman tottered up to beg the strangers to visit her sick son andprescribe some _remedio_. On our consenting to go with her, she caughtup a stick of fat pine, lighted it in the fire, and with this blazingtorch to light the way, preceded us to her house. Her son had been astrong and robust young man, but four months of lying upon his pole-bedhad sadly reduced him. He was thin and pale, coughed sadly, and sufferedwith fever, chills, and dreadful headaches. He was taking medicinesbrought from Tehuantepec, but these seemed to have no effect and we werebegged to suggest treatment. We advised continuance of the remedy shehad been using, but also prescribed hot water taken in the morning andat night, hot water applications for the headaches, quinine for thechills and fever, and a digestive for the stomach trouble, and furnishedthese remedies from our own supplies. Having lighted us back to ourlodging-place the old lady asked our charge. When we refused to receivepayment from the poor creature, we noted an increased activity on thepart of our host and hostess; a bit of cheese was promptly found andadded to the waiting coffee and _tortillas_, and when we called for ourown reckoning, we received the hearty response--"_Nada, señor, nada_;"(nothing, sir, nothing) "and when you come this way again, come straightto us, our door is always open to you. "

[Illustration: SANTIAGO GUEVEA]

We were now ready and found that the three boys, Luca, Pedrito, andCastolo, were waiting to accompany us as far as our roads were the same. They were to go on foot, five leagues, into the mountains to bring backsome mules from a camp; they expected to reach their destination thatday, to sleep on the mountain, and to bring in the animals the next day. The little fellows, from thirteen to nine or ten years old, seemed tofind nothing extraordinary in their undertaking; each carried his littlecarrying-net, with food, drinking-gourd, and an extra garment for thechilly night, upon his back; Pedrito buckled to his belt the great_machete_, which men here regularly carry for clearing the path, cuttingfirewood, or protection against animals. They were very happy ataccompanying us for a distance. We soon rose from the low, malarial, coffee _fincas_ onto a fine mountain, which was the last of its kindthat we saw for many days; it was like the mountains of the Mixes, with its abundant vegetation of ferns, begonias, and trees loaded withbromelias and orchids. Our bodyguard kept up with us bravely until wehad made one-half of the ascent, where they fell behind and we saw themno more. Reaching the summit, we saw before us a distant line of blue, interrupted here and there by some hill or mountain, --the great Pacific. From here on, the beauty of the road disappeared. We descended and thenmounted along dry slopes to Santiago Guevea, then hot and dusty. Ourfriends of San Miguel really live in Guevea and are at San Miguel onlywhen the coffee needs attention. From Guevea the road was hard and dryand dusty to Santa Maria. The mountain mass over which we passed wasa peak, the summit of which was covered with masses of chalcedony ofbrilliant colors, which broke into innumerable splinters, which werelovely to see but hard upon the feet of horses; the surface of this partalso gave out a glare or reflection that was almost intolerable. Wedescended over granite which presented typical spheroidal weathering. We went onward, up and down many little hills, reaching Santa Maria atnoonday. The village sweltered; the air scorched and blistered; therewas no sign of life, save a few naked children playing in the shade orrolling upon the hot sand. It was so hot and dusty that we hated toresume our journey and tarried so long that we had to ride afternightfall before we reached the _rancho_ of Los Cocos, where we lay inthe corridor and all night long heard the grinding of sugar-cane at themill close by. 

We had just such another hard, hot, and dusty ride the next day, on through Auyuga and Tlacotepec, where we stopped for noon, untilTehuantepec, where we arrived at evening. 

CHAPTER IV

THROUGH CHIAPAS

(1896)

Tehuantepec is meanly built; it is hot and dusty, and the almostconstant winds drive the dust in clouds through the streets. But itspicturesque market is a redeeming feature. Every morning it is crowdedand presents a brilliant and lively spectacle. All the trade is in thehands of women, and the Tehuantepec women have the reputation of beingthe handsomest in the world. They are large, finely-built, and in theirmovements exhibit an indescribable freedom and grace. Their naturalattractions are set off by a characteristic and becoming costume. The_huipilili_ is a little sleeveless waist, loose at the neck and arms, and so short that it rarely reaches to the waist-line, to which, ofcourse, it is supposed to extend; it is of bright cotton--red, brown, purple, with stripes or spots of white--and is stitched at the neck withyellow silk. The _enagua_, or skirt, is a strip of heavy cotton cloth, less than a yard wide, which is simply wrapped around the figure andhangs from the waist, being held in place by a brightly colored belt orgirdle. The _enagua_ is usually a rich red, but it is sometimes a fineviolet purple. It reaches but little below the knees. It generally failsto meet the _huipilili_ above, so that a broader or narrower band offine, dark brown separates the two garments. Nothing is worn on thefeet, which are exposed, as are also the finely shaped and beautifullydeveloped arms. But the most striking article in the Tehuantepecwoman's costume is her _huipíl_, which travellers usually describe asa head-dress, although it is nothing of the kind. It is in reality awaist-garment with sleeves. It is made of lace or cotton, or linen, andis bordered at the neck, the sleeves, and the lower margin with broadruffs of pleated lace. Only at church or on some important or ceremonialoccasion is the _huipíl_ worn as it was meant to be. Usually at churchthe wearer draws the garment over her upper body, but does not put herarms into the sleeves, nor her head through the neck-opening, simplyfitting her face into this in such a way that it appears to be framed ina broad, oval, well-starched border of pleated lace. Usually, however, the garment is not even worn in this manner, but is turned upside downand carelessly hung upon the head so that the broad lower fringe of lacefalls back upon the hair, while the upper part of the garment, with thesleeves, the collar, and cuff-ruffs, hangs down upon the back. The wholeeffect is that of a fine crest rising from the head, coursing down theback, and moving with the breeze as the woman walks. These Zapotec womenare fond of decoration, but particularly prize gold coins. In the past, when Tehuantepec was more important than now, it was no uncommon thingto see a woman in this market with several hundred dollars in gold coinshanging to her neck chain. In these later days of little trade andharder times, these once prized decorations have been spent, and itis rare to see any woman wearing more than twenty to fifty dollars asdisplay. 

[Illustration: READY FOR CHURCH; TEHUANTEPEC]

[Illustration: THE WIDE ROAD; TEHUANTEPEC TO JUCHITAN]

Resuming our journey, we struck out upon the highway which parallelsthe coast. Almost immediately, the road changed from a fair countrycart-road to a road remarkable at once for its straightness, breadth andlevelness. It was, however, dreadfully hot and dusty, and wasbordered on both sides with a tiresome and monotonous growth of low, thorn-bearing trees, with occasional clumps of palms. We ate dinner atJuchitan, in a little eating-house conducted by a _Japanese_! A littlebeyond that important indian centre, we saw a puma pace forth from thethicket; with indescribably graceful and slow tread it crossed the dustyroad and disappeared in the thicket. In the morning we had startledflocks of parrots, which rose with harsh cries, hovered while we passed, and then resettled on the same trees where they had been before. In theevening we saw pairs of macaws flying high, and as they flew over ourheads they looked like black crosses sharp against the evening sky. Atevening we reached Guviño, a dreadful town, in the population of whichthere seems to be a negro strain. We stopped with the _presidente_, inwhose veins flowed Spanish, indian, and negro blood. In his one-roomedhouse besides ourselves there slept the owner, his wife, two daughters, one with a six-weeks baby, a son, and two young men--friends of thefamily. 

Turning north the next day, onto the Niltepec road, we wandered from ourtrail, losing five leagues of space and more than three hours of time. The country through which we passed was terribly dry; there wereno running streams. We crossed the bed of one dried river afteranother--streaks of sand and pebbles. The people in the villages nearthese dried river-beds dug holes a foot or two deep into this sand andgravel and thus got water. At the place where we camped for the night, Suspiro Ranch, a new house was being palm-thatched. All the men and boysof the neighborhood were helping; the labor was carefully divided; somewere bringing in great bundles of the palm leaves; others pitched theseup to the thatchers, who were skilfully fitting them under and over thepoles of the roof framework and then beating them firmly home. Many ofthe helpers had come considerable distances and spent the night, so thatwe shared our room with quite a dozen men and boys, while the women andchildren slept in another house. 

Passing through Zanatepec, we stopped for Sunday at Tanatepec. Here wefound ourselves again upon the low coast road. It was, however, our lastpoint of low altitude, as from there we struck inland over a higher, cooler, and more interesting mountain road. At Zanatepec we first sawthe _marimba_ played. This musical instrument, unquestionably Africanin name and origin, is hardly found north of Chiapas, but is extremelycommon through Central America. It consists of a wooden frame supportingkeys made of wood and metal, each of which gives forth its own note whenstruck with small hammers. Below the keys of lowest tone are hung tubes, pipes, or gourds, as sounding boxes to increase the sound produced bystriking the key. Usually four players perform at one time, each usingtwo or more little hammers. The music is rapid and brilliant, somewhatresembling that of the piano. The instrument usually has some fancifulname, which is painted upon it. The one at Tanatepec was _La Azteca_(The Aztec Lady), while our next one was _La reina de las flores_ (Thequeen of the flowers). At Zanatepec, _La Azteca_ was an advertisingpart of a traveling circus. The troupe consisted of three men andthree women, the latter of whom seemed to be mulattos. The men wereridiculously garbed and painted to represent wild indians. The real, live indians, who followed these clowns in delighted crowds, enjoyedthrills of terror at their whoops, fierce glances, and wild antics, and assured us that these actors were, if not the real thing, at leastwonderfully accurate impersonations of the natives of the _Estadosunidos_ (United States)--the land of the "Apaches. "

From Tanatepec we were in Chiapas, the southernmost state of therepublic. We struck out over a fine mountain road, _passable for carts_all the way to Tuxtla Gutierrez, the capital of the state. Our firstascent was over a magnificent mountain mass of syenite, which at someplaces seemed to be as fine as our own Quincy stone. The road, with manyshort zigzags, made a remarkably abrupt ascent, and, having reached thecrest, wound like a vast serpent along the summit. As we descended intothe following valley, we encountered a beautiful deer, which stood inthe middle of the road, eyeing us with curiosity, until we were almostupon it, when it dashed into the thicket and then stopped to again eyeus. Upon attaining the second summit we were amid pines. All day we hadhad a wind in our faces, cold and so strong as to almost blow us fromthe narrow ridge, yet the sky was cloudless. Looking back from oursummit, a magnificent view to the ocean was spread before us. Below uswere the mountains over which we had come, then a valley broken withmountains of a lesser size; beyond, was the dry, coastal plain, and yetbeyond it, the sea. The dark green pines, the blue sky, the brown hills, the gray plain, the stretch of blue-green waters, made a wonderful colorcombination. 

The next two days were most uninteresting. We were often reminded ofthe recent threat of war between Mexico and Guatemala, the disputedborder-line between which we were now nearing. We met marching bands ofsoldiers who were returning to Juchitan. Officers were on horses, common soldiers on foot, pack-mules were laden with luggage, the women(accompanying their husbands) were weighed down with coffee-pots, bundles of clothes, and babies, all strapped on their backs together. They were a motley crew. At Jiquipilas a company was encamped in theplaza. Our mule, Chontal, took particular delight in running into suchbands of marching soldiers as we encountered, causing no end of trouble. On one occasion, as a group approached us, he ran forward at alively pace into their midst and tangled himself up with a party ofprisoners, --apparently soldiers in disgrace, --who, tied together withropes, were under guard. As we rode up to capture him, I felt a hand atthat coat pocket which contained our money-bag and, turning suddenly, found one of the guard trying to draw the bag of money from my pocket. Istruck at him with my whip and he slunk away. 

The last day of travel before reaching Tuxtla Gutierrez, we passed oneof the few pretty places on this dreary road, Agua Bendita. At thispoint the road makes a great curve, almost like a horseshoe; at themiddle of this curve there rises to the right of the road a wall oflimestone rock the plainly defined strata of which are thrown into agentle anticlinal fold. The upper layers of this arch were covered withshrubs, clinging to its face, while the lower layers were tapestriedwith a curtain of delicate ferns, which hung down over the open archbelow, under which the road passed. Water trickled through thislimestone mass and dripped and collected in little basins, which hadbeen excavated in the ledge close by the roadside. Some grateful passerhad set up little crosses by the water pools, and they were gay that daywith purple orchids plucked from a near-by tree. In this tree, amid thebrilliant clumps of yet unplucked blossoms of the orchids, were a numberof toucans with their enormous, brightly colored bills--the _picos decanoa_ (canoe beaks) of the people. 

Tuxtla Gutierrez is a town of some thousands population, with a centralplaza where the local band plays almost every evening, and a marketplace of exceptional interest. Here, as nowhere else, we saw crowds ofthe purest indians in native dress. Chiapas is the home of at leastthirteen tribes, each with its own language. Among the most interestingindians we saw in the market were the Tzotzils, from Chamula, who woreheavy, black woolen garments. The indians of the town and its immediatevicinity are Zoques. 

Few Mexican governors possess the breadth of view and the intelligententerprise of Governor Leon, whom we encountered here. A man of middleage, of fair stature though slight in build, with dark complexion, iron-gray hair, beard and whiskers carefully trimmed after the Frenchfashion, his appearance creates a favorable impression. He dideverything in his power for our comfort and assistance, and supplied uswith letters to the _jefes politicos_ of the districts through which wewere to pass. We congratulated him upon the cart-road over which wehad come from Zanatepec, an important public work for this part of theworld; he told us he began it three years ago with a force of but ninemen; that it would be extended to San Cristobal and San Bartolome; thathe was no engineer, but that he could tell quite well when a road waspassable for a cart. We found him greatly interested in a congresswhich he had called of persons interested in labor questions. Among thequestions which he hoped to see considered was the abolition of thesystem of _peonage, _ which still exists in full development in thestate. 

Less than three leagues from Tuxtla Gutierrez is Chiapa, famous for thebrightly painted gourds and calabash vessels there manufactured andsent out to all parts of the republic. Toys, rattles, cups, and greatbowl-basins are among the forms produced. We visited a house where fivewomen were making pretty rattles from little crook-necked gourds. Theworkers sat upon the floor, with their materials and tools before them. The first one rubbed the body of the dry gourds over with an oil paint. These paints are bought in bulk and mixed upon a flat slab, with afine-grained, smooth, hard pebble as a grinder, with _aje_ and a whiteearth dug near the road between Chiapa and Tuxtla Gutierrez. The _aje_is a yellow, putty-like mass which gives a brilliant, lacquer-likelustre; the white earth causes the color to adhere to the surface towhich it is applied. The second woman rubbed the neck of the gourd withgreen paint; the third painted the line of junction of the two colorswith white, using a brush; the fourth brought out the lustre of thebefore dull object by rubbing it upon a pad of cotton cloth uponher knee, giving a final touch by careful rubbing with a tuft ofcotton-wool; with a brush, the final worker rapidly painted on thelustrous surface delicate floral or geometric decoration. Thoughrepresenting so much delicate and ingenious labor, these pretty toyswere sold at the price of two for a _medio_ (three cents in UnitedStates currency). 

The _aje_ which gives the brilliant lustre to this work deserves morethan a passing notice. It is made chiefly at San Bartolome and issecured from an insect, a sort of plant-louse, which lives upon theblackthorn and related trees. The insect is found only in the wetseason, is small, though growing rapidly, and is of a fiery-red color, though it coats itself over with a white secretion. It lives in swarms, which form conspicuous masses. These are gathered in vessels, washedto remove the white secretion, boiled, crushed, and strained through acloth; an oily matter, mixed with blood (?) and water passes out, whichis boiled to drive off the water and to concentrate the oily mass. Thisis then washed in trays, to rid it of the blood, and made up into balls, which are sold at ten or twelve _centavos_ (five or six cents) a pound. It is a putty-like substance, with a handsome yellow color. We havealready stated that it is ground up with dry paints to be rubbed onthe object which is to be adorned, and that the brilliant lustre isdeveloped by gentle and rapid friction. 

[Illustration: ZAPOTEC WOMAN; SAN BLAS]

[Illustration: CASE OF WHITE PINTO; TUXITA GUTIERREZ]

_Pinto_, a spotting or discoloring of the skin, is a common disease inmany parts of Mexico. Three varieties are recognized--white, red, andblue or purple. The disease is particularly frequent in the statesof Guerrero and Chiapas, and we had heard that it was very commonin Chiapa. Perhaps twenty per cent of the population really has thedisease; at San Bartolome perhaps seventy-five per cent are affected; insome towns an even larger proportion is reported. The white form appearsthe commonest. One subject examined at Tuxtla Gutierrez was a woman somesixty years of age. At birth she showed no symptom of the trouble, butspots began to appear when she was seven or eight years old. She wasnaturally dark, and the white spots were in notable contrast to hernormal color; the spots increased in number and in size until her faceand arms looked as if they had been white and become brown-spotted, instead of _vice versa_. After she was forty years of age her spotsvaried but little. The cause of this disease is still obscure, althoughseveral treatises have been written upon it. Authorities do not evenagree as to the sequence of the forms of the disease, if there be suchsequence. Some assert that the white form is the early stage and thatthe disease may never progress beyond it; others assert that the whitespots are merely the permanent scars, left after the disappearanceof the disease itself. Maps of distribution seem to show a distinctrelation of the disease to altitude and character of water-supply. Thecommon herd attribute it to an insect sting, to drinking of certainwater, or to bathing in certain pools. Usually, there is no pain ordanger connected with the trouble, except in the red form, but if theperson affected changes residence, itching and some discomfort maytemporarily ensue. The _presidente_ at Chiapa took us to the jail, wherethe prisoners were filed before us and made to hold out hands and feetfor our inspection. Such cases of _pinto_ as were found were somewhatcarefully examined. All we encountered there were of the white variety. Later, at private houses, we saw some dreadful cases of the purple form. Very often, those whose faces were purple-blotched had white-spottedhands and feet. 

We had not planned to stop at Acala, but after a hard ride over a drearyroad and a ferrying across a wide and deep river in a great dugout canoethirty feet or more in length--our animals swimming alongside--we foundour beasts too tired for further progress. And it was a sad town. Howstrange, that beautifully clear and sparkling mountain water oftenproduces actual misery among an ignorant population! Scarcely had wedismounted at our lodging place, when a man of forty, an idiot andgoitrous, came to the door and with sadly imperfectly co-ordinatedmovements, gestured a message which he could not speak. Almost as soonas he had gone a deaf-mute boy passed. As we sat at our doorway, we sawa half-witted child at play before the next house. Goitre, deaf-mutism, and imbecility, all are fearfully common, and all are relatedly due tothe drinking water. 

To us, sitting at the door near dusk, a song was borne upon the eveningbreeze. Nearer and nearer it came, until we saw a group of twelve orfifteen persons, women in front, men and children behind, who sang asthey walked. Some aided themselves with long staves; all carried burdensof clothing, food, utensils; all were wearied and footsore with the longjourney, but full of joy and enthusiasm, as they were nearing theirdestination--a famous shrine. Passing us, they journeyed onward to anopen space at the end of town, where, with many others who had reachedthere sooner, they camped for the night. The next day we constantlypassed such parties of pilgrims; coming or going to this shrine whichlay a little off the road between Acala and San Bartolome. In one group, we counted ninety pilgrims. 

[Illustration: RIVER BETWEEN CHIAPA AND ACALA]

[Illustration: THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT AT SAN BARTOLOME]

We had been told that San Bartolome was full of goitre, and we reallyfound no lack of cases. It is said that forty years ago it was far morecommon than now, and that the decrease has followed the selection of anew water source and the careful piping of the water to the town. In thepopulation of two thousand, it was estimated that there might be twohundred cases, fifty of which were notable. None, however, was soextraordinary as that of which several told us, the late _secretario_ ofthe town, who had a goitre of such size that, when he sat at the tableto write, he had to lift the swelling with both hands and place it onthe table before he began work. The former prevalence of the disease isabundantly suggested by the frequency of deaf-mutes, a score or moreof whom live here--all children of goitrous parents. Bad as was SanBartolome, it seemed to us surpassed by San Antonio, where we foundthe disease in an aggravated form, while at Nenton, our first point inGuatemala, every one appeared affected, although we saw no dreadfulcases. 

San Bartolome is an almost purely indian town, where for the first timeour attention was called to the two sets of town officials--indian and_ladino_. The indian town government consisted of four Indians of pureblood, who wore the native costume. This, here, is characteristic, bothfor men and women. The men wore wide-legged trousers of native wovencotton, and an upper jacket-shirt, square at the bottom, made of thesame stuff, with designs--rosettes, flowers, geometrical figures, birds, animals, or men--wrought in them in red, green, or yellow wools; aboutthe waist was a handsome brilliant native belt, while a bright kerchiefwas twisted about the head. The men were well-built, but the _alcalde_was a white _pinto_. Women wore _huipilis_, waist-garments, sometimesthick and heavy, at others thin and open, in texture, but in both casesdecorated with lines of brightly colored designs. Their _enaguas_, skirts, were of heavy indigo-blue stuff or of plain white cotton, of twonarrow pieces sewed together and quite plain except for a line of brightstitching along the line of juncture. As among other indian tribes, thiscloth was simply wrapped around the figure and held in place by a belt. The town is famous for its weaving and dyeing; the loom is the simple, primitive device used all through Mexico long before the Conquest. We were surprised to find that the designs in colored wools are notembroidered upon the finished fabric, but are worked in with bits ofworsted during the weaving. 

From San Bartolome to Comitan, the road passes over a curious limedeposit, apparently formed by ancient hot waters; it is a porous tufawhich gave back a hollow sound under the hoofs of our horses. Itcontains moss, leaves, and branches, crusted with lime, and often formsbasin terraces, which, while beautiful to see, were peculiarly harsh andrough for our animals. But the hard, and far more ancient, limestone, onto which we then passed, was quite as bad. At the very summit ofone hill of this we found a cave close by the road; entering it, wepenetrated to a distance of perhaps seventy-five feet, finding the roofhung with stalactites and the walls sheeted with stalagmite. Just afterleaving this cave, we met a tramp on foot, ragged, weary, and dusty, andwith a little bundle slung upon a stick over his shoulder. He accostedme in Spanish, asking whence we had come; on my reply, probably catchingmy foreign accent, he winked and said in plain English, --"Yes? And whereare you going, pard?"

After a hard day's ride, over a shut-in road, destitute of fine views, we reached the crest overlooking Comitan. The descent was almostprecipitous. The town, better built and more compact than most, wassituated near the foot of the hill; near it, on a terrace, was thecemetery. On the level road, stretching to a long distance from thetown, we saw lines of hundreds of pack-mules, dwarfed by distance. Southfrom the town stretched a grassy plain, bordered here and there withpine trees. Back of this plain rose round-topped hills, and beyondthem were again the blue mountains; far in the distance, behind these, towered the mighty crests of the Guatemalan Sierra Madre. 

The town was crowded, as the annual _feria_ (fair) was in progress, andit was with difficulty that we found a room to sleep in, going for ourmeals to one of the many temporary eating-places in the plaza. Comitanis the last town of consequence in Mexico, and has wide fame on accountof its spirits, known at _comiteco_. This drink, of enormous strength, distilled from coarse, brown sugar (_panela, _) is a favorite inGuatemala, and its smuggling across the border, though risky, is alucrative business. There are scores of little distilleries in the town, many of them belonging to and conducted by women. 

Mexican paper money is useless between Tuxtla Gutierrez and Comitan. Atthe latter city it may be exchanged for silver, but with difficulty. From here on we found no copper in circulation, and before reachingComitan we had begun to receive Guatemalan silver in our change. Fullythirty leagues from the border we ceased to receive Mexican silver fromanyone. This notable displacement of Mexican currency seems curious, because Guatemalan money is at a heavy discount in comparison with it. At San Bartolome we sent a soldier-police to buy _zacate_, giving himMexican money. He brought back two Guatemalan pieces in change, and onour objecting to receive it, assured me, not only that the money wasgood, but also that here the people were Guatemalans. "Here, " said he, "not Mexico: here we are all Carrera's people. " This, of course, wassheer treason. Carrera, the pure-blood indian who in the stirring daysof 1839 seized the power in Guatemala, a strange and wild being who hada real love for his country, has left a profound impression. At times anexile, he had lived at Comitan, where his name was familiar to all theindians around. His coins are much prized by the indians for necklacesand earrings, and even at Tehuantepec we had seen women wearing hislittle gold pieces in their ears. 

It should have been an easy matter to go from Comitan to Nenton (inGuatemala) in a single day. As it was, we made it with great difficultyin two, our mule Chontal apparently being completely worn out. Wecrossed the _llano_, passed through patches of pines, and then came outupon a terrible country of limestone hills. In our last day's journey wehad to coax, threaten, beat, drag, and push that mule until our voiceswere gone and our arms were tired. Immediately on passing the line intoGuatemala, we found the telegraph wires cut and poles down, a result ofthe late unpleasantness with Mexico. The mountain mass before us, whichhad been in view for two days past, loomed up frightfully before us. Would our little mule be able to pass it? We remembered what an Americantramp, whom we had met at Tuxtla Gutierrez and who had walked on footfrom Guatemala City, had said: "Between Nenton and Huehuetenango youwill pass over a mountain that will make your heart sick; may God helpyou. " Just at dusk we looked down upon Nenton in a little valley, with afine stream crossed by a pretty bridge, where mountains rose steeply onevery side. Having been registered by the custom officials, we sleptthat night, our first in the new republic, in the municipal house. 

Next morning we started bravely, the whole town having assembled tosee us off. We safely reached the foot of the mountain, where the mulestopped and braced himself. We spoke kindly, coaxed, dragged, but allto no effect. Finally he started, but three times within the next fewminutes, he and we went through the same procedure. Patience had ceasedto be a virtue; we held a serious consultation. Ernst asserted that byplacing the rope over the nostrils of the animal and then leading, hemust move. We tried the experiment. The beast gave a snort, a groan, lurched, fell over, kicked convulsively, closed his eyes, and lay to allappearance dead. The town below, which had been watching progress, camerunning up. We removed the halter; the animal lay quiet. The pity ofthe by-standers was maddening; their remarks exasperating. "Poor littlemule, he dies;" they pointed to his rubbed sides, --"Ah, poor creature!What a heavy load! How thin he is. " It is certain that the best mule inthe town was in far worse condition, and as for food, Chontal had eatenmore the night before than our two horses put together. Having exhaustedtheir vocabulary of sympathy, our friends left us, as the "poor littleanimal" showed signs of coming to. We concluded to engage a man on footto carry the burden across the mountains and to lead Chontal. Aftersome delay a man was found, who readily agreed to carry the burden andpack-saddle, but when he found he was to lead the mule besides, hedefied the town authorities and refused to go. Unfortunately, he was acarpenter and, by law, could not be made to go against his will. Hourspassed, while another carrier was sought. Declaring that I would notreturn to town, I waited on the road with the mule, while Ernst rodeback and forth. As soon as he had left, the beast began to mend; hecoughed, raised his head, and, opening one eye, gravely winked. Takinghis halter and encouraging him to rise, I led him a few yards upthe hill, when he again braced himself and I desisted. There he ate_zacate_. Presently we took another turn, mounted a little higher up thehill, where he stopped again. A little later we made another journey, and again halted. Just then I heard an indian boy of fourteen yearscalling from the cliff above me in great excitement, "_Señor, unanimal_" (An animal, sir). Clambering over rocks, I came up to the boy, with his _machete_ in his hand, standing at the foot of a tree upon theleafless branches of which was a fine iguana (lizard) two feet or morein length. Visions of iguana steak, which I had long desired to try, rose in fancy. The boy was disgusted when he found I had no pistolwith which to shoot his animal, but grunted, "If we but had a cord. " Idirected him where to find a cord among our luggage and on his returnhe made a slip-noose, cut a long and slender pole to which he tied hissnare, then handing me his _machete_ he raised his pole and tried toslip the noose over the lizard's head. The iguana gave a leap, and as itshot by me I struck at it with the _machete_, which hit it and threw iton the rocks below. However, before we could reach it, it had made goodits escape. 

Returning to the mule I found it eating grass contentedly by theroadside. It was three o'clock in the afternoon when our human beast ofburden finally arrived, took up his burden and was ready to start. Then, suddenly, I took a new resolve. Before us rose the appalling mass of theSierra Madre; to get that mule across it would wear us out in mindand body; I regretted that he had not died, and determined to have nofurther trouble with him. Quickly, we sent back word to Nenton that amule and saddle were for sale; the crowd gathered. We demanded fifteendollars for the mule, ten for the saddle; and were offered ten and fiverespectively. But we declared we would kill the mule and burn the saddlebefore we would take less; we triumphed. Our account stood:

 Cost of mule $45. 00 Cost of saddle 6. 00 ------ 51. 00

 Selling price of mule 15. 00 Selling price of saddle 10. 00 ------ $25. 00 ------ Loss--paid for experience in mules $26. 00

CHAPTER V

AT HUIXQUILUCAN

(1897)

Our serious work was to begin with one of the most conservative andreserved of Mexican indian populations. If we could do what we plannedto do with the Otomis, we were likely to have but little greater troublewith any tribe. In ancient times the name of Otomi was synonymous withstupidity. When an Aztec was particularly stupid or clumsy, his fellowsin derision called him an Otomi. They still are ignorant, suspicious, and unprogressive. 

Huixquilucan, which we had chosen as our field for labor, is situatedon a high ridge within sight of the National Railroad, at a distanceof perhaps a mile and a half from the station of Dos Rios. A crowd ofindian women and children are always at the station when trains pass, tosell _tortillas, chalupas_, and _pulque_ to passengers; few travellersfrom the United States, passing over this road, have failed to noticethe dark and ugly faces of these sellers, and have received their firstimpression of the indians of Mexico from seeing them. Our party, threein number, reached Dos Rios in the morning and began work at the stationwith the women who were selling there. Dr. Powell, as our interpreter, undertook the personal dealings, and our material, as was to beexpected, was chiefly women. When we came to record the names ofour subjects, we found that every woman's first name was Maria, thedifferentiation between them being first found in the middle name. Theywere little creatures, scarcely larger than well grown girls of elevenor twelve among ourselves. Some old women, with grey hair and wrinkledfaces who piously kissed our hands when they met us, were among thesmallest. Now and then some young woman or girl was attractive, butusually their faces were suspicious, sad, and old before their time. Theskin was a rich brown; the eyebrows heavily haired, often meeting abovethe nose; the hair grew low upon the forehead, and in young women theforehead itself was covered with a fine downy black growth. The nosewas flat, broad, and depressed at the roots, while its tip was flat andwide. The eyes were dark brown and the hair was black and coarse. If wewere to judge the population by the women only, we might call theOtomis true pygmies. The average stature of 28 subjects was 1, 435millimeters--while Sir William Flower's limit for pygmy peoples is 1, 500millimeters. 

[Illustration: OTOMI INDIAN GIRLS; HUIXQUILUCAN]

[Illustration: THE MOON-STONE, AT DOS RIOS STATION]

Many of the women whom we measured and photographed carried babies; thedisposition of the children while the mothers were being examined wassomething of a problem. When given to another woman they usually criedlustily, and so conducted themselves as to distract the attention oftheir mothers and interfere seriously with our work. In the crowd oflookers-on there chanced to be a little girl, surely not more than tenyears old, who seemed to be a born caretaker. Upon her back, supportedby her _ayate_, she carried her own baby brother. We quickly found thatreally refractory babies were best committed to her charge. No matterhow loudly they might have been crying beforehand, when transferred tothe arms of this little creature they became instantly quiet. The poorlittle thing was kept busily employed the greater part of the afternoonwith the two babies, one upon her back, the other in her arms. 

Almost all the women wear the ancient costume, which consists of the_huipíl, enagua, faja_, and _ayate_. The _huipíl_ is a cotton blanket, with a slit through which the head passes. On each side of the slit arebands of patterns embroidered in bright colors. Much of the remainingsurface of the garment may be similarly decorated; sometimes it becomesone mass of designs. The patterns are usually geometrical figures, butmay be representations of animals, birds, or human beings. They may beregularly arranged, or jumbled together haphazard. The _enagua_, skirt, consists of two strips of cloth of different kinds and colors, sewntogether side by side and then wrapped horizontally about the body. Thestrips of cloth are native spun, native dyed, and native woven. The favorite colors are dark blue, brownish purple, or indian red, horizontally banded with narrow black stripes. The two strips areusually joined by a line of colored stitching. The _enagua_ is simplywrapped about the body, sometimes thrown into pleatings in front, andheld in place by a broad cotton belt of bright color, into which arewoven birds, animals, human figures, and geometrical forms. Thesebelts are called by the Spanish name, _faja_. Both men and women carry_ayates_. These are square or rectangular blankets made of _ixtli_, thestrong fibre of the maguéy. Like the _enaguas_, they usually consist oftwo pieces, side by side, stitched together with some bright color. Thefibre, which is gotten from the leaves partly by maceration, partly bybeating, is spun in a primitive fashion. Almost every woman one meetsupon the road, no matter what burden of babies or goods she carries, has a hank of the fibre thrown over her shoulder, and keeps her littlespindle whirling, spinning the strong thread as she walks. Her spindleconsists of a slender stick thrust through a whorl of baked pottery. Such whorls are no longer made, but the ancient ones, called by theAztec name _malacates_, are picked up in the fields and reapplied totheir old use. Usually the _ixtli_ thread is left of its original greyor white color, but sometimes the fibre is dyed, a fine shade of orangebeing favored. The _ixtli_ thread is woven into _ayates_, which are usedfor carrying burdens. Vegetables, charcoal, babies--anything--are putinto them. Two ends are tied together to hold the burden in place, andthe other two are passed across the breast and tied in front. Theseblankets are astonishingly strong and unyielding. 

At evening, after a fair day's work, we made our way on foot across thevalley and up the long slope to the summit of the ridge on which layHuixquilucan, the official centre of a municipality of 11, 000 persons. Of these, 3, 000 live in the village, while the remainder are clusteredtogether in hamlets like San Bartolito, San Francisco, Agua Bendita, orare scattered in single-house settlements over the mountains. Of the11, 000 persons, more than three-fourths claim to be full Otomis. Thereare no truly poor in the whole town. Every family has its field, itshouse, its bit of woodland. All the people still speak the nativetongue, and many speak no other. The town is picturesquely situated uponthe crest and flank of a long, narrow ridge, which is enclosed by agrand sweeping curve of lofty mountains. The flanks of the enclosedridge and the whole slope of the surrounding mountains are occupied bythe little fields of the indians, long narrow patches separated by linesof _maguéy_ or century-plants. The houses are built of adobe bricks withthick and solid walls, which are usually plastered on the outside andtinted white or pink. The roofs are pitched, but with a gentle slope. They consist of frameworks of poles upon which long narrow shingles arelaid, and pegged in place with wooden pegs which project both above andbelow for several inches in a formidable, bristling way. Sometimes theshingles, instead of being pegged in place, are held by stones, whichin some cases weigh several pounds, and are laid in regular horizontallines. 

When we were there, great stacks of corn-husks were to be seen inalmost every yard; these were placed on floorings, raised by posts somedistance above the ground to keep them from animals. A long ladderusually leaned against one side of the stack and a light cross of sticksstuck into the top of the stack kept off evil influences. Sometimes thiscross was cut in relief on the smooth, carefully trimmed end of thestack itself. More striking than these stacks, and quite characteristicof the Otomi country, were the queer corn-bins or granaries called bythe Aztec name _cincalote_. They rose in all directions like greatsquare columns. The floor of boards was slightly raised from the groundby stones, and measured some 4 or 5 feet on a side; from its cornersrose 4 poles, sometimes to the height of 20 feet; these were connectedat the top and held firm by ropes. The sides of the bin were built upof a cobwork of slender staves laid horizontally. The vertical bin thusformed was filled with ears of corn roofed about with a light thatch orshingled roof. Later in the season, as the corn was taken from thesebins, the sides would have been removed piecemeal to keep progress withthe diminishing hoard. When the time of planting should be near, thewhole structure but the floor and upright poles would have disappeared. 

Next to maize the chief culture among the Otomis is _maguéy_. This formsdivision lines between the corn-fields and the village yards, and issometimes, though not commonly here, planted in fields. The _maguéy_ isan agave very close to the century-plant. Manifold are its uses, but tothe Otomi its value is chiefly in two directions. It furnishes _ixtli_fibre for _ayates_, and it yields _pulque_. For a dozen yearsthe _maguéy_ plant stores away starchy food in its long, thick, sharp-pointed leaves. It is the intended nourishment for a great shaftof flowers. Finally, the flower-bud forms amid the cluster of leaves. Left to itself the plant now sends all its reserve of food into thisbud, and the great flower-stalk shoots upward at the rate of severalinches daily; then the great pyramid of flowers develops. But maninterferes. The flower-bud is cut out, and a neat, deep cup is fashionedamid the bases of the cluster of leaves. The sap which should producethat wonderful growth is poured into this cup. The _pulque_ gatherer, with his long gourd collecting-tube, and skin carrying-bottle, goes fromplant to plant and gathers the _agua miel_--honey-water. Fermented, itbecomes the whitish, dirty, ropy, sour-tasting, bad-smelling stuffso dear to the indians. And the Otomi are fond of _pulque_. We werecompelled to do our work in the mornings; in the afternoons everyone wasdrunk and limp and useless in the operator's hands. 

We slept and ate at the house of the _presidente_, an old _mestizo_of rather forbidding manners but kindly spirit. Our cases came ratherslowly and a deal of coaxing, argument, and bribes were necessary tosecure them. Here we gave a trifle, a few _centavos_, to each subject. The policy was bad, and we abandoned it with reference to all subsequentpopulations. Naturally the natives were hostile to our work. Theythought that we were measuring them for their coffins; that they wouldbe forced into the army; that disease would result; that an uncannyinfluence was laid upon them; that witchcraft might be worked againstthem. After having had a lot of trouble with many of our subjects, wewere surprised one day to have the oldest man of the village, AntonioCalistro, born in 1813, still so hale and hearty that he works his ownfields, come in for measurement and photographing. He still wears theold style of dress: a loose jacket with wide sleeves made of dark bluewoolen cloth, gathered around the waist by a closely-woven cotton belt;short, wide-legged trousers of buckskin. He is the only man left in thevillage who wears his hair after the old fashion; that on top of hishead in front was combed together and braided into a little tail, whilethat on the sides and back of the head was made into a longer braid. When we asked him how it was that he was not afraid to undergo ourmeasurement and photographing, we learned that someone had told him thatthe purport of the work was to send information to the Pope in Rome asto how his Otomi children looked, and from respect for the Holy Fatherthe old man of eighty years had walked in from his distant farm to bemeasured and photographed. 

A curious fact in respect to the Otomis resulted from our study. Themen, apparently of pure blood, presented two quite different types. There are many who are as little as the women; these present almost thetype already given as that of the women, but are a little lighter incolor. The second type is tall, sometimes over 1, 700 millimeters. It islighter in color, presenting at times a light brownish-yellow shade. Some indians of this large type have white skins, blotched withdisagreeable red or purple. The eyes of these large men are usuallywidely-spaced, and the face appears rounder than in their smallerbrethren. All the Otomis of both types, men and women, haveastonishingly big heads, and many dwarfish individuals would require a7-1/4 hat. 

[Illustration: THE CHURCH; HUIXQUILUCAN]

[Illustration: OTOMI INDIAN; HUIXQUILUCAN]

One night during our stay we had a grand illumination. It was St. Martin's Eve. During the afternoon the men and boys planted dead treesin the plaza and streets, and filled the branches with bunches of drybrush. At dusk we walked up to the crest before the church. All throughthe valley the men and boys had been busy, and as darkness settled down, blaze after blaze sprung forth until every hillside was dotted withflaming heaps. On every church and farm-house of large size, straightlines of little bonfires were built along the edges of the roof. Theremust have been many hundreds of fires in sight at once. Meanwhile, all the churches of the little hamlets around clanged their bellsdiscordantly. Then the church close by us burst into illumination, and its bells joined in the clangor as we started down the hill. Thevillagers were putting torches to the piles, and children were dancingin the glare, shooting off their little rockets and adding their fullshare to the general confusion. 

In the olden time Huixquilucan had a bad reputation for highwayrobberies. A great hill overlooking the town is called the hill ofcrosses, and here a cross by the wayside usually signifies a place ofmurder. Many a traveller in the not distant past found his way from hereas best he could to the capital city minus burden and money, minus hatand shoes, and sometimes minus clothing. They used to say that fromToluca to the city a man was robbed three times; the first time theytook his money, the second his watch and valuables, the third, hisclothes. We were told that the church here, the chief church of ourOtomi friends, is called "the church of the thieves, " and that it waseven lately a favorite resort of _ladrones_, who prayed for blessingupon their thieving expeditions and for release in case they shouldbe taken captive. And not so long ago, among the little silver votiveofferings, --eyes, legs, arms, hands, --all given in fulfillment ofpromises for the cure of ailing members, --one might see little chainsand manacles, visible evidence that saint or Virgin had kindly releasedsome fellow, taken in his misdeeds, from a well deserved punishment, inanswer to his pious prayers. 

Below the station of Dos Rios a little ravine borders the main valley. There, within sight of the track on one side of the ravine lies thestone which long ago "fell from the moon. " It is a great boulder, withflat lower surface, and round upper surface, sufficiently large for aconsiderable party to camp on. The earth is washed away somewhat frombelow it, and on its under side are rude figures painted in imitationof suns and circles and symbolic designs. It is said that the indiansthroughout the country around respect this rock, making prayers andofferings to it. 

One of Huixquilucan's pretty hamlets is Agua Bendita, --blessedwater, --near the upper, narrowing end of the valley. A dozen or sohouses compose the settlement. Near it, upon a little side gorge, twolovely springs burst forth from the rock. From them a babbling streamof sparkling water flows, in which, in the bright sunshine, women washclothes, and lay them out on bushes or grassy banks to dry; little nakedchildren play about while the mothers labor; hither dusky maidens cometo perform their toilets; here women fill their _ollas_ with water; here_pulque_-gatherers wash and scrape their skin bottles. In the littletank below, where the water lies so clear that everything isvisible upon its bottom, one may see axolotls creeping. They arewater-salamanders, but they have a strange history. Like frogs, theypass through a series of changes, and the larval is very different fromthe adult form. In some Mexican lakes of genial temperature, the littlecreature goes through its full history from the larva to the adult; butin cold mountain lakes, the adult form is never attained, and the larva(elsewhere immature) lays eggs that hatch its like. 

Our last evening at Huixquilucan, I went out to purchase nativegarments. We rode from house to house, and were quite away from the townin a district where houses were few and far between. It was nearly duskand our search must end. We were at the last house on a slope near thebottom of a valley, on whose opposite slope were but a few houses. Thepeople were primitive in appearance, dress and language. They could notunderstand all we said, but were anxious to please the "_padrecito_, "whose hand they kissed. Having no clothing to sell us, they tried tohelp us procure some. Orders were given to a shy and wild girl, withdeep-set, shining jet-black eyes, raven hair and dark brown skin, dressed in rags. Stepping to a little out-jutting mass of rock, shegave a wild cry, looking across the valley to the nearest house on theopposite slope, fully half a mile away. We could see the people ofthe house turn out to hear. Then, in a high, clear voice, strangelypenetrating, but without harshness or a break or pause for breath, with rising and falling intonation, she cried her message. There was amoment's pause, and then we saw the answering crier take her place, andin the same clear, penetrating, unbroken, up-and-down voice, came backthe reply. It was not favorable, and the old man apologized for thefailure, as he kissed the _padrecito's_ hand in parting. 

Some weeks later we were again at Huixquilucan, this time to secure somebusts. Having reached the house of the _presidente_, we sent out ourdrunken friend Augustin, who had been useful to us during our measuringexperiences, to find subjects. He finally appeared with a man who agreedto submit to the operation for one _peso_. Everything went well untilthe moulds were removed; it is true that in the removal a good deal ofhair was pulled out, but no serious damage was done. When the _peso_agreed upon was offered, the subject indignantly refused to receive it, demanding five. I replied that he well understood our agreement: therewas his _peso_; if he cared to take it, good; if not, I would keep it;but that to pay five _pesos_ was out of the question. He thereupongrew angry and boisterously demanded the increased sum. Several of hisfriends gathered and backed him in his demand. The noise they madeattracted a still greater crowd until at last we were surrounded byforty or fifty angry Indians. The man continued to demand his five_pesos_, the other crying, "Pay him five _pesos_. " I was firm, declaringthat the man should receive no more than had been promised. Again the_peso_ was offered, again to be rejected. At that moment some brilliantgenius cried, "If you do not pay five _pesos_ we will break yourmoulds. " And the cry was caught up by the angry crowd: "Yes, we willbreak the moulds unless you pay five _pesos_. " At this threat I told mytwo companions to stand back out of the way, and then, speaking to himwho had suggested the breaking of the moulds, said, pointing to them, "Yes, break the moulds. " His ardor cooled. Turning to another, I saidto him, "Come, break the moulds. " He began to back away. Turning to thecause of the disturbance, who had joined in the cry about destroying themoulds, I said to him, "Come, come, we are waiting for you to break themoulds. " No one made a move toward destroying our plaster-work, so Isaid, "No, you know quite well you will not break the moulds; if youdid, you know what would happen; I should take you all as prisoners toToluca. " At that moment, catching sight of the old _presidente_ who waspassing on the road, I clapped my hands and beckoned him. When the oldman came I laid the matter fairly before him, telling him the agreementthat had been made, the time taken for the work, and the fact I hadoffered the man the _peso_ promised; that he now demanded five _pesos_, refusing to take the proffered money. The old man looked a moment at me, then at the angry indian; then at me, and again at the indian; then, stepping up to him, he patted him on the back as a father might aspoiled child, saying, "Come, come, son; don't be a fool; three gooddays' wages for an hour's time; take your _peso_ and be gone. " We hadfeared the incident would cast a damper on our work and hinder othersubjects. Far from it. We were supplied as rapidly as our men could workat the same price we paid our first subject. 

CHAPTER VI

LAKE PATZCUARO

(1897)

Mexico has few large lakes, the largest, Chapala, having an area ofonly 1, 685 square kilometers. Patzcuaro is much smaller, but far morepicturesque. The form is something like a fat horseshoe; fine hills risearound it on all sides, behind which are mountain heights, with jaggedoutlines; pretty islands dot its waters, and twenty-two villages ortowns of Tarascan indians are situated on its borders. The indians ofthese villages rarely use the land roads in going from town to town, commonly journeying by canoes, of a somewhat peculiar type. These are"dug outs, " made from single tree trunks, and range in size from thoseintended for a single hunter to those which will carry ten or twelvepersons. At the stern they are cut almost squarely across; at the bowthey are trimmed to a slope; they are flat-bottomed and considerablywider at the bottom than above; they are dug out in such fashion thatthe walls are thin and almost vertical on the inner side. Buttressingpieces are left at the bottom, at two or three places, extending acrossthe canoe and no doubt strengthening the sides; they also serve assquatting places for the passengers. The prow narrows as well as slopesupward, and a buttressing piece left in it serves as a foot-rest for thesteersman, who sits in the bow, instead of in the stern. He steers bymeans of a long-handled paddle thrust through a loop of wood fastenedto one side of the canoe. The paddles used for propulsion have handlesthree or four feet long, with round blades. The paddlers sometimes maketheir stroke on but one side of the canoe, sometimes on both. When theypaddle over one side only, the stroke of the oar through the water isoblique, maintaining a steady course. 

[Illustration: SANTA FE DE LA LAGUNA]

In such canoes the Tarascans of the lake villages go from place toplace; in such a canoe, we started one morning before six o'clock, forSanta Fe de la Laguna. Our force consisted of three persons, an old mannamed Felipe, his wife, and a young man. All three had paddles, but onlytwo really paddled, the third one steering. The sun rose shortly afterwe started, and the light effects of early morning on the water andsurrounding mountains were fine. Though we had made an early start, manyhad started earlier, and in the first part of our journey we met scoresof canoes, the paddlers of which were on their way to Patzcuaro. Itwas a beautiful sight to see six or eight paddlers in some great canoekeeping exact time in their movements, singing as they went. Sometimestwo canoes were raced, and laughter and excited cries accompaniedthe contest. Here and there along the shores we saw little huts offishermen, with nets hung out to dry, or groups of men seining ordropping dip-nets; upon many slopes were little terrace garden spots, where modest crops were cultivated; here and there were mats latelyfinished or heaps of fresh-cut rushes for their fabrication. Five hoursof good paddling brought us to Santa Fe de la Laguna, just opposite thefar more famous Tzintzuntzan, and but a little distance from the muchlarger town, Quiroga. Santa Fe is quite a town, stretching for aconsiderable distance along a terrace, but little elevated above thewater level. The houses are built of rather large, dark-brown, adobebricks; the walls are usually white plastered; the roofs of all thehouses are tiled, and the supporting rafters of the roof extend out farbeyond the front wall of the house, so that the passer on the footpathis sheltered against rain and the noonday sun. The outer ends of theserafters are cut to give an ornamental effect. All the houses aresurrounded by fruit trees--orange, lemon, lime, _ahuacate_ and_chirimoya_. Each little property is surrounded by a stone wall of someheight; the gate-way through this, giving entrance to the yard, issurmounted by a pretty little double-pitched roofing of thatch. 

A crowd of pure indians had gathered at the landing, by the time we wereunloaded. Forty or fifty men and women of medium stature, dark-brownskin and broad, expressionless faces, watched our every movement withcuriosity, but none was ready to assist us in carrying our luggage tothe _curato_. Taking it ourselves, as best we could, we found a boy todirect us and made our way to the house. The _cura_, had gone to Quirogaand his suspicious household would not receive us until his return, although permitting us to leave our goods. Going to the _plaza_, wesucceeded in getting bread and cheese at a _tienda_, and after eatingloitered until, at half-past-two, the Padre Ponce made his appearance. We showed him our letters and asked his interest and aid. He atonce made us at home in his house, summoned the officials, read thegovernor's letter aloud to them, and told them it was their duty toassist us in every way. We at once began our work, and before nightfallhad measured and photographed a number of cases. 

The next morning, Saturday, all started merrily. After breakfast, however, Padre Ponce left us, going to Quiroga for celebratingChristmas. The moment he was gone, work slackened, and it was withdifficulty that we could procure subjects. Early the next morning the_padre_ appeared to say mass, after which he stirred up the people andwe were again at work. But as soon as he left for Quiroga, once more, the interest diminished. Finally, as no one came and the officials haddisappeared, we started out upon a tour of investigation. We found thewhole town drunk; the _juez_, the chief of police, the _mayores_, allwere too drunk for measurement. We experimented upon two or threesubjects, but soon gave up in despair. 

[Illustration: LOS VIEJOS; SANTA FE DE LA LAGUNA]

Padre Ponce need not have gone to Quiroga for Christmas celebrations; wehad them also. For example, we had _Los Viejos_. One afternoon, we saw aband of half-a-dozen persons singing in the street. All but one of themwere men or boys dressed in long robes of brilliant red, purple orgreen, which were buttoned down the front; their heads were covered withwhite cloth, over which were fitted little masks of clay. The last onein the company was a woman, dressed quite in the usual fashion, butbarefoot and with her _rebozo_ covering her face and a man's _sombrero_on her head. Two of the party had guitars of local manufacture. Thiscompany strolled through the streets, singing and dancing; some of thedancing was clog-dance, some the _jarabe_, a man and woman taking part. Having noticed this group, we saw that the whole town seemed in movementtoward the _corral_ connected with the shrine behind the church. Following with the crowd, we found the _corral_ already filled withpeople. The men were seated on benches or squatting against the walls;women and children were sitting on the ground. We noticed that all thewomen brought burdens, which proved to be pots full of hot _atole_, bundles of large _tortillas_, trays heaped high with _tamales_, or sacksfull of little cups. Various bands of dancers made their way around, delighting the crowd with their performances. The group we had alreadyseen was the least interesting. Those that really represented _losviejos_ (the old men) were the best. These wore large, comic, woodenmasks, many of which showed signs of long-continued use; one representeda long, warty, bearded face and was painted purple; others were paintedred or brown, but most of them were of the natural color of the wood;great wigs of corn-husk or of matting were worn over the back of thehead; the clothing was ragged and dirty, and in some cases was reallyof ancient style; some wore roughly made garments of the skin of the_tigre_. Each band had its leader, and each tried to outdo the others inthe oddity of performance, vigor of dancing and coarseness of jest. Muchfun and laughter were caused by their antics. Meantime, boys and youngwomen were busied as waiters. Cups of steaming _atole_, delicious_tortillas_, hot _tamales_ were distributed until everyone, includingthe strangers, were supplied. No one ate until the whole company hadbeen served, when the town officials set the example and all fell tofeasting. Dancing, music, laughter and fun followed, and were kept upuntil some time after nightfall. 

On the second day after Christmas a strolling band of _pastores_, fromSan Geronimo, passed from house to house singing their Christmas songs. The company consisted of two or three musicians, a carrier--who was anindian boy about fifteen years old--and half a dozen other youngsters, wearing new palm hats and carrying long staves ending above in a loopfrom which streamed strips of brilliantly colored tissue paper. Thecarrier bore a cushion, upon which was stretched a figure of the infantChrist. At each house, he passed before the spectators, allowing themto kiss the figure and to deposit gifts of flowers or of money for thelittle church at San Geronimo; the music then struck up, the leaderbegan to sing, and the little shepherds (_pastores_) marched around andaround singing in chorus. 

We lost quite two days on account of the drunkenness of the town. Whenit was past, by a vigorous indulgence in wheedling and threatening, we got the work again under way, and were just finishing with ourone-hundredth man, when Padre Ponce returned for good and all. We hadnearly starved during his absence; his old housekeeper had done her bestwith the poor materials which we were able to secure, but the best wasbad. With Padre Ponce came another priest, Padre Torres of Patzcuaro, who used to be located at Santa Fe and was much loved by the natives. With the assistance of the two Padres we were able to secure and dealwith our female subjects in less than a day, and were ready to bid adieuto the _padrecitos_ and leave for Tzintzuntzan. 

[Illustration: CHURCHYARD AND BELLS; TZINTZUNTZAN]

[Illustration: VIEW AT JANICHO; LAKE PATZCUARO]

All the tourist world that goes to Patzcuaro visits Tzintzuntzan to seethe Titian. Padre Ponce was anxious to have us see the famous pictureand photograph it. It was late when we reached the town, which consistsin large part of _mestizos_ and indians who speak little but nativeTarascan. We found the _cura_ was not in town, but were taken to the_curato_; arrived there, we discovered that the good man had taken hiskeys with him. We arranged, with some difficulty, for something to eat, and, after supper, were shown into an open room, with an unfinishedroof, without a door, and with no hint of bed. Here we shared a lumberpile with two or three young men and suffered frightfully from cold allnight. We were up early, as sleep was impossible, and filled our time asbest we could, until it was light enough to photograph the picture. 

We had our letter from Padre Ponce to the _cura_, in which herecommended the priest to have us photograph the painting. This letterand the governor's letter we had shown the town officials the nightbefore, telling them that we should make the picture. They replied thatthey could not give permission to do so during the _padre's_ absence. After we had breakfasted, and the light had become sufficient, we madeour way to the old church, in front of which are some beautifullygnarled and irregular ancient olive trees, amid which the old bells arequaintly hung. Entering the church, we soon found the Titian, a descentfrom the cross. The figures are boldly painted and skillfully grouped;the action and lighting concentrate upon the figure of the Christ. PadrePonce had told us that the proper place from which to photograph was thepulpit, and he was right. The sacristan was looking on with doubt: whenhe saw us making preparations for the picture, he hurried to us and saidit was against all rule for anyone to take a photograph when the _cura_was not present. We told him our time was short; that we must returnto Patzcuaro that day to arrange our farther journey; we showed thegovernor's order and Padre Ponce's letter, but all in vain. We must waituntil the _cura_ came. With this I put some _centavos_ in his hand andtold him I was certain his duties called him outside the church and thatwe would not detain him; that we should stay awhile to gaze uponthe picture, which deserved close and pious examination. He at oncewithdrew, locking the door behind him. The instrument was quickly placedin the pulpit and the picture taken. Curiously, the sacristal dutiesended just as we were ready to leave the church and the door opened asif we had said "Open sesame. "

By ten-thirty we had secured a canoe and boatmen, two young and vigorouspure-blood indians. Though a wind was blowing squarely against us, we made good time. We stopped at the picturesque fishing-village ofJanicho, on its rock island. Its houses cluster on a little terrace nearthe bottom of the hill, which rises behind it as a fine background. Steps of rock lead up the stony slope from the water's edge to thehouses. In every yard mattings are laid, upon which little white fishare drying. As they walk through the streets or stand talking together, the men are ever tatting at nets; long lines of net-cord are reeled outfor many yards along the wayside; hundreds of feet of seines are hungout in the sun to dry. The houses, with their pretty red tiling, areirregularly clustered along narrow winding streets. The people arepurely indian, and wear the characteristic dress. 

[Illustration: TARASCAN FISHERMEN; JANICHO]

No town in all the region makes so much use of the _tsupakua_, orspear-thrower, a wooden stick cut to fit the hand and support the shaftof a spear or long dart, the end of which rests against a peg near thetip of the thrower. By means of this instrument, the long, light, dartsof cane with iron points are thrown more directly and forcibly than bythe hand alone. These spears are used in hunting ducks. Anciently aspear-throwing stick was widely used through Mexico; to-day it lingersin few places, the best known of which is here on Lake Patzcuaro. 

CHAPTER VII

TO URUAPAN BEFORE THE RAILROAD

(1898)

We easily arranged at Patzcuaro to leave for Uruapan the next morning. Although delayed beyond our proposed hour of starting, we were off atsix. It was early enough, indeed, for the morning air was cold; heavyfrost coated the leaves and grass and lay upon the soil; in spite of ourheavy blankets, wrapped closely about us, we shivered as we rode alongupon our horses. 

The ride, however, was a lovely one. At first we seemed to leave thelake behind us; mounting for some time we reached a summit from which itagain broke upon our view; descending, we constantly caught glimpsesof it, with its sinuous shores, its lovely mountain backgrounds, itsislands, and its pretty indian towns. Finally, we again left it and roseinto a magnificent mountain region, covered chiefly with pines. Passingthrough Ajuno, which lies upon a steep slope, we overtook a party ofpolice, mounted on horses, taking a group of prisoners to Uruapan. At Escondidas, itself a miserable village, we were impressed by themercantile spirit of these indians. In all these villages the houses areconstructed of heavy logs or timbers, closely and neatly joined; theroofs are shingled with long and narrow shingles, and are abruptlyfour-sloped. At every house there was something for sale--food, drink, or _cigarros_. All these houses were built close to the edge of theroad, and in the middle of the front was a little square window, inwhich the goods were shown. When no trade was solicited, these windowswere closed with solid wooden shutters. Not only, however, was everyhouse a store, but on the highway between towns, we passed many placeswhere, beneath brush shelters, women offered fruit, food, or drink forsale. Usually several such shelters would be near together, and thevenders had gay times, chatting, laughing and singing. Such houses androadside-selling are common through the whole Tarascan region. 

[Illustration: TARASCAN WOMEN; JANICHO]

Soon after passing Escondidas, we began a descent, which seemedabsolutely endless. Time after time we thought we had reached thebottom, only to find that we were on a terrace from which anotherdrop led us still further down. On and on into this bottomless pit wedescended to Ziracuaretaro, a striking town. Banana plantings surroundedthe houses; orange-trees covered with their golden spheres rearedthemselves to the unusual height of thirty feet or more; _maméys_, withtheir strange nut-brown fruits, and coffee-trees, loaded to breaking, were abundant. Amid this luxuriant mass of tropical vegetation, houses were almost invisible until we were directly in front of them. Notwithstanding the enormous descent we had made, it appeared to us, when we crossed the stream and began the ascent, that we had not reallybeen to the bottom of the great valley. For a long distance we mountedthrough a district of sugar-canes; then passed a little settlementof rude huts spread out over a reddish space; then, by a gentle butcircuitous ascent, to a rugged trail which brought us to the summitand the edge of the great slope to Uruapan. At the further side of thevalley and to our left, in a mass of green, we saw smoke rising from thefactories of Uruapan. Crossing one of the characteristic bridges of thedistrict, with a pretty shingled roof--four-sloped like those of thehouses--over it, and with benches at the sides, where passers cansit and rest, while looking at the dashing, gurgling, foaming, waterbelow, --we followed a level road between blackberries, wild roses, andother shrubs, to Uruapan. 

No town in Mexico is more beautiful. Perpetual spring reigns. Althoughseveral thousand feet above sea level, it is so situated, with referenceto mountain slopes and funnel valleys, that it has a genial climate, where plants nourish which are usually found only at lower altitudes. Its fruits and "the finest coffee in the world" have rendered the townlong famous. The houses, bowered in dense groves of green, are of thepicturesque Tarascan type. The four-sloped roofs, now covered with long, narrow shingles, now with the dull red tiles, suggest the prettiestpictures in Japanese towns. The streets are clean. Through the centreof the town dashes a mountain stream of clearest water, with the hue ofsapphire. This pretty stream furnishes power for mills, factories andlighting-plant, and is crossed several times by picturesque, roofedbridges, in the shelter of which one may spend hours in watching thedashing water, foaming cascades, curious potholes worn in the rockybanks, and the passing Indians. Most Mexican towns are contented withone _plaza_; this one has three, following each other closely, separatedonly by single lines of narrow buildings. They are neatly planted, andsupplied with bandstand and monuments. The town is electric-lighted andseveral hotels had been lately put in readiness to receive the crowd ofvisitors expected with the completion of the railroad, a matter of a fewmonths later. 

The _prefecto_ of Uruapan and _jefe politico_ of the district is theson-in-law of Governor Mercado, and to him we bore a special letter fromhis father-in-law. The old gentleman had been insistent that we shouldreturn by Capacuaro and Cheran, indian towns. He said that at the formerwe should find a _mogote_ (mound or heap of stones and dirt) which everytraveler should see, while at the latter Lumholtz had secured someskulls of exceptional interest, and that we should do the same. As ourtime was short, we asked the _prefecto_ to send a messenger to Cheranwith orders to dig some skulls and have them ready against the time ofour arrival. That official expressed delight in doing our bidding, andwe saw the messenger summoned and the order placed in his hands, withfull direction as to its delivery. 

[Illustration: INDIAN SPEAR-THROWER; LAKE PATZCUARO]

Meantime, there were objects of interest for us in Uruapan itself. Thetown is famous for its lacquer work, made with _aje_, like that ofChiapa. Gourds are ornamented, fruit-forms are colored after nature, bowls made from fruit shells are elaborately decorated, all quite likethe Chiapa work. What is characteristic of Uruapan are the placques andtable-tops of wood, decorated with floral designs in brilliant colors, upon a background of dark-green, pink, blue, yellow, or black. This artis in the hands of a few persons, some pure indians. Visiting them, wefound the wooden placques and table-tops are brought from one of themountain villages of the Tarascans; they are first covered thickly withthe background color; upon this the pattern is pencilled and then cutout in the lacquered surface; the color, mixed with oil and _aje_, aswith other substances, is then applied with the finger-tips to fill thecut patterns; the lustre is then brought out by careful rubbing. Thework is striking, and is prized throughout the Republic. 

In the same quarter of the town, where this local industry is carriedon, are many goitrous persons. The disease seems to be confined to theone district, but there perhaps one-half the people have it, most ofthem to but a slight degree. Occasionally the swelling is notable, andin the families affected we find, as usual, deaf-mutism. 

On the morning of New Year's day, we left for Capacuaro and Cheran. Aswe rode out from the city, we were more than ever impressed withits verdant beauty and picturesqueness. The road to Capacuaro wasunexpectedly level and good, and we reached the town, which is purelyindian, by nine o'clock. Women, almost without exception, wore thenative dress. Goitres were common, and some, among the men, were reallyenormous. Riding through the long town, we drew up before the houseof the _jefe de policia_ (chief of police), and summoned the villageofficials. On their appearance we found that all but the _jefe_ himself, were drunk, the _secretario_ in particular being almost useless. When wehanded him the letter from the _prefecto_ he was quite unable to makeaught of its grandiloquence. Having looked it through in a dazed way, hedeclared that we were "gringos, " "like the one who was here last year"(presumably Lumholtz). With some severity, I told him he did wrong tocall visitors to the town by the opprobrious name of _gringos_, andordered him to read the letter and make known its contents to the_jefe_. He made another effort and then helplessly said--"Who can makeanything of such a letter? It is in their _idioma_. " Sternly pointing tothe signature I said--"The letter is from your _prefecto_ and writtenin his _idioma_; you see the _firma_. " Helplessly shaking his head, hesaid, "Oh, yes, the _firma_ is that of Silvano Martinez, but the letteris in your _idioma_. " Seeing that he was of no earthly use, I took theletter from him, and, turning to the crowd which had gathered, rebukedthem for their drunkenness, asserting that it was disgraceful for awhole town government to be intoxicated at the same time; that some oneought always to be sober enough to attend to business; that we had beeninsulted by being called _gringos_, and that our order had not been readto them because the _secretario_ was too drunk to do his business; thatthere were two ways of dealing with such town governments, and that, unless something was done promptly, we would see how they would liketo go back with us to Uruapan, whence we had come. The _jefe_, who wasreally not drunk, thereupon begged to know what we desired, and thedrunken _secretario_ was somewhat frightened; the remainder of theofficial body expressed a wish to do only what we wanted. I then readthe _prefecto's_ letter in my best manner and added that we had come toCapacuaro only at the desire of the governor himself, to visit their_mogote_, and that we ought to wait no longer for guidance. At once allwas commotion and bustle. Bidding the disgraced _secretario_ go to hishouse and stay there, the _jefe de policia_ summoned the rest of hiscompany about him, seized his staff of office, buckled on his great_machete_, and took the lead; three policemen, with their _machetes_, followed; two others, unarmed, followed, and, with this escort, westarted to hunt our ruins on the mountain. They proved to be two heapsof rubbish, from constructions of stone. Had we had time for seriousinvestigation they might have proved of interest; as it was, we spentbut a few minutes in their inspection, and then, bidding our drunkenescort good-bye, we continued our journey. We had planned to go first toNehuatzen, thence to Parracho, and, after visiting Cheran, back again toNehuatzen. At the _mogote_, however, we were already near the Parrachohighway and at once struck into it. Our journey led through forests, chiefly of pine, with open glades, at intervals; on many of the treeswe saw great bunches of a parasite that bore honeysuckle-like, yellowflowers. Parracho we found lying at the base of mountains at the veryend of a long stretch of level. It is an unattractive town, our onlyreason for visiting which was to see something of the manufacture of itsfamous _rebozos_, which differ from others in the wide border of whiteand azure blue silk, which is attached to a netted foundation to formdecorative patterns, representing birds and animals, or geometricfigures. The work is curious, and I am inclined to see in it a survivingimitation of the ancient feather-work for which the ancient Tarascanswere famous. From Parracho our road led through Aranza to Cheran. Justbeyond Aranza we passed over the astonishing wash from some summertorrent. During the wet season a single rain may fill the gorges, sheetthe mountain slopes with water, tear great trees from their hold, breakoff mighty rock fragments and carry them onward, like wooden blocks, with hundreds of tons of finer gravel. At this season there was not asign of water; not a trickling thread was visible in any of the gorges;but from their now dried mouths there spread fan-shaped deposits manyrods in length and breadth, containing quantities of blocks of rock thatmeasured from four to ten feet in diameter, trunks of trees up totwo feet in thickness, all in the greatest confusion and at placescompletely covering our road to a depth of several feet. We could tracethe tailing out of the fans of deposit, from their thicker, heavier partat the base of the torrent, to their margin on the plain; from heavyrock masses weighing tons, through smaller masses, into sand and gravel. 

[Illustration: HOUSES AT URUAPAN]

The way to Cheran seemed endless, but at last we reached thatinteresting, great indian town, when the afternoon was nearly spent. It was the New Year, and the street celebration of _los negritos_ (thenegroes--or the little negroes) was in progress. As we rode through thestreets, however, we attracted much attention and the performance wasneglected. We rode directly to the town-house, entered and asked for the_presidente_. He was slow in appearing and long before he arrived scoresof people were crowding around the doors and windows to see us and knowour business. When he arrived, we greeted him in a most friendly way andtold him that we had come for the skulls. He looked aghast. "The skulls, what skulls, sir?" "The skulls the _prefecto_ ordered you to dig forus. " By this time, the crowd outside, which had increased with everyminute, showed uneasiness. The _presidente_ declared he knew nothing ofany skulls. After we had explained the matter more fully, he assured usthat no messenger had come from the _prefecto_; this, which at first wethought to be a lie, was no doubt true. He was plainly scared. He beggedus to be careful lest the people, who were ignorant, should overhear us. He told us that a year before Don Carlos (Lumholtz) had been there; thathe, too, had wanted skulls, and that the town officials had given himpermission to dig some from the graveyard; that this caused so muchexcitement and so many threats that the permission had to be revoked. Hefeared the people had already heard our wishes and were even then in anugly mood--a thing which seemed likely from an inspection of the facesin the doorway and windows. He said, however, that Don Carlos afterwardsecured some skulls from an ancient burial-place not distant from thevillage, and, if we pleased to wait in Cheran through the morrow, as itwas now too late, five in the evening, to do aught, he would gladly showus the burial place of the ancients, where no doubt abundant skullscould be secured. Not yet certain that the man was telling truth, wespoke to him severely, saying that we should report him to the governorfor not having obeyed the order of the _prefecto_. At the same time wedemanded an official document signed by himself as _presidente_, and bythe _secretario_, and duly sealed, stating that no messenger had cometo him from the _prefecto_. To our surprise this document was promptlyfurnished, good evidence that the _prefecto_ had played us false, onlypretending to despatch the messenger whom we had seen started. 

With profuse apologies and expressions of regret from the officials, weleft Cheran, hurrying on to Nehuatzen for the night. Our chief reasonfor doing so was that everyone who knew of our intention to visit Cheranhad shaken their heads, remarking "Ah! there the nights are alwayscold. " Certainly, if it is colder there than at Nehuatzen, we wouldprefer the frigid zone outright. Nehuatzen is famous as the town wherethe canoes for Lake Patzcuaro are made. We had difficulty in securingfood and a place to sleep. The room in which we were expected to slumberwas hung with an extensive wardrobe of female garments. These we addedto the blankets we carried with us, but suffered all night long from thepenetrating cold. The two indian boys, who accompanied us as guides andcarriers, slept in the corridor outside our door and when day brokethey were so cramped and numbed and stiff with cold, that they lightedmatches and thrust their cold hands into the flames, before they couldmove their finger-joints. We had planned to leave at five, but it wastoo cold to ride until the sun should be an hour high, so finallywe left at seven. There was heavy frost on everything; curved frostcrystals protruded from the soil, and we broke ice a half inch thick inwater-troughs, unfinished canoes, by the roadside. 

For ten hours we rode, without even stopping for lunch, through Sabinaand Pichataro, San Juan Tumbio and Ajuno, back to comfortable Patzcuaro. 

CHAPTER VIII

TLAXCALA

(1898)

We have always loved the State of Tlaxcala and its quaint little capitalcity of the same name. For more than a dozen years its governor has beenProspero Cahuantzi, a pure-blood indian, whose native language is Aztec. He is a large, well built man, with full face and little black eyes thatare sunken deeply into the flesh. He is a man of some force and energy. The population of his little state, the most densely populated in theRepublic, is almost entirely indian, and it at once fears, hates, andrespects him. Having made several previous visits to the city, andhaving always been graciously received by Don Prospero, we thought ithardly necessary to carry with us our usual letters of recommendationfrom the Federal authorities. 

Just before we were ready to visit Tlaxcala, while we were in the Cityof Mexico, we learned that Governor Cahuantzi was there, on business. We thought it best to call upon him, explaining our proposed work andasking his interest. So to the Hotel Sanz, where he always stops when inthe Capital, we went. We called twice without finding him and our thirdcall appeared to be as unsuccessful, but just as we were leaving, resolved not to try again, we met the governor alighting from hiscarriage at the door. Intercepting him, we asked a moment's interview, which was granted, though with ill grace. It was plain that he was sadlyout of humor. Apologizing to him for our intrusion at so late an hourand so immediately after his return to his hotel, we told him of ourprojected visit, described the measurements, photographs and other datawe were gathering, reminding him that two years earlier he had heard ourplans and promised his assistance. In a somewhat gentler mood, he toldus we might visit Tlaxcala and that he would aid us, but he must have alittle time "for preparing the soil;" that all his people were indians, and that our work would necessarily be considered with suspicion. Uponour asking him how much time would be needed "to prepare the soil, " wereceived no definite reply. He, himself, planned to leave for home thefollowing morning, Friday; so we suggested that we would go first toPuebla, and reach his capital on Monday. He plainly considered thissomewhat hasty, but grunted his assent, and we left him, somewhatsurprised at his unusual gruffness and lack of interest. 

Early Monday morning, we appeared upon the scene. After breakfast webetook ourselves to the state palace; the governor was already inhis reception room, but, instead of being ushered promptly into hispresence, as had always happened in our previous visits, we were leftto sit two hours in the outer office. Finally, on our displaying someimpatience, a message was again taken to his Excellency, and a fewminutes later, the _jefe politico_ of the district bustled past us intothe carefully guarded reception chamber. He did not long remain there, and, on coming out into the office where we were waiting, brusquelyasked, "Are you the persons who want to measure heads? Well, they arewaiting for you out there in the corridor; why don't you go to work?"Seizing our instruments, blanks and camera, we hurried to the corridorand began operations. Three or four were measured in quick succession;then, when I cried, "_Otro_" (another), the _jefe's_ eyes beganto bulge. That one measured, and another called for, he seemedhalf-distracted; desperation seized him; as he faintly repeated "_Otro_"he looked wildly around in search of subjects and it was plain thathe had not begun to realize what demands we planned to make upon him. Before the noonday rest, we had measured fourteen subjects, but the_jefe's_ personal interest had ceased, and he had completely disappearedfrom the scene of action. When we returned at three o'clock to resumework, only the guards were there to help us. One and another subject, invited to be measured, showed no interest in advancing science. So, Mr. Wilson went to see the _jefe_ in his office; the old man was furious andactually ran out, with the statement that he had plenty of his own workto do. When this scene had been reported, it in no wise increased thereadiness of subjects to undergo the operation. Finding that we wereaccomplishing nothing, we decided upon desperate measures. Going to theoffice of the governor's private secretary, we insisted on his tellingthe chief executive that we were losing time, that no one was assistingus, that subjects were obdurate and stubborn, and that something mustbe promptly done. We waited but a few minutes. The fiat went forth; the_jefe politico_ appeared, puffing and blowing, and wildly excited. Hewas closeted a moment with the governor. On his reappearance, we greetedhim cordially, and told him that the people present would not bemeasured and indicated one particularly stubborn subject, who was dealtwith, promptly, and without gloves. The _jefe_ remained long enough toreestablish order, though, under his breath, he muttered curses andthreats, and expressed his feeling to any official, who chanced to pass. He said the business was driving him clean crazy; that he was doing whathe did, not for love of us, but from respect to the orders of his chief. Having set the ball to rolling, he left us and there were no moredelays. 

When the labor of the day was over, we stopped at the _jefe's_ officeto inform him that we should continue work the following day, andemphasized the fact that we wished one hundred cases, and, as yet, hadless than half that number. We suggested that systematic arrangementswould not only facilitate _our_ labor, but would lessen his own task. The result was evident; on the following day delegations, ordered by the_jefe_, and consisting of from six to a dozen persons each, began tocome in from the outlying villages. This made our work easy, indeed. Inone respect, Tlaxcala differs from all the other Mexican states withwhich we are acquainted. Most of the people live in very little towns, which cluster around the larger places. Thus, around the capital city, Tlaxcala, there are some seventeen of these small pueblos. 

Working at the palace, we had secured almost no women for measurement. Asking the advice of the _cura_, in the matter, he recommended that weshould go to some one of the neighboring indian villages; that he wouldgive us a letter to the _juez_ and that, thus, we would secure oursubjects easily. He suggested San Estevan and wrote the promised letterto the _juez_ of that village. San Estevan is a pretty village, near thesummit of some low gray hills of tufa, behind which rises a backgroundof higher hills of the same material. The slope is terraced for thehouses, which are all built of adobe bricks and have flat roofs. The"three part house, " of the ancient Aztec type--god-house, kitchen, andgranary--is better shown in this state than almost any other part of theRepublic. The granary, or _cuezcomate_, is particularly characteristic. It is built of clay, in the form of a great vase or urn, open at thetop, above which is built a little thatch to shed rain and to protectthe contents. The _cuezcomate_ is often ten feet high. One or more ofthem is found in connection with every house. 

[Illustration: HOUSE AND CUEZCOMATE; LOS REYES]

The _juez_ lived in a comfortable house of two rooms, half of which isused at present for the boy's school, of which his son is teacher. Hereceived us graciously, and was pleased to receive a letter from the_padre_, though he stated it was not a government order and carried noactual authority; that if the women cared to be measured, well and good, but if not, no force could be employed. The appearance of the camera, however, interested him; plainly, he desired to have a family groupphotographed; he hinted at this so broadly that, taking him to one side, I whispered that it was, of course, impossible to take family groupsfor everyone, but if we secured the twenty-five women without delay, notwithstanding the fact that we had no more authoritative document thana _cura's_ letter, the group should be taken. The effect was immediate. The police were summoned and sent through the village to bring in womenfor measurement and naught was said about their right of refusal. 

When, toward evening, we returned from San Estevan, tired but quitesatisfied with the day's work, we found a delegation of more than adozen men waiting for us in the _plaza_. We did not need so large anumber to complete our work, and it was nearly dark; we would gladlyhave dismissed them and run our chances of securing others the nextday. But neither they nor the _jefe politico_ were to be bluffed. So wemarched into the corridor, lighted candles and got to work. When thoselacking to make our full hundred had been measured, we proposed to letthe others go, but they were not to be thus got rid of, and insistedon being measured as such were the orders of the governor. We were notthrough until long after dark, and we were ravenously hungry. 

This delegation was one of the most attractive, clean, and intelligentwith whom we had dealt. It was from Los Reyes, a little town at adistance of about half a league. It was headed by the village _juez_. After we had completed the measuring, they stood, shifting their_sombreros_ from hand to hand and plainly wishing to say somethingfurther; finally, mustering courage, the _juez_ and _secretario_advanced and stated that it was the town's desire to have a picturetaken of the church, with the saint and people of the village beforethe door. Would it be possible for us to make the picture and on whatconditions? We replied that time was precious and that the trip, if itinvolved a loss of time, was quite impossible; but if they suppliedcarriers to take the instruments to and from their village, and had allready before seven in the morning, we would make it. Delighted, theofficials then inquired what we would wish for breakfast; we answeredFrench bread and red wine. When we looked out of our window, a littlebefore seven, we saw our party ready and waiting. The _juez_, the_secretario_, and two others made the company. A basket, carefullycarried by one, was suspected to contain our breakfast. The burdens wereshouldered, and we started out in the cool, fresh morning air, for thevillage, where we arrived in about half an hour. It is a town of lessthan one hundred people, situated upon a little mountain, hidden, to onelooking from Tlaxcala, by intervening hills. We were received in thetown-house, which is a portion of the old church building; mass was inprogress, and we told those who received us, that we had no wish tointerfere with their religious duties; that those who wished, might goto service. Most went, but two or three were left as a committee ofentertainment. They took us to a view-point from which there was amagnificent valley to be seen. And, here, we found one of the finestechoes possible. Rockets were exploded and the noise was echoedfrom hill to hill around the great amphitheatre; it was like a longreverberation of thunder, but it sank and swelled, sank and swelled, repeatedly, until it seemed that it would never stop. Service over, theprocession formed, and the _santito_ was brought out before the church. The townspeople were arranged and the view taken. We were then invitedin to breakfast, which was fine. There were plenty of French rolls andthe red wine brought from town, and a great heap of _enchiladas_, freshlettuce and eggs. After eating, we expressed a wish to hear the villagedrum, a great _huehuetl_. This musical instrument is a reminder of theolden times; it is not found everywhere, but a number of indian townspossess one, which is kept to be played on festal occasions. The one asLos Reyes was some three feet or so in height, a hollow cylinder of woodwith a membrane stretched across the upper end; it was painted blue. A chair of state was placed for me in the little _patio_. After I wasseated the three musicians took their places, --one played the great_huehuetl_, a second beat the _tambour_ or ordinary drum, the thirdperformed upon the _chirimiya_, a shrill wooden pipe. It was the firsttime we had really heard a _huehuetl_. The player used two sticks withpadded heads, beating with great force in excellent time. The booming ofthe instruments was audible to a great distance. The whole village hadgathered, and in a momentary lull in the music, I told the people of theancient use of the _huehuetl_; that Bernal Diaz, in his history of theConquest of Mexico, tells us what feelings filled the hearts of theSpaniards, when they heard the great _huehuetl_, in the temple of theancient city of Tenochtitlan; then it was chiefly beaten when humanvictims were being sacrificed to the gods, and the soldiers knew thatsome fellow-countryman, or a Tlaxcalan ally, was dying. Never have Igiven a public lecture, that was listened to with more attention orgreater appreciation. 

[Illustration: THE VILLAGE AND ITS SAINT; LOS REYES]

[Illustration: CUEZCOMATE, OR GRANARY; SAN NICOLAS PANOTLA]

The day we measured women at San Estevan, we found an indian masonthere at work, whom we had measured at Tlaxcala, and with whom, on oneoccasion, we had some conversation. He was disgusted at the conduct ofthe women while undergoing measurement, and at evening said, "Sir, it isa pity for you to waste your time in a town like this; these people arelittle better than animals; in my town there is great enthusiasm overyour work, and by going there you might do your will and find peoplewith minds, not beasts. " There was really no work left to be done, butwe desired to see a town where there was great enthusiasm over ourinvestigations. Hence, we arranged with Ignacio Cempoalteca to visit hispueblo of San Nicolas Panotla. Accordingly, on the afternoon of the daywhen we visited Los Reyes, we went across the valley to Panotla, Ignacioand an older brother, Jose, met us at the hotel, where--excusinghimself on account of the mason-work at San Estevan, which could notwait--Ignacio left us, assuring us that Jose would do everything for us. This was quite true, and we found Panotla all that it had been painted. 

Jose led us directly to their home. The walls were well built of stoneset in adobe mortar; they were smoothly coated with a snowy plaster; thesupporting walls of the little terrace on which the house was built werealso well constructed and it was with some pride that Jose told us thatthe work had all been done by himself and Ignacio. Jose is married andhas a wife and three children; Ignacio is a bachelor; a youngerbrother, Carmen, is also unmarried--he has taught himself free-hand andarchitectural drawing and showed us examples of his work. The old fatherand mother own the home and received us hospitably. Jose guided usthrough the village, where we photographed whatever took our fancy, entered houses, examined all that interested us, and really foundenthusiasm for our work everywhere. Before the churchyard stands aquaint old cross of stone, dated 1728, upon which are represented allthe symbols of Christ's passion; a long inscription in Aztec is cut intothe base. Close by the church, we visited the boy's school, wherewe found some forty dark-skinned, black-eyed, youngsters, whosemother-speech is Aztec. We proposed to photograph them, so they weregrouped outside the schoolhouse, but not until a pair of national flagsand the portrait of the governor, Prospero Cahuantzi, were fixed uponthe background wall. 

[Illustration: THE ANCIENT DRUM--HUEHUETL; LOS REYES]

[Illustration: FIESTA AT CHOLULA; DAY OF SAN ANTONIO ABAD]

After the picture had been taken, we told the _maestro_ we would liketo hear the boys sing. It was plain he did not consider singing theirstrong forte, but our wishes were met. One boy, standing, wielded thebaton, beating time. When the singing was done with, the _maestro_said he would like us to see the class in arithmetic, if we had time. Accordingly fourteen or fifteen boys, from ten to fourteen years ofage, stepped out upon the dirt floor; we were told that they couldwork examples in percentage, interest, bonds and mortgages, discount, alligation--which did we prefer? Truth to say, it was so long since wehad studied alligation, that we had really forgotten what it was, andso expressed a preference for it. "Very good, sir, " said the _maestro_. "Will you not propound a problem?" From this quandary we escapedby stating that we could not think of doing so; that we had everyconfidence in his fairness and that he had better give it, as the boyswere more accustomed to him. We have visited many classes of the samegrade and age in the United States and have never seen one that wouldsurpass them in quickness, accuracy, and clearness of explanation. Afterour trip through San Nicolas Panotla, Jose took us back to his house, where, meantime, a, dinner had been made ready. 

Weeks later, we learned the probable reason of the governor's gruffness, which was in such marked contrast to his previous treatment, that itpuzzled us considerably. At about the time of our visit, a number ofwealthy _hacienderos, _ of the State of Tlaxcala, had been arrested forcounterfeiting silver money. They were men whose _maguéy_ fields broughtthem enormous incomes; one would suppose their legitimate sources ofwealth would have contented them! But such was not the case, and theyhad gone into wholesale counterfeiting. The fraudulent coin had longbeen known and diligent efforts were made to find the criminals, effortsat last crowned with success. The guilt was fixed without a doubt, theparties were arrested, tried, and sentenced. Every attempt was made tosecure their pardon, in vain. Governor Cahuantzi is an old friend ofPresident Diaz, believed to have great influence with him. Men ofwealth, interested in the release and pardon of the criminals, promisedCahuantzi ten thousand dollars in case of his successful intercessionwith the President in the matter. These details, not generally known, wereceived from a source respectable and trustworthy, and we believe themtrue. Anxious to gain the reward, and probably feeling certain of hisinfluence with Diaz, the old man made the journey to Mexico. It was thevery time when we called upon him. When we had our interview, he hadjust seen the President, and it is hinted that, not only did DonPorfirio refuse to pardon the counterfeiters, but showed a dangerousinclination to investigate the reason of the indian governor'sintervention. No wonder that the old man was gruff and surly to hisvisitors, after the loss of ten thousand dollars which he had lookedupon as certain, and with uncertainty as to the final outcome of hisunlucky business. 

[Illustration: TLAXCALAN SCHOOLBOYS; SAN NICOLAS PANOTLA]

CHAPTER IX

ZAMORA AND THE ONCE PUEBLOS

(1898)

The morning train from Guadalajara brought us to Negrete at about twoin the afternoon, and we had soon mounted to the top of the clumsy oldcoach, which was dragged by six horses. The road to Zamora runs througha rich farming district. For the greater part of the distance the roadis level and passes amidst great _haciendas_. The corn crop had beenabundant and carts were constantly coming and going from and to thefields. These carts were rectangular, with side walls some four or fivefeet in height, made of corn-stalks set close together and upright. All were drawn by oxen. Most of the carts had a light cross, made ofcorn-stalks, set at the front end, to protect the load from adverseinfluences. Great numbers of men, dressed in leather trousers drawn overtheir cotton drawers, in single file lined past us, with greatbaskets full of corn strapped on their backs. Here and there, in thecorn-fields, groups of such men were cutting the ripened ears from theplants. 

We now and then met groups of men bringing great timbers from themountains fifty or sixty miles away. These timbers were many feet inlength and trimmed to a foot square; from four to six made a load. Thecart upon which they were carried consisted of a pair of wheels and anaxle; one end of the timbers was attached to this, and the other wasfastened to the yoke of oxen. It was rare that we met with a singletimber cart, as four or five usually went together. The drivers who werein charge of them were pure Tarascans. 

For a considerable distance a fine slope rose to our left, strewnwith loose rock masses, and covered with a growth which was chiefly_pitahaya_, some of the plants attaining the size of grown trees. Manyof them presented an appearance which we had not seen elsewhere--thetips and upper part of the upright branches being as white as ifintentionally whitewashed; the simple explanation of this strangeappearance was that the branches in question had served as buzzards'roosts. Our journey of twenty-five miles was made with two relays ofhorses. After perhaps three hours' riding, we reached the Zamora River, which we followed for some distance. From the time when we began tofollow this stream, our road was almost a dead level. At many placesalong the river, we saw a peculiar style of irrigation machine, a greatwooden scoop or spoon with long handle swung between supporting poles. The instrument was worked by a single man and scooped up water from theriver, throwing it upon the higher land and into canals which carried itthrough the fields. Sometimes two of these scoops were supported side byside upon a single frame, and were worked in unison by two persons. Atthe only town of any consequence upon the road, we found numbers ofinteresting hot springs which might really be called geysers. They werescattered at intervals over the flat mud plain for a distance of a halfmile or more. We could see jets of steam of more or less vigor risingfrom a score or so at a time. At some of these the water really boiled, and we saw it bubbling and tossing to a height of a foot or so above themargin of the spring. Groups of women, laughing and talking or singingsnatches of songs, were washing clothes at several of these hot springs, and the garments were spread out over the bushes and trees to dry. Atone little geyser, bubbling up in the very middle of the road, as wepassed we saw a boy pelting the water with stones and mud in order tomake it mad and see it spout. The plain was sprinkled here and therewith thickets of acacia and mesquite. In the early evening the breezecame loaded with the fragrance of the golden balls of the acacia. Therewas bright moonlight, and we could see the country, even after sunset. The latter portion of the journey was through low swampy ground, much ofthe time over causeways. 

There are few towns in central Mexico, not on a railroad, to be comparedwith Zamora. It is large, clean, well built, and presents an air ofunusual comfort. The main _plaza_ is large, and finely planted withpalms, orange-trees, roses and flowering shrubs. The orange-treeswere in full bloom and the air was heavy with their odor. The town iselectric-lighted and has a good system of waterworks. The great church, with two slender towers, fills up the whole of one side of the _plaza_, while the other three are occupied with business houses. The amount oflife in the town at night surprised us. Even after ten o'clock, manywere on the streets, and the _dulce_ stands, _cafe_ tables and _loto_hall were doing a large business. Few towns in Mexico are so completelyunder priestly influence, but few again appear as prosperous, progressive, and well-behaved. Two distinct types of housespredominate, the older and the newer. The old style house is such asis characteristic of many other Tarascan towns, but is here morepicturesquely developed than in most places. The low-sloped, heavily-tiled roof projects far over the street and is supported belowby projecting timbers, which are trimmed at the end to give a pleasingfinish. So far do these roofs project over the sidewalk that the wateris thrown into the middle of the street and the footpath below is wellsheltered. The new style of house, which is required by the recent laws, has an almost flat roof which ends squarely at the sidewalk, and fromwhich long tin pipes project to throw the water into the streets. Here, as so frequently, the old fashion is at once more comfortable and moreartistic. 

We spent the morning in efforts to secure horses, but finally secured aman, Don Nabor, who agreed to accompany us with five animals. The partyconsisted of myself, my interpreter, my plaster-worker, and Don Nabor. Each of us was mounted, and a fifth horse carried the plaster and otherluggage. Leaving at noon, we took the long road past Jacona, a littletown famous for its fruit. Having passed there, after a long journey, welooked down from the height almost directly upon the place whence wehad started. The scene was of unusual beauty--the wide-spreading, flatvalley, with its fields of wheat and clustered trees, presented a massof rich green coloring, in the midst of which stood the prettycity. After a long climb, we descended into a valley in which liesTangancicuaro, a large town with a _plaza_ full of fine, great trees, where we ate at a quaint little _meson_. From here we pushed on toChilchota, the head town of the Once Pueblos. From the crest, just abovethe town, we looked down upon a level valley, green with new wheat. Entering the town a little after five, we rode up to the _meson_ ofSan Francisco, near the little _plaza_. It was with difficulty that wesecured a room containing a single bed, with mattress, and two mats. There was nothing at all to eat at the _meson_, but on strolling out tothe _plaza_ we found some Indian women selling _atole_ and bread. With this we were compelled to be content until morning, paying seven_centavos_ for our four suppers. Hunting up the _presidente_ of thetown, we found him sitting, with his court, on benches in the _plaza_. He was a pleasant, rather dressy young man, but at once took interest inour work, and told us that Huancito was the best town for our bust work, as the population there is primitive and purely indian. 

The Once Pueblos--eleven towns--are famous through this portion ofthe Republic. Several of them are purely indian; Chilchota is largely_mestizo_. The towns lie in a long line on the side of the littlevalley, at the foot of the bordering hills. Between some, spaces ofconsiderable extent intervene; others are so close together that, inriding through them, one sees no line of separation. All consist ofadobe houses, of a rich brown color, roofed with tiles. Some of thechurches are of considerable size, but are also built of brown adobe. The Once Pueblos are famous for their pottery, and in some of themalmost every house has its little kiln or oven. Fruit is cultivated, and the houses are frequently embowered in trees; in many yards arebee-hives. The valley is abundantly watered with little streams ofperfect clearness. 

The _presidente_ had insisted that the school teacher at Huancito wouldprove invaluable. He gave us a letter of introduction to him, and anorder upon the authorities. We were at once given possession of theschoolhouse for our work, and I started out to find a subject. Almostthe first person encountered was a young man of twenty-three years, whopresented the pure Tarascan type. I at once told him that he was thevery man we wanted; that we planned to make a picture of him in plaster;at the same time, I described the method of work, and while talking, holding him by the arm, drew him over toward the schoolhouse. Almostbefore he realized it, we were ready for the task. As he removed hisshirt and prepared for the operation of oiling and the application ofthe plaster, he looked somewhat sombre. After seeing the work wellbegun, I stepped outside and sat in the portico until it should bedone. The first piece of plaster had been applied, the subject had beenturned, and was lying ready for the second application. At this moment, an indian maiden, with dishevelled hair, came rapidly running acrossthe _plaza_ toward the schoolhouse. Rushing past me, she entered theschool-room, and seeing the subject lying on the floor clasped her handsand cried, "Florencito! My Florencito, why wait here? Stay not withthese cruel men; flee with me!" Seizing him by the hand, they dislodgedthe plaster from his shoulders and started for the door, but catchingsight of me, cast a glance around, saw the open window, and leapingthrough it, dashed off home. Up to this time the local authorities hadshown an interest in our work and a willingness to aid. Calling thechief of police, I bade him and the teacher seek our subject and bringhim back for the completion of the operation. "But, sir, " said the chiefof police, "suppose he does not wish to come?" "Why are you chief ofpolice?" was my reply. The teacher, who is himself a _mestizo_ anddespises the poor indians in his charge, was loud in his complaints. Hevigorously declared that what these people needed was a second Cortez, that they had never been properly conquered, and, with the chief ofpolice, he started out for the new conquest. After an hour or more ofwaiting, we saw them reappear with Florencito. But humanity is everloath to admit defeat. As he passed us, he grumbled that he saw no goodreason for such a fuss, as he had simply gone to eat his breakfast. 

Having completed the work with this subject, we suggested that othersshould be brought, but met with a prompt refusal. The judge and thechief of police both declared that the people did not wish to have bustsmade, and that they would bring no more. In vain I suggested that ameeting of the townspeople should be called together in order thatwe might address them and explain the purpose of our visit. It wasimpossible to move the officials. Finally I told the judge that I shouldsend a mounted messenger, who had accompanied us from the _presidente_, to Chilchota to report the failure of the town officials to do theirduty. He promptly declared that he was going to Chilchota himself tosee the _presidente_ in the matter. Sure enough, when my messenger wasready, he had made his preparations, and the two departed together topresent the different sides of the question. Neither returned untilwe were through for the day. During the afternoon we secured two moresubjects, and by nightfall had three good busts as the result of theday's labor. Then we faced new difficulties. Carriers could not be hadfor love nor money. What was wanted were three men, one to carry eachbust back to Chilchota, where we planned to spend the night. Finally, after loss of time and temper, each of us shouldered a bust and rodeback on horseback with our trophies. 

We soon discovered that the eleven towns were in a ferment ofexcitement. Most dreadful tales were rife with regard to us and ourwork. Some asserted that we cut off heads and hung them up to dry; thatin drying, they turned white. Others reported that with knives, made forthe purpose, we sliced off the ears of unfortunate indians, close totheir heads. Still others reported that we had a frightful instrumentwhich was fitted into the nose, and by means of which we tore stripsof flesh and skin from the face of the subject. It was said, and quitelikely truly, that they were arming in all the houses; that _machetes_, guns, pistols, and clubs were laid convenient to hand. 

The next day was Sunday, and we made no attempt to continue work. It wasmarket-day, and indians from all the pueblos had gathered in the _plaza_to buy and sell. All were pure in blood and spoke Tarascan. Fruits, sugar-cane, corn, _tortillas, atole_, coffee, were the chief staples. Stocks of pottery were attractively displayed. Two characteristic waresare both pretty. Most typical, perhaps, is the black and green warewhich is made into bowls, plates, mugs, and pitchers. The clay of whichit is baked is local and dark brown in color; a white earth applied tothis, on baking, gives rise to a rich metallic green glaze. Designs arepainted upon this in black. This black and green ware goes far andwide, and everywhere is recognized as coming from the Once Pueblos. AtHuancito and some other pueblos, they make little _canteras_ with a redground and decorative designs in black and white. One thing, offered inthe market, was new to us, dishes full of _ucuares_--long, irregular, swollen, dry, brown objects that looked like stewed worms with thick andfleshy skins. One _centavo_ bought far more than any person would belikely to eat; even after having been stewed in sugar, they were bitter, and had a foul smell that was most unpleasant; they appeared to be rootsor tubers of some plant. 

Naturally, our work had attracted much attention in Chilchota. No oneof the many dozen visitors who came to see us at the _meson_ was soprofoundly impressed as a boy of fourteen, named Ignacio. Appearingearly in the morning, he remained with us almost all the hours of thetwenty-four. Thinking that the effect on the villagers might be good, I decided to ride in the afternoon through the pueblos. When the_presidente_ discovered my intention, he insisted upon supplying amounted and armed escort, and at the same time gave me a general letterto the eleven towns, in which strict orders were given that my wishesshould be respected, and dire threats made in case any one should showme aught but the greatest consideration. Ignacio accompanied me. Ridingthrough the towns, we passed far enough beyond Huancito to see the mostremote of the eleven pueblos. They are separated somewhat from the rest, and lie rather higher up in a bend of the valley. Everywhere I took somepains to talk with the people, to visit their houses, to examine theirpottery, their bees and their growing crops, as I felt that such aninterest would help us in our work. On our return, Ignacio told me thathe should stay to dinner with us, as he much preferred to do so to goinghome. He also told me that it would be a great pity to lose the theatre, which was to take place that evening. Accordingly, after dinner wasover, we went to see the play. I expected that at that season of theyear it would be a _pastorela_--and in fact it had been so announced. It was, however, a true drama, and one of thefunniest--unintentionally--imaginable. The stage was set in the middleof the _patio_ of a large house. The boy insisted that we would be late, and so we went at 7:15, although the bill announced the hour as 8. Thespectators brought their own chairs with them. Except a few youngsters, no one arrived before 9, and the curtain at last rose at a quarterbefore eleven. Among the last to arrive was the _presidente_ and hisparty. He was resplendent in a cape of crimson velvet with brilliantyellow facings. Hardly was his party seated, when we were politelyinvited to sit with them. Three acts were rendered, and while waitingfor the fourth, one of the party declared that there would be elevenmore. This gave the _presidente_ an opportunity to relate an experienceof his own. On one occasion, after watching a play from seven in theevening until four in the morning, the stage broke down; the managementappeared and apologized regarding the accident, particularly, since sometwenty acts were still to have been rendered. Our play, however, turnedout to have had but eight acts, and one of these was omitted. When itshould have been given, the whole troupe appeared upon the platform;the manager announced the reason why the act would not be given, butpromised that on the following Sunday, in another play, an extra actshould be inserted, in order that all might receive the full value oftheir money. Our play ended at one, when the audience dispersed. 

Needing but two more subjects, we looked about Chilchota the next day, hoping to find indians from the more remote villages, who might permittheir busts to be made. Two excellent cases were found. The last was aman from Carapan, the most remote of the eleven towns. He was a man offorty years, whose father accompanied him, and both were for a long timedubious about the operation. Finally, however, consent was given and thebust was made. As he arose and dressed to go, I said, "Did I tell youthe truth? Did the operation hurt you, or did it not? Was there a reasonwhy you should not have your bust made?" He promptly answered, "Sir, youtold me truth; the operation did not hurt me and there surely is no harmin it; but, sir, you can hardly believe what an excitement this work hascaused in our town. Yesterday, in the market-place at Chilchota, therewere more than twenty men from Carapan who carried weapons in theirclothing. We had selected leaders and arranged signals, and at the firstsign of an attack from your party, we were prepared to sell our livesdearly. "

It was a work of time to fill the moulds and pack the busts. Beforewe were ready to start upon our journey, it was half-past four in theafternoon. True wisdom would have suggested waiting until morning. Time, however, was precious, and I hoped to make Cheran that night;consequently, though against the advice of many, we started out, witheight leagues to go, over a road with a bad reputation, and at somepoints difficult to traverse. For a little distance, we followed thefamiliar trail down through the pueblos, but at Tanaquillo we turnedup into the mountain. The ascent was steady until we reached the pass, through which an icy wind drove down upon us. We could hope to make thedistance in six hours. At first we met many persons, all of whom warnedus that we would be late in arriving, and recommended that we shouldstop at Rancho Seco. We had no intention of so doing, but knew thatwe must turn at that point into a new road. Between sunset and brightmoonlight, there was an interval of darkness, and in that interval wemust have passed the turning which led to Rancho Seco. At all events, we presently found ourselves entirely at a loss, wandering over a rockyhill covered with brush, amid which the trail had entirely disappeared. Retracing, as well as we could, our road, we finally found ourselvesupon another trail which we followed until 9:30, when we met a littleband of indians, the first whom we had seen for a long time. From themwe found that we were not upon the road for Cheran, but at the edge ofa slope at the bottom of which was a little indian town, Tanaco. Descending to it, we found a house where they agreed to shelter us forthe night, and in the _tienda_ near by we bought hard bread and oldcheese. We were sheltered in a substantially built room, into which thecold air did not penetrate. The indians with whom we were staying wereunusually intelligent; a number of books, including a large dictionary, lay upon the table, and the men, who crowded in upon us, were anxious tolearn the English words for common things. This was an experience whichrarely happened to us in indian Mexico. The people, however, were notquite sure of our intentions, and Nabor said that when he went to waterthe horses, a committee of village folk waited upon him, asking whetherwe were the party of white men who had been skinning live indians overin the Once Pueblos. 

There were four leagues between us and Cheran, and many more beyond itto Patzcuaro, where we hoped to arrive the next night. Accordingly, wemade an early start. Our host agreed to pilot us over the indistinct andtortuous bridle-path to the high-road. Many little mountains, almostartificially regular, arose in the otherwise plain country. As we rodealong the trail we saw the church of Parracho far behind us in thedistance. The latter part of the road, after Cheran was once in sight, seemed hopelessly long, but a little before ten o'clock we pulled up atthe _meson_. We at once made arangements for food for ourselves and thehorses, and determined to rest until noon. Our reputation had precededus. I asked a child at the _meson_ to bring me a mug of water. When hebrought it, I noticed that the mug was of the characteristic black andgreen ware of the Once Pueblos, but asked the boy where it was made. With a cunning look, he answered, "O yes, that comes from where youpeople have been, --up at the Once Pueblos. " And yet we had not come overthe road from the Once Pueblos, but by the main highway from Parracho. 

Rested and refreshed, we started at 12:30 for the long fourteen leaguesof journey. We passed Pichataro, where the round paddles for Patzcuarocanoes are made, and where the applewood, so prized as material forspear-throwers, is procured. We passed Sabina, where the canoesthemselves are hollowed out, miles from their launching place, to whichthey must be carried over mountains. Each town we passed made me moreand more uneasy, as I knew that Nabor contemplated revolt. He did notlike the idea of too long a journey for his horses. He wished to stoplong before the goal that I had fixed. When we left the last of theimportant towns behind us, I felt for the first time secure. It was nowdark, and we found the roads far worse than we remembered them. Theywere worn into deep gullies, into which our horses fell and over whichthey stumbled. Long before reaching Ajuno I felt convinced that we hadmissed the road, but we floundered on, and never was sight more welcomethan the light of fires shining through the cane walls of the wretchedhuts of that miserable town. Here there was a final council regardingresting for the night. The whole party, except myself, considered Ajunoas a capital resting-place. All yielded, however, and we continued onour way. It was almost midnight when we rode up to the hotel, upon the_plaza_ in quaint old Patzcuaro. All were cross and tired; neithercrossness nor weariness were helped when we were told that there was noroom for us at the inn. We made such vigorous representations, however, that the doors were finally thrown open. An old store-house was cleanedout and supplied with decent beds, and a good supper was served. 

CHAPTER X

THE BOY WITH THE SMILE

(1898)

It is doubtful whether the common people of any country are so rarelysurprised, or taken unaware, as those of Mexico. At a moment's notice, the commonest indian, who may have scarcely been outside of his owntown in all his life, may start to go across the country. Astonishingincidents appear to create no more surprise in their minds than theordinary affairs of every day. In January, 1898, we revisited Cholula. As we alighted from the street-car we noticed a boy, some fourteen yearsold, whose most striking characteristic was his smile. He wished toserve as guide, to show us the pyramid, the convents, the chapel of thenatives. On assuring him that we knew far more about the lions of histown than he, he was in no wise abashed, but joined himself to us forthe remainder of the day. He accompanied us to see the blessing of theanimals in the great churchyard. He displayed an interesting knowledgeof English, answering "yes" quite perfectly to every sort of question, and repeating the two words, which are well known the whole world overas American-English, on all conceivable occasions. When at evening hesaw us safely on the street-car he left us with the same smile withwhich he had received us. On our next visit to Cholula much the samething happened, but learning that we planned to stop at Cuauhtlantzincoon our way to Puebla, he stole a ride upon the car, for the sake ofaccompanying us. He was a rather handy boy, good-natured and anxious toplease, so that, later in our journey, we hired him for several days andlet him do what he could to help us. 

Much later, when at home planning the details of our next extensivejourney, the thought struck us that it might be well to make the boywith the smile a member of our party. It seemed as if, in going intodistricts rarely visited by strangers, it would be well to have theparty as largely Mexican as possible. If, however, the boy were toaccompany us, it was necessary that he should first learn something ofour work and needs, and perhaps of English. Accordingly, I decided to goto Cholula and bring the boy up to the States. 

The resolution was so hastily taken that there was no time to send wordto the boy himself. Going straight to Cholula, I had some difficulty infinding his abode. I knew that the boy had no father, that his widowedmother had but one other child, a girl younger than the boy himself. Ihad once seen the mother and the little sister; I also knew the streeton which they lived. Arriving at the street, however, no one apparentlyhad ever heard of the boy. One and another through the whole length ofthe street was questioned, but none knew his name or recognized hisdescription. Excepting that I knew that trait of Mexican character whichassists acquaintances to seclusion, when they are sought by strangers, Ishould have despaired. As it was, I kept on asking, and finally, from achild who could hardly speak on account of youth, I discovered the housewhich I sought. It was a little hut set back behind a yard of growingcorn. I had inquired at the houses on either side and at the houseacross the road, as also of a man working in the corn in the yarditself. But everyone had been profoundly ignorant of the boy'sexistence. Walking up to the house, I found the door open, and themother and the little girl within. The moment the woman saw me, shesaid, "_Que milagro, Señor_!" (What a miracle, sir!) and rising, gave mea warm embrace. The little girl did the same. "And where is Manuel?" Iinquired. "Ah, sir, he has gone to Puebla on an errand for a gentleman;but he will be back on the street-car at half-past ten. Pray wait, sir, till he comes. "

The house consisted, like most of its class, of a single room. The wallswere built of sun-dried bricks of adobe. Entrance was by a single door. There were no windows. The floor was clay. The flat roof was scarcelysix feet above the floor. The furniture, though ample, was scanty. Alittle earthen brazier for heating and cooking, a stone _metate_, arubbing-stone for grinding corn-meal, a table heaped with bundles andboxes containing the family clothing, and a chair were all. There wereno beds, not even the mats which so frequently, among the poor ofMexico, take their place. Several pictures of saints and of the virginwere pinned against the wall, and there were signs of tapers which hadbeen burned before them. A bird or two in wooden cages, a rooster and alittle dog lived in the house with the family. 

After answering various questions from the good woman and the littlegirl, I finally stated that I proposed to take Manuel with me to mycountry. He would stay with me there for six months, after which hewould come back and accompany me for three months longer on a journeyinto southern Mexico. "If I have your consent, " I said, "we leaveto-day. " Immediately the woman answered, "Sir, it is for you to say. "Just then, however, the little girl, Dolores, began to cry. "Tut, tut, Dolores, " said I, "I am sure you want Manuel to go away and visit astrange country and have a fine time; and think of the pictures thathe can bring you to show what he has seen. And more than that, it isalready half-past ten, and you shall go down tothe street-car to meethim, and tell him that he must come straight home, for fear that he willloiter on the way; but do not tell him I am here, nor say anything abouthis going away, for we wish to surprise him. " Drying her eyes, andsmiling almost as the boy himself, Dolores started to run to thestreet-car line, and presently fetched Manuel home in triumph. As heentered and saw me, he said, "_Que milagro, Señor_" and kissed my hand. Having asked, as Mexican politeness requires, a variety of questionsabout his welfare, I finally said, "Well, Manuel, how would you like togo to Puebla with me for the day?" "Sir, it is for you to say. " "Verygood, " said I. "And if I should conclude that it was best to take you toMexico for a few days, what would you say to that?" "I am entirely inyour hands, sir, " he replied, "to do your orders. " "Well, " said I, "suppose I took you to my own country and kept you there for sixmonths?" and the boy replied, "Sir, you are my owner; it is for youto command. " "Very well, " said I, "get ready, and we will go on thestreet-car, at twelve o'clock, to Puebla. "

[Illustration: THE CROSS; SAN NICOLAS PANOTLA]

[Illustration: THE BOY WITH THE SMILE]

Telling his mother that she should put together the few articles ofwhich there might be need, we started for the noonday car. As we left, I suggested that she and the little girl come to the city, during theafternoon or evening, to bid the boy good-bye, as we should leave on anearly train the following morning. They came at nightfall. She had hissmall possessions tied up in a carrying cloth, and her mind was storedwith bits of excellent advice and admonition as to his conduct andbehaviour in his new surroundings. After Dolores and her brother hadgiven each other a, farewell embrace, the mother said a few words to theboy, who knelt upon the floor of the room and crossed his hands uponhis breast. The mother then gave him her parting blessing, and sent himforth into the outside world. 

CHAPTER XI

IN THE MIXTECA ALTA

(1898)

Of all railroad cities in the Republic, Oaxaca is the most completelyindian. It is the capital of a state the population of which isnine-tenths of native blood. Fifteen native languages are spoken in thestate to-day. While some of these are related to each other, they aredistinct languages, not dialects, even those which are related being asunlike as the French, Italian, and Spanish. The indians commonly seen onthe city streets are Zapotecs or Mixtecs, but at times Mixes come fromtheir distant mountain homes with burdens on their backs, or partiesof Tehuantepecanas attract attention, by their fine forms and strikingdress, as they walk through the streets. The market is crowded, evenlate in the day; ox-carts from the indian towns for miles around areconstantly seen in the streets. Most of the sellers in the market areindians; they bring fruits and vegetables, dried fish from the Pacific, _jícaras_ and strainers of gourds, beautifully painted and polishedgourds from Ocotopec, honey, sugar--both the crude brown and the refinedyellow cakes--and pottery. The indian pottery here sold is famous. Threekinds of wares are well known--a dull plain red, an unglazed but highlypolished black, and a brilliant glazed green. The black ware is madeinto useful vessels, and also into a variety of toys, chiefly whistlesand bells. Pottery would seem to be one of the least suitable materialsfor bells. Here, however, bells of pottery in many shapes arefound--little bells, with handles like the upper part of a human figure;larger bells, with curious flat handles set transversely; others, stilllarger, like cow-bells in size and tone, and curious cross-shaped bells, really a group of four united. Among the whistles some are made into theshape of animals and birds and curious human figures; among the latter, some closely resemble ancient whistles from the prehistoric graves. Thisblack ware is made at Coyotepec, and when the objects are first takenfrom the kiln they are almost white; before they are cold, theyare exposed to dense smoke, and thus assume their black color. Thebrilliantly glazed green ware is the most attractive. Vessels made fromit are thin, and, in the parts which are unglazed, resemble commonflower-pot ware. The larger portion of their surfaces, however, iscovered with a rich, thick, emerald-green glaze. Cups, bowls, saucers, plates, sugar-bowls, tea-pots, flasks, and censers are among the formscommonly made in this ware. The shapes are often graceful and theprices low. Most beautiful, however, and relatively expensive, are theminiature vessels made in this ware--scarcely an inch in height, butformed with the greatest care, and in such variety of dainty forms thatone may seek some time to duplicate a piece which he has found; theselittle pieces are completely covered with the rich green glaze bothoutside and inside. 

Our plan of journey for the year was first to make an expedition fromOaxaca to the north-west, into the Mixteca Alta; returning to Oaxaca, to strike eastward by way of Mitla, and the land of the Mixes, toTehuantepec, from which place we should make a brief trip to the Juaves;returning to Tehuantepec, we should take the high road, by way of SanCarlos, back to Oaxaca. Our first duty in the city of Oaxaca was toprocure letters and orders from the governor. No governor in Mexico morecompletely realizes his importance and dignity than Governor Gonzales ofOaxaca. It is ever difficult to secure an audience with him; appointmentafter appointment is made, only to be broken when the inquiring visitorpresents himself, and has been kept waiting an undue length of time. Wehad been through the experience before, and therefore were not surprisedthat it required four visits, each of them appointed by the governorhimself, before we really had our interview. Governor Gonzales, is, however, an excellent officer. While we were waiting for our letters, after having explained to him our errand and plan of procedure, we hadthe opportunity to see a somewhat unusual and interesting sight. Likeall public buildings and better-grade houses in Mexican cities, thegovernor's palace is built about _patios_, or inner courts. A widebalcony surrounds the court at the level of the second story and uponit the rooms of that story open. Having given orders that our lettersshould be prepared, the governor excused himself for a few moments, ashe said that certain of his local authorities were ordered to meet him. We were seated where we could watch the reception. As we had entered thepalace we had been impressed by the great number of indians, carryingofficial staves, who were waiting near the door. We now found that theywere official delegates from the different towns, and that they had beensent from their homes to give the governor New Year's greetings. Havingcarefully arrayed himself for the meeting, the governor took hisposition in the wide balcony already referred to, with two officials ofthe palace stationed near, one on either side. The Indians representedperhaps twenty-five different towns, the delegation from each townvarying from three or four to fifteen or twenty persons. All weredressed in their cleanest garments, and all carried their long staves ofoffice, most of which had ribbons of bright colors streaming from them. The secretary of the governor arranged these delegations in their order, and they were presented one by one to the chief executive. As eachdelegation was presented, its members scraped and bowed, and the_presidente_ and _secretario_ kissed the governor's hand. A word or twoof greeting having been exchanged, the spokesman from the village made aspeech, sometimes read from a written copy, after which he presenteda bouquet of flowers, real or artificial. The governor received thebouquet with a bow, placed the flowers on a little table near by, or, ifthe gift were a large bouquet of real flowers, handed it to one of theattendants standing near, and then made a polite speech of response, emphasizing it with vigorous gestures and plainly expressive of muchinterest and earnestness. The delegation then took its leave, alwaysbowing reverently, and each man kissing the governor's hand as he passedout. As he received this mark of respect, the governor would make aplayful remark, or pat the persons on the head, or otherwise treatthem as a father might his little children. Instantly the flowers werecleared away, the next delegation ushered in, and the same ceremonygone through with. Finally, all was ready for our leaving. The partyconsisted of five persons--myself, as leader, Mr. Lang, my Americanphotographer, Don Anselmo, my Mexican plaster-worker, Manuel, and the_mozo_. All but the _mozo_ were mounted on horses, more or less good orbad. The _mozo_, Mariano, a Mixtec indian, went on foot, carrying thephotographic outfit on his back, and our measuring-rod in his hand. It was well on in the afternoon before we started, and hardly were weoutside the town, before Mr. Lang's horse showed signs of sickness. Hissuffering was plain, and every person we met volunteered the informationthat unless something was done promptly, we should have a dead horse onour hands. Going to a little shop on the roadside, where strong drinkswere sold, we stopped, and after preparing a remedy with the help of apassing Indian, threw the horse down, wedged his mouth open, and gavehim what seemed to be an unsavory draught. More than an hour was lostout of our already short afternoon by this veterinary practice, and longbefore we reached Etla, where we were compelled to pass the night, itwas dark. 

Leaving Etla in the morning, looking down as we passed out from the cityupon a wonderful group of mounds, we passed rather slowly through thetown of Huitzo. Don Anselmo and I loitered, as we found the wholecountry to be rich in ancient relics, examples of which were to be foundin almost every house. As the afternoon passed, we found that we werelikely to be completely left by our companions, and were forced tohasten on. The latter part of the daylight ride was up a continuous, andat times steep, ascent. As the sun neared setting, we reached the summitand found ourselves close by the station of Las Sedas, the highest pointupon the Mexican Southern Railway. We had there expected to overtakethe others of our party, but found that they had hurried on. It was aserious question whether we should try to overtake them. It had beenwisdom to have stayed the night where we were. In this uncertainty, we met an indian boy driving mules toward Oaxaca, who volunteered theinformation that he had met our companions, who were just ahead, andthat we would soon overtake them. This decided us, and we started downthe trail. A heavy wind was blowing, and the night air was cold andpenetrating. In a few minutes we met a half-breed Mexican, who, accosting us at once, urged us to go no further. His manner was somewhatsinister and disagreeable. He warned us that, if we attempted to makethe descent in the darkness, we would at least lame our animals. Heasserted that our comrades were fully three leagues ahead when he hadmet them, and that we would never overtake them. He also hinted darklyas to other dangers of the road, if we should succeed in making thedescent without breaking the legs of our horses. Refusing his invitationto stop with him for the night, we pressed onward, and as we did so, hecalled out derisively after us. 

The descent would not have been an easy one, even in the daytime, andin the gathering darkness there was really an element of danger in thejourney. We left the following of the trail almost entirely to ouranimals. We were finally down the worst of the descent before night hadactually set in. From here on, although the road varied but little froma level trail, we were obliged to go slowly, and it was with a feelingof true relief that, after floundering for a while in a brook in whichour road seemed to lose itself, we heard ourselves called by name, froman indian hut situated a little way up the bank. As usual, the houseconsisted of a single room, of no great size, and was lightly builtof cane. Two men, three women, a boy, and three little girls were theoccupants. Our companions were already resting; their horses wereunsaddled and were eating contentedly, and we were told that supperwas being prepared for us. Entering the house, we found the women busymaking _tortillas_, and fresh goat's meat, hanging from the rafters, gave promise of a substantial meal. When all was ready, we sat down tothe finest of corn-cakes, beans, eggs, and tender kidmeat. We spread ourblankets under a little shelter which stood in front of one side of thehouse. None of us slept well. It was very cold; dogs barked all nightlong; now and then a sudden outbreak of their barking, and curioussignals and whistles, which were repeated in various parts of themountain, gave us some uneasiness. At three o'clock in the morning, justas we were napping, Don Anselmo startled us by the statement that ourmule was dead. In a moment, all was excitement. Mariano examined theanimal and reiterated the statement. As for us, we were in the mood tocare but little whether the mule was living or dead. Half frozen andvery weary, our frame of mind was not a cheerful one. Just beforedaybreak we could stand the cold no longer, and gathering some dry wood, we started a fire and crowded around it. The report about the muleproved to be false, and when morning came, there was no sign thatanything was the matter with him. 

It was nine o'clock before we started on our journey in the morning. Wehad three long hours of clambering up and down heavy slopes, and, muchof the way, through a stream the bed of which was filled with slipperyboulders and pebbles, over which the horses slipped and stumbledfrightfully. Our horses slid down small cascades, but, when we came tolarger ones, we had to mount the banks by ugly bits of road, descendingbelow the falls. After much labor and weariness, we reached El Parian atnoon. Having rested through the hotter portion of the day, we took theroad again at two. We followed up the brook-bed to the point whereanother stream entered it, at an acute angle. Up this stream we turned, and after following it a little, struck suddenly up a steep hill, andthen climbed on and on over a good road, cut in the limestone rock, upand up, until we reached the very summit. The vegetation here was acurious assemblage, --palms, cedars, oaks, and a mimosa-like tree, formedthe chief types. The limestone rock upon the summit was curiouslyeroded, as if by rain rills. The masses presented all the appearanceand detail of erosion shown by the great mountain mass of the countryitself; looking at one of these little models, only a few feet across, and then gazing out upon the great tangle of mountain peaks around us, one could almost imagine that the one was the intentional reproductionof the other, in miniature. For a long time we followed the almostlevel summit; then a little climb and a slight descent brought us toHuaclilla. At the _meson_ we found real rooms and true beds, and decidedto stay for the night. The supper was less attractive. A brief walkabout the village brought to light two cases of small-pox, and, onreturning to the _meson_, we were charmed to find a third one in thebuilding itself. Still, we slept well, and were up betimes next morning. The country through which we were passing was Mariano's _país_ (nativeland). Assuming that his knowledge was adequate, we left our _meson_early, with the intention of breakfasting at San Pedrito, where we wereassured that everything was lovely; we were also told that it was buta short distance. The road thither was through a high open country, planted to wheat and oats and with some _maguéy_. The road wasdiscouragingly long, but after at least three hours of constant riding, we reached precious San Pedrito, chiefly notable for the amount of_pulque_ drunk there. It was with the greatest difficulty that wesucceeded in getting anything to eat; the breakfast was certainly worsethan the supper of the preceding night. With the prevalence of _maguéy_as a cultivated plant, the appearance of the houses and otherbuildings changed, as all of them were thatched with the broad, long, sharp-pointed leaves of the famous plant. Everyone in the districtcarries _tinajas_, or little sacks woven from splints of palm. Here, forthe first time, we noticed that many of these had decorated patternsworked in black splints on the lighter ground. The blackness ofthese splints is given by exposure to the smoke of burning pine. Carrying-straps, also made of palm, are used for adjusting these_tinajas_ to the back. 

From San Pedrito the road is over a soft rock, which produces, whenworn, a white glaring trail. The country through which we passed wasfertile. Everywhere were fields of grain, wheat, oats, and, as we weredescending into the lower land, corn. The little watch-houses forguarding the newly-sown fields are a striking feature of the landscape. In the higher districts they were small, conical or dome-shapedstructures, made of the leaves of the _maguéy_, and hardly large enoughfor a man to lie down in. Lower down, these were replaced by littlerectangular huts, only a few feet across, with thatched roofs, the wholeconstruction being raised on poles ten or twelve feet above the ground. It was scarcely more than noonday when we reached Nochixtlan, wherethe _jefe_ of the district lives. Telling him that we desired to visitYodocono and Tilantongo, he wrote orders for us, and charged someindians of Tidaa to show us the road, so far as they were going. Thecountry through which we passed was a continuation of that precedingNochixtlan. The road was nearly level, with but slight ups and downs, until a little before we reached our destination, when we had an abruptup-turn to Yodocono, a pretty town on the border of a little lake, whichhas but recently appeared, and which covers an area which a few yearsago was occupied by cultivated fields. Our letter from the _jefe_introduced us to Don Macario Espinola, a _mestizo_, owner of the chiefstore in the village, who showed us gracious hospitality. We were guestsof honor. The parlor was surrendered to our use; the chairs were placedin such a way that, when supplied with mattress, sheets, and blankets, they made capital beds. Our meals were good. Don Macario, on hearingthe purpose of our visit, placed himself entirely at our disposition. Unfortunately, he gained the idea that the people whom we wanted formeasurement and photography were old folk, and the most astonishingcollection of aged men and women was summoned from every part of thevillage and surrounding neighborhood, and all had to be measured, although the measurements were afterwards discarded. 

[Illustration: YODOCONO]

Leaving Yodocono at ten the following morning, we rode to Tilantongo. Though assured that the road was over a district as level as a floor, we found a good deal of up-hill riding. Tilantongo itself, with 2, 266inhabitants, is located upon the further slope of a hill, and but fewhouses were in sight until we were actually in the town. The publicbuildings surrounded a small open space, in the centre of which is astone sun-dial. One side of this little _plaza_ is occupied by theschoolhouse; the town-house and jail occupy the rear. The town is builtupon a horseshoe-shaped, sloping ridge, and the church is at the edgeof the town, at one of the very ends of the horseshoe. Riding to thetown-house, we presented our documents to the _presidente_, and ordereddinner for ourselves and food for the horses. We had letters to thepriest, but he was not in town. The schoolhouse was placed at ourdisposal, and we moved two long benches close to each other, side byside; rush mats were brought, and these we laid upon the benches, andupon the teacher's table, for beds. Mr. Lang and Don Anselmo took thetable, Manuel and I the benches, and Mariano had the floor. The cold wasso intense that none of us slept much. We were astonished, in the middleof the night, and at intervals in the early morning, say at two or fouro'clock, to hear snatches of songs. At first, we imagined it might besome religious festival, but on inquiring, we found that it was nothingbut bands of drunken indians making night hideous. 

We waited some time in the morning before beginning work, hoping thatthe _cura_ might come and assist us with his influence. Finally, wearying of delay, we explained to the _presidente_ the work we plannedto do. We told him we must have subjects for measurement, photographingand modeling. He showed no great enthusiasm in the matter. One andanother came to be measured, if they chose, but a number entirelyrefused. It was plain that something must be done. Quitting my work, Isent orders for the _presidente_ to appear, and, after an intolerabledelay, he presented himself. I told him that we were losing time; thatsubjects were not presenting themselves; that some of those who didpresent themselves refused to be measured; that I wished a _mozo_ atonce to carry a report from me to the _jefe_ that my wishes were notregarded by the authorities, and that his orders had no influence; thatthe _mozo_ must be ready at once, as there was no time to lose, and weshould shortly leave his town without accomplishing our work. The effectwas instantaneous. The official air of arrogance disappeared; he repliedquiet humbly that subjects should be at once supplied, as rapidly asthey could be brought in. I replied, "Here are two persons now who haverefused; why wait while others shall be brought?" The fiat went forth, the two obdurate and not good-humored victims were marched up. As Imeasured them, they whispered to me that the _presidente_ himselfhad not been measured, and begged that he be ordered to undergo theoperation. The request was reasonable, and when they were through, theywaited to see what would happen. Great was their delight when, turningto the chief man of the town, I said, "It is best for you to be measurednext. It will set a good example to the rest, " and without a word, although I knew that he had stated that he would not be measured, hestepped under the rod. From then on there was no lack of material. Oursubjects were measured, photographed and modeled as rapidly as we coulddo the work. At noon the priest had come. As he passed where we wereworking, he gave us an extremely distant greeting and rode on up to the_curato_. From his castle he sent immediate complaint because our horseshad been put into his stable without his permission. I went to the goodman's house and found him hearing confessions. Leaving with him theletters from the archbishop and the _jefe_, I returned to my work, leaving word that the horses would have to stay where they were, asthere was no other suitable place for their keeping. After a hard day'swork, the night started very cold, and we hurried to bed early. All weresleeping, but myself, when a rap came at the door. It was a message fromthe _cura_, begging us to come to the _curato_, where we would be morecomfortable. Sending back a word of thanks, I stated that we would bethere for the following night. 

[Illustration: MIXTEC HOUSES; TILANTONGO]

The _cura_ had been away from home for several days. The result wasthat, on his return, his parishioners turned out in force to greet him, and hardly was he housed, when a procession bearing gifts marched to the_curato_. In front went one bearing flowers. Those who followed carriedsome kind of food, --great pieces of meat, fowls, eggs, corn, chilis, and other supplies. The following morning we were awakened by a greatexplosion of fire-crackers and rockets, and by pealing bells, announcingthe early mass. After his religious duties were performed, the _padre_came down to the _plaza_ to watch our work and use his influence in ourbehalf. When it was dinner-time, he invited us to go with him to thatmeal. We had thought that the donation party we had witnessed was agenerous one; after that dinner, we had no doubt of the matter. Hardlyhad we disposed of the many good things on the table when the _padre_took us to a large room, the parish schoolhouse, and showed us thearrangements he had made for our comfort. Four beds, descending in gradeof comfort from the one for myself to the one for Manuel, were shown us. Never was a party happier to move from one set of quarters to another. 

Called away the next morning by his religious duties, the priest leftus in charge of house and household. The work went merrily on in the_plaza_. We quickly found, however, that the town was getting into acondition of intoxication, and long before noon every person inthe place was drunk. At noon we were waited upon by a committee, representing the town, who informed us that they appreciated the loftyhonor which was conferred on the place by our presence, and stated that, realizing that we had brought with us letters from the President of theRepublic and from the Archbishop of the diocese, they desired not to belacking in the respect due to such distinguished visitors. Accordingly, they said, they had arranged for the brass band to discourse sweet musicfor us, while we ate our dinner. No sooner was the statement made, thanpreparations were begun. The band stood around us in a semi-circle, chiefly notable for its unsteadiness on its legs, and regaled us with aseries of most doleful pieces. When word came that dinner was readyat the _curato_, the band accompanied us to our stopping-place. Thebandmaster announced his intention of personally serving us at thetable. At the same time orders were given that the musicians, standingwithout, should continue to play pieces throughout the repast. 

[Illustration:]

[Illustration:]

The last day of our stay at Tilantongo, the _padre_ stated that it mustbe interesting to see the way in which a parish priest, returning from avisit to a neighboring town, is received by his parish. Accordingly, heplanned that a picture should be taken of himself on horseback, with allthe people gathered around welcoming him. Telling us that he wouldbe ready when we should have made our own preparations for thisphotographic effort, he waited for our summons. We quickly found, however, that the proposition, although hailed at first with joy, didnot create great enthusiasm. We recommended to the people that theyshould get ready; told the musicians that the band should be prepared, and that soon we should send for the _padre_ to be welcomed. When wefinally succeeded in getting the matter under way, and were seriouslythinking of summoning the reverend gentleman, it was reported thatan old woman had been found dead in her lonely hut that morning, andarrangements were at once started for her funeral. In vain we suggestedthat they should wait until the picture had been made. Musicians andparishioners alike disappeared, going down to the house where the deadbody lay. The afternoon was passing. It would soon be quite too dark fora picture. Meantime, the _cura_, having become anxious in the matter, hastened from his house on foot, to ask why he had not been sent for. Onour explaining that a funeral was in progress, he was greatly outraged. We pointed out the house in front of which the funeral procession wasnow forming. He stood watching, as the line of mourners approached. Theperson who had died was an aged woman named Hilaria. The body was borneupon a stretcher, as coffins are not much used among these people. Theprocession came winding up the high-road, where we stood. The band infront was playing mournfully; next came the bearers, two of whom, atleast, were sadly drunk. The corpse was clad in the daily garments ofthe woman, and the body sagged down through gaps in the stretcher; amotley crowd of mourners, chiefly women, some with babies in their arms, followed. One man, walking with the band in front, carried a book in hishand and seemed to read the service, as they slowly passed along. Whenthe procession had come near us and was about to pass, the _padre_stopped it; expressing his dissatisfaction at the failure to arrange forthe photograph which he had ordered, he told the bearers to take thecorpse out behind the house and leave it there. They did so, returned, and were arranged in a group with the _padre_ in their midst, andphotographed, after which the body was picked up again, the processionwas reformed, and proceeded as if nothing had happened. 

The following morning at six o'clock we were again upon the road. Wefirst descended into the valley, passing the miserable hut from whencethe dead woman had been borne. In all the yards we noticed peach-treesloaded with their pink blossoms. From the deep and narrow valley, webegan to climb steadily upward. We passed along the side of a gorge, the bed of which had all the appearance of a giant stairway. Higher andhigher we mounted, leaving San Juan Diusi on our right. Great masses ofgray clouds hung upon the summits of the highest mountain, their lowerline coming very nearly to our level. The wind beginning to blow, thegray mass soon was whirled and spread down like a great veil around us. We were indeed glad when we began to descend and have a little shelterbehind us, against the wind, and dry skies instead of damp clouds aboveus. Making a sudden descent, we found ourselves in a cleared district, where the only trees left on the high summits were palms, which borelittle round dates with round seeds; these were quite sweet and good. Small ranches were scattered, here and there, along the road. Afteranother descent and ascent, we found ourselves in an extensive forest ofgreat gnarled oaks, thickly covered with tufts of air-plants and withorchids. Many of the latter were in full bloom, forming masses ofbrilliant color. In making the descent from here, we found the slopecomposed of slippery limestone, with sharp, rain-channeled surfaces, where our horses with great difficulty kept their footing. Soon after wewere down, we reached San Bartolo. 

This purely Mixtec town was a delightful spot. It is large, and strungalong two or three long straight streets. 

[Illustration: THE PEOPLE RECEIVING THEIR PADRE; TILANTONGO]

The houses were in yards completely filled with fruittrees--_chirimoyas, limas, granadas de China, ahuacates_ and oranges. Garden-beds of spinach, lettuce, and onions were frequent. The houseswere of poles set upright, with thick thatchings of palms. Bee-hives inquantity were seen at almost every house. At Tilantongo we had seen butfew women in native dress. Here almost every woman was clad in nativegarments, many of which were beautifully decorated. The men worebrilliant sashes, woven in the town. When we reached the town-house wefound the doorway decorated with flowers, --stars and rosettes made ofpalm. We were well received, and a capital dinner was soon served, afterwhich we were escorted around the town by the authorities, who arrangedfor photographing everything that seemed to us of interest. But, atthree o'clock, we left this pretty spot. Again, we climbed much of theway over limestone roads. Santo Domingo, past which we journeyed, is amean little town, with houses much like those of Tilantongo, but of agray color instead of reddish-brown. From here we plunged downward, andwhen we ascended again, followed along the side of a rock-walled cañonwith pretty cascades and magnificent masses of fallen rock. The lastpart of our journey was made by moonlight, along a brook-side overa road which seemed quite endless. With some trouble, we found thedilapidated old church and the municipal house; we took possession ofthe school, and after a miserable supper, thoroughly tired, lay down torest upon the benches. 

The town--Magdalena de los Comales--is so named from the _comales_, orearthenware griddles, made there. Besides this characteristic product, the town makes a good deal of unglazed but polished red pottery. Theforms are chiefly candle-sticks, censers and toys. Much weaving of palmis here done, and the hats of the place are rather famous. Famous, too, are the _mantas_, or women's dresses, of black wool, made in longrectangular pieces. The common grade sells for $6. 00, and in using it, it is, like indian dresses generally, simply wrapped about the figureand held in place by a sash or belt. 

Nowhere in our journey in southern Mexico had we met with the kind ofscenery which we encountered between Magdalena and Tlaxiaco; its wholecharacter was like that of New Mexico. Directly behind the town wasa fine cart-road, worn in red sand pumice; before the town rose amagnificent cliff, which had been a landmark in our journey of the daybefore. The road running up the mountain, over gray and red pumicestrata, was deeply worn, just like the road back of Cochiti, New Mexico. Here, too, were the same noble pines for forest. It was a full hour'sclimb to the summit, where we found a pretty brook tumbling over ledgeafter ledge into deep round basins of purest water. A long and rathergentle slope downward led to a valley filled with neat farm-houses andcleared patches. Our last ascent brought us to a mass of rounded hills, composed of brilliant clays--yellow, brown, pink, red and white. Fromamong these hillocks Tlaxiaco, a magnificent picture, burst into view. It is compactly built; the flat-topped houses are white or blue-tinted;trees are sprinkled through the town; the old convent, with the twotowers of its church, dominates the whole place; a pretty stream flowsalong its border; and a magnificent range of encircling mountains hemsit in on all sides. The descent was rapid, and we reached Tlaxiaco withthe morning but half gone. 

[Illustration: MIXTEC HOUSES WITH BEEHIVES; SAN BARTOLO]

The _jefes_ of the districts of Mexico are frequently men of ability andforce. Rarely, however, have we encountered one so prompt and energeticas Javier Cordova, then _jefe_ of the district of Tlaxiaco. When he tookpossession of this district, not long before, deeds of robbery alongthe high-road were common. In many portions of the district, acts ofviolence were quite the rule. Perhaps the largest agricultural districtin the Republic, it possessed few of the conveniences of modern life. Under Cordova's administration, vast improvements have been made. Theroads are secure, deeds of violence are rare, the advantages of thedistrict are being rapidly developed, telephone and telegraph have beenintroduced, and a railroad is talked of. Although we had no letterfrom the governor addressed to Señor Cordova, when we showed him thecommunications for other _jefes_, we were received with the greatestcourtesy and everything was done to facilitate our work. We told himthat we planned to visit the Triquis at Chicahuastla. He at once wroteletters to the town authorities and to Don Guillermo Murcio, living atthat village. The plaster for our bust-making had not yet been received, but Señor Cordova promised, in case it came, to forward it after uspromptly, and, in case it did not come, to send twenty miles into themountains for the raw plaster, which he would have prepared and sent onto Chicahuastla. It was late in the afternoon, before we started forCuquila, where we planned to pass the night. It was a mistake to make solate a start. For a time, the road was fairly level, but at last we wentup a brisk ascent, reaching the summit near sunset. The road down wouldhave been a bad one, even in the daytime. As it was, if we had not had agood moon, we could hardly have made the descent. From the depth of thecañon we ascended to Cuquila, thoroughly tired, somewhat before seven. It was with the greatest difficulty that we could find anyone of whom toask our way to the town-house. Our voices were sufficient to plunge anyhouse into instant darkness and silence. After a long search, we founda man who agreed to seek the _presidente_. He and the rest of the townofficials finally met us on the road, and, after reading our order, tookus to the town-house. It was with difficulty that we got fodder for ourhorses. It was only after persistent and dire threats, that we securedfood for ourselves, and firewood to make the room, in which we were tosleep, endurable. It was long past eleven before we were through ourtroubles and lay down on mats to sleep. 

Though we had warned the town officials that we should leave at seven, and must have breakfast before we left, when we arose, we found no stepswhatever taken for our accommodation. Yet the town officials had beenup long enough to be thoroughly affected by their early morning drinks. Feeling that patience had ceased to be a virtue, we summoned theauthorities, and told the _presidente_ that he had paid no attentionwhatever to his _jefe's_ order; that we had had far too much difficultyin securing the bad accommodations we had been furnished; that theirpromise to prepare a suitable breakfast had been completely disregarded. We told them that our duty was to send immediate complaint to Tlaxiaco;that we would, however, give them one more chance. We should not stopfor breakfast, but would proceed upon our journey hungry; if, however, we sent him further orders regarding our return journey, we shouldexpect them obeyed to the very letter. With this we mounted. 

In vain the _presidente_ and officials begged us to wait, promising thateverything should be prepared. Time was too precious, and away we rode. 

Soon after leaving Cuquila we struck a fifty-minute mountain, the summitof which we made at nine o'clock exactly. Here we sat in the shade andlunched on bread and pineapples, bought the day before in Tlaxiaco. Fromthe summit, there was a slow and gentle descent around that ridge, andthen a slow incline along an endless ravine, until at last we cameout upon a crest, from which we looked down upon one of the grandestmountain scenes of the world. A valley of impressive size, surrounded bymagnificent mountain masses, lay below us, and just to the right, at ourfeet, was Chicahuastla. Few people in Mexico are so little known as theTriquis. Orozco y Berra, usually a good authority, locates them nearTehuantepec, in the low country. The towns which he calls Triqui areChontal; the five true Triqui towns are in the high Mixteca. The largestis the town which we were now approaching. The Triquis are people ofsmall stature, dark-brown color, black eyes, aquiline, but low andrather broad nose; they are among the most conservative, suspicious andsuperstitious of Mexican indians. Most of them dress in native clothing, and all speak the Triqui and not the Spanish language. As a people theyare sadly degraded, through being exceptionally addicted to drink. 

Don Guillermo Murcio is a character. He and his family are almost theonly _mestizos_ in the place. He is a hale and hearty blacksmith, andhas lived for fifteen years in this purely indian town, where he hasgained almost unbounded influence among the simple natives. His word islaw, and the town-government trembles before his gaze. He is impetuousin manner, quick-tempered, and on the slightest suggestion of disregardof his commands, freely threatens jail or other punishment. He receivedus cordially, and we lived at his house, where we were treated to thebest that was available. 

We have already referred to the beautiful location of Chicahuastla. Itsappearance is most picturesque. Unlike the indian towns in the Mixtecawhich we had so far visited, it has many houses of circular form withconical roof. It is possible that this style of construction is theresult of African influence. At Chicahuastla we were on the very summitof the great water-shed, and from it, when the air is clear, one maylook down, over a sea of lesser summits and mountain ranges, to thewaters of the Pacific. Along the Pacific coast, in the state ofGuerrero, are whole towns of Africans, descendants of slaves, who buildtheir houses after the circular pattern, so common throughout the darkcontinent. We did not find in the Triquis any admixture of Africanblood, but it is possible the mode of house-building may have beeninfluenced by negro example. 

Our first glimpse of the town suggested a veritable paradise. At eleventhe sky was clear, the sun almost tropical, the whole country smiledunder its warm beams; but at two there came a change. Fogs, so dense asto shut out the view of what was across the road, drifted down from thesummit on which we had seen cloud masses forming. Deeper and deeper, wetter and wetter, colder and colder grew the mist. All, wrapped intheir thickest blankets, were shivering, crouched upon the ground, trying in vain to keep themselves warm. At first we thought this mightbe a rare occasion, but were assured that it is an every-day occurrence, and from our own experience of four or five days, we can easily believethe statement to be true. How any people can live in such a spot, suffering keenly twenty hours in the day, simply for the four hours ofclear sunshine and warmth is inexplicable; and the nights were torments!Don Guillermo's house is well built of logs and plaster, but no housecould keep out that bitter cold night air which chilled us, as we lay inbed, until we could hardly move. 

[Illustration: DON GUILLERMO AND HIS FAMILY; CHICAHUASTLA]

[Illustration: GROUP OF TRIQUIS; CHICAHUASTLA]

We have already stated that the people of Chicahuastla are conservativeand superstitious. Our operations of measuring, photographing andbust-making filled the town with alarm and concern. It was hard enoughto get our male subjects; the women were yet more difficult. At firstwe failed to secure any, but after we had several times told the townofficials that twenty-five women must be forthcoming for measurement, and Don Guillermo had stormed and threatened, the town-government beganto plan a mode of carrying out our wishes. Close by Don Guillermo'shouse was the miserable little village _plaza_, where the women of thetown assembled with corn-cakes and other articles for trade. There, theymet the travelling peddlers coming from Tlaxiaco, from Cuquila and thecoast, and drove their bargains, mostly a matter of trade, not purchase, with them. Waiting at the place where we were working, until one or twowomen were to be seen in the _plaza_, the town officials separated, going in two directions. In a few minutes an anxious watcher, from ourpoint of view, might have seen a gradually contracting circle of mensurrounding the _plaza_. Usually at the same time that this circle wasevident to the watcher, it became also evident to the women. With criesof terror, the poor creatures would start off as fast as their legswould carry them, over the mountain trails, with the whole towngovernment, sixteen strong, in pursuit, with yells and screams. It waslike nothing but the chase of deer by hounds. Usually, the women, givenstrength by terror, escaped; but once out of three times, perhaps, theofficials returned in triumph with their prisoner in their midst, whowas at once measured and then, if need be, photographed. In course oftime these hunts supplied the twenty-five victims desired. 

It might not be uninteresting to describe the events of a singleafternoon in a Triqui town. On one occasion, having eaten dinner, we hadscarcely begun our work when we heard a great uproar and din upon theroad toward Santo Domingo. Looking in that direction, we saw a crowd ofmen and boys struggling toward us. As they came nearer, we saw thatsix or eight of the party were carrying some awkward and inconvenientburden. It was a man, sprawling face downward; two or more held hisarms, an equal number his legs; about his waist a belt, knotted behind, was tied, and then through the knot was thrust a strong pole, which wasbeing carried by two men, one on either side. Struggling against thosewho carried him, raising his face and snarling and gnashing at thecrowd, the prisoner presented a fearful spectacle. It seemed that, beingdrunk, he had quarreled with his friend, whom he had nearly murderedwith his _machete_. About the middle of the afternoon we heard a loudcrying in the other direction, toward the church and jail, and, onlooking, saw coming toward us a man, whose head was broken open and fromit was streaming blood, his head and face were covered, and his whiteshirt, to the waist and even below, was soaked with the red fluid. Hewas wringing his hands and crying in a piteous manner. When he came towhere we stood, he told his tale of woe. He was the majordomo in chargeof the church property. He had expected that the priest would make hisvisit to the pueblo on that day, and had so announced it to the people;the pious parishioners looked forward, with interest, to the coming ofthe _padre_. When the day passed, however, and the priest failed toappear, one of the more religious felt so outraged that he hadbroken open the head of the majordomo with a club, on account of hisdisappointment. We told the poor fellow to go home and let his wifeclean him up and change his clothing, promising that, if he died, hisassailant should be punished. That evening there was a little moonlightat Chicuhuastla, the only time during our stay. As we sat eating supper, we heard an outcry in the direction of the church and jail. Asking DonGuillermo what might be the cause, he replied that there was probablysome trouble at the jail. We insisted on going to see what might behappening. Don Guillermo, the plaster-worker, Mariano, Manuel and I, seizing whatever weapons were convenient at hand, started for the jail. We found an excited crowd gathered around the doorway. On a log beforethe door there sat a creature crazy-drunk. I have never seen a case morehorrible. He screamed, yelled, gnashed his teeth, struck and snappedat everyone around. The whole village stood in terror. I addressed thepolicemen, who seemed quite helpless. "Why not thrust him into the jail?Quick! Seize him! In with him!" Encouraged by our words, they seizedhim, the door was quickly opened, and he was cast into the little room, which already contained more than thirty persons, the harvest of asingle afternoon. When the door was locked, we saw for the first timewhy the policemen had been so timid. One of them came limping up to us, crying, and showed his leg. From its fleshy part a good mouthful offlesh had been cleanly bitten by the madman. The wound was bleedingprofusely, and the poor fellow wrung his hands and cried with pain. 

[Illustration: VIEW AT CHICAHUASTLA]

We had finished our measurements and photographs, but there had been nosign as yet of the plaster; concluding that Señor Cordova had forgottenhis promise, we were prepared to leave town early the next morning. After dark two men came from Tlaxiaco, one of whom brought sufficientplaster for making two good busts. This plaster had been brought, ina crude state, twenty miles from the mountains to Tlaxiaco; had beencalcined and ground there, by prisoners in the jail, and then sentfifteen miles to us over the mountains. We were interested in the menwho brought it. One of them was a prisoner from the Tlaxiaco jail. Hehad been sentenced to ten days for drinking, and it was he who carriedthe plaster. The other proudly informed us that he was a policeman, andhad come to make sure that the prisoner returned. Thoroughly delightedat their coming, we broke our custom and gave the men a trifle. Alas, the day! That very night both men, policeman and prisoner, were thrustinto the local jail, helplessly drunk. 

One evening, during our stay at Chicahuastla, Don Guillermo begged meto go into the kitchen to examine a baby, upon whom he was thinkingof performing a surgical operation. The creature was a boy some threemonths old, pure indian. We had heard him crying at night ever sincewe had come, but had not seen him. A tumor, or some growth, was on hisneck, below the chin. Don Guillermo handed me the razor, in order thatI might remove the swelling, but I refused the task. The story of thechild is sad. It is the son of a young indian boy and girl, not married. That would not be a serious matter among the Triquis. For some reason, however, the mother did not like the child, and scarcely was it born, when she went with it into the forest; there in a lonely place shechoked it, as she thought, to death, and buried it in the ground. Thetown authorities, suspecting something of her purpose, had followed herand were watching at the moment. No sooner had she left the spot thanthey dug up the child, found it still alive, and brought it to DonGuillermo, who had kept it at the town's charge. 

The last night of our stay at Chicahuastla, just after supper, a cavalcade came to the door. It was the _jefe_ of the nextdistrict--Juxtlahuaca--with a guard of six mounted men. Apparently apleasant fellow, he was at the moment excited over a recent disturbancein his district. In an attempt which he had made to adjust a certaindifficulty, he and his guard had been fired on and stones thrownfrom the height above them, by the people of the pueblo. One of hiscompanions died from the effect of the attack. The officer plainlyfeared an outbreak or uprising, and was nervous and uneasy, though DonGuillermo assured him that in his house there was absolutely no danger. Finally, we quieted down and all went to bed, we with the intention ofan early start the next morning. 

[Illustration: AT WORK; MEASURING]

[Illustration: AT WORK; BUST MAKING]

After an uneasy night, I awoke about five o'clock. Just as I wasthinking of calling my companions, I felt a faint trembling, whichrapidly increased to a heavy shaking, of the house in which we slept. There was a moment's pause, and then a second shaking, which beganstronger than the other, but which lasted about the same time. It wasthe most serious earthquake shock we ever experienced in Mexico. Had thehouse been made of brick and plaster, considerable damage might havebeen done. Everyone was wide awake in an instant. The whole town was inexcitement. The church-bell was rung and the people flocked out into thestreet. The shock passed at exactly 5:20, and, in other towns, notablyin Oaxaca, it did considerable damage. 

Two days before, we had sent word to the authorities at Cuquila, that weshould breakfast with them on our way back to Tlaxiaco, and ordered themto be ready for our coming. This was the opportunity which had beenpromised them for redeeming themselves and avoiding complaint to their_jefe_. Arriving at the town at 9:40, we were met at the roadside bysome of the officials, who led us at once to the town-house. Here thewhole town government was gathered to greet us; politely each one, stepping forward, removed his hat and kissed my hand; they then invitedus to sit down at the table and breakfast, --whereupon eggs, chicken, _tortillas_ and _frijoles_--the best the town could supply--were setbefore us. The whole government sat by, looking on as we ate. 

Immediately after breakfast, in accordance with our order previouslysent, we were taken to see a potter at work. Cuquila is famous for twolines of manufacture, pottery and woolen garments. The pottery here madeis skillfully shaped into wonderfully large vessels of different forms. The product goes throughout this whole district, and even down to thePacific coast, a hundred miles distant. Along the roads it is a commonthing to meet parties of three or four men carrying great loads ofwater-jars, large bowls, etc. , for sale or trade. While we wereinspecting the potter's work, a slight shock of earthquake, almost toogentle to be noticed, passed through the place. 

At Cuquila, we found that we should not meet Señor Cordova at Tlaxiaco. He had passed through the town the night before, on his way toJuxtlahuaca, with a band of soldiers to assist his neighboring _jefe_ inmaintaining order. 

Leaving our Cuquila reprobates in friendly and gentle mood, we startedfor Tlaxiaco, where we arrived at half-past two. Something after fouro'clock, we heard a violent ringing of the church-bell and saw thepeople flocking out onto the streets; looking up at the church-tower, although we did not feel the shock, we saw that the whole church wasbeing violently shaken, and that the ringing bells, which we had heard, were not moved by human hands. This third shock of the day was morestrongly felt in other districts, than with us. In the City of Mexico, three hundred miles away, it was the most severe of the day. 

The whole town was in commotion; people threw themselves upon theirknees in the streets and prayed to the Virgin for protection. Laterin the day, we saw a priest and a saint's figure passing through thestreets, and as they passed the people paid reverence. Surely the littleprocession, illegal though it was, must have been successful, for therewere no further shocks. We found here a most interesting superstition, which we had not met before, but which we heard several times later, inother districts. We were assured that the earthquake was but one of manysigns that the world was coming to an end. We discovered that thousandsof the people expected the ending of the world in 1900, and when weasked why, were reminded that this was the last year of the century. This is certainly a survival of ancient superstition. The old Mexicansdid not count their years by hundreds or centuries, as we do, but bycycles of 52 years each. It was believed that the world would come to anend at the close of a cycle, and important ceremonies were conductedto avert such a catastrophe. It is clear that the old idea, of thedestruction of the world at the close of a cycle, has been transferredto the new mode of reckoning time. 

[Illustration: VIEW AT CHICAHUASTLA]

From Tlaxiaco to Teposcolula, there was a cart-road, though it waspossible that no _carreta_ ever passed over it. It presented little goodscenery. We passed the pueblos of San Martin Jilmeca, San Felipe, andSan Miguel. Just before reaching the first of these towns, the roadpasses over a coarse rock mass, which weathers into spheroidal shells. At Jilmeca and some other points along the day's route the rock overwhich we passed was a white tufaceous material loaded with streaks ofblack flint. Sometimes this black flint passes into chert and chalcedonyof blue and purple tints. Here and there, along the mountain sides, we caught glimpses of rock exposures, which looked snow-white in thedistance. Between Jilmeca and San Felipe there was a pretty brook, withfine cypresses along the banks, and a suspension bridge of great logs. Having passed through San Felipe and San Miguel, a pleasant road, through a gorge, brought us to the valley in which Teposcolula lies. Thegreat convent church, historically interesting, is striking in size andarchitecture. The priest, an excellent man, is a pure-blooded Mixtecindian, talking the language as his mother tongue. With great pridehe showed us about the building, which was once a grand Dominicanmonastery. The old carved wooden cupboard for gold and silver articles, used in the church service, is fine work. The gold and silver articlesfor which it was built have long since disappeared. In the _patio_ aremany old paintings, most of which are badly damaged, and some of whichhave been repaired with pieces cut from other pictures, not at all likethe missing piece. Among these pictures is a series of scenes from thelife of Santo Domingo. Of the figures in the church, two are fairlygood; one, which is famous, represents Our Lady of the Rosary. In alittle chapel are buried the remains of the old friars; here also is abeautiful old carved confessional. In front of the old church is a greatcourt surrounded by a stone wall, which is surmounted here and therewith little, pointed, square pillars. To the right of the church is amass of masonry, in reddish-brown freestone, consisting of a series ofarches, now more or less in ruins. When the convent was at the heightof its splendor, the crowd of worshippers was too large for the churchitself, and these beautiful arches were erected to receive the overflow. In the church itself, the plaster in the domes of the towers and thecoloring on the walls and domes had chipped and fallen, on account ofthe earthquake, the day before. In the ruins of the upper rooms of theconvent proper, stone and mortar, dislodged from the decaying walls bythe same shocks, lay in little heaps on the floor. 

The _cura_ had ten churches in his charge. He says there are 2, 000people in Teposcolula, few of whom are indians. In his ten churches, he has 12, 000 parishioners. He seemed a devout man, and emphasized theimportance of his preaching to his congregation in their native tongueand his. So convinced is he that the native idiom of the people is theshortest road to their heart and understanding, that he has prepared acatechism and Christian doctrine in the modern Mixtec, which has beenprinted. The town itself is desolate; the _plaza_ is much too large, and dwarfs the buildings which surround it, and signs of desolationand decay mark everything. With the fondness which Mexicans show forhigh-sounding and pious inscriptions, the municipality has painted, upon the side of the town-house, in full sight for a long distance, thewords, "Nations to be great and free must be educated. " From here toNochixtlan there was nothing of special interest. For some four leaguesthe road was through a gorge; from this valley we mounted to the height, just before reaching the town of Tiltepec, from which we caught anextensive view down over the great valley in which Nochixtlan and thistown lie. From Tiltepec we had a rather tiresome, hot, and painful ride, passing San Juan Tillo and Santiago Tillo. By half past one we wereagain in the city of Nochixtlan. 

[Illustration: TRIQUI CHILDREN; CHICAHUASTLA]

[Illustration: MIXTEC POTTER; CUQUILA]

CHAPTER XII

THE MIXES REVISITED

(1899)

After resting at Oaxaca, from our trip into the high Mixteca, we madepreparations for our new journey, leaving at three o'clock in theafternoon for the land of the Zapotecs and Mixes. Our late startcompelled stopping at Tule for the night. In the morning we went on toTlacolula, where we nooned, in order to see the _jefe_ in regard to ourwork. He is a competent man, showed great interest in our plan, and gavevaluable advice, in addition to the orders to his officials. He warnedus that we might meet some difficulty at Milta, where we were planningto make our study of the Zapotecs, on account of the _fiesta_ then inprogress. He told us to notify him at once in case matters did not gowell there. 

The _fiesta_ at Milta should have been a three days' affair. This year, however, it began on Sunday with the result that it filled four days. Reaching there in the afternoon of Monday, we found the whole town ingreat excitement and dissipation. The _plaza_ had been enclosed with afencing of poles, and _toros_ were the amusement of the afternoon. Thecountry sports with bulls are different from the regular bull-fights ofthe cities. Any one takes part who pleases, and while there is little oftrained skill, there is often much of fun, frolic, and daring. The bullis led into the ring from outside by a lasso. It is then lassoed frombehind and dragged up to a post or tree, to which it is firmly tied toprevent its moving. A rope is then tightly cinched about its middle anda man mounts upon the back of the beast, fixing his feet firmly in therope below, between it and the animal, and winding his hands into itabove. The ropes which hold the bull are then withdrawn so as to setit loose. Dozens of men and big boys, with jackets and _serapes_, thentorment the beast, which, plunging and dashing at them, scatters them inevery direction. Sometimes the angry animal attempts to break throughthe fence, causing excitement and consternation among the crowds whohave been hanging to it and looking over. When, as sometimes happens, hedoes break through, there is great scattering before him, and closingin behind him, until he is again captured. The man riding on the bull'sback clings as long as he can, in spite of the plunging and otherfrantic efforts of the animal to unseat him; comparatively few stay longin their uncomfortable position, and when they are thrown, much agilityis required to escape from the furious animal. 

[Illustration: IN TLACOLULA]

[Illustration: TYPICAL ZAPOTEC HOUSE; TLACOLULA]

As we rode into town these sports were in full blast; everyone, save thebull-fighters, was drunk. Now and then a tube of iron filled with powderwas exploded. A band in front of the municipal house was supplyingmusic. A little group of men with _pitos_ and _tambours_ strolled fromplace to place, playing. Much selling was in progress in the booths, thechief articles offered being intoxicating drinks. A cluster of drunkenvocalists, sitting flat upon the ground, but almost unable to holdthemselves upright, were singing horribly to untuned guitars. In frontof the town-house a bench had been dragged out by the authorities forthe benefit of the _cura_, who, seated thereon, was watching the sportswith maudlin gravity. The _presidente_ and other officials were standingby the _padre_, and all were drinking at frequent intervals. Thinkingthe moment opportune, I approached the party and handed them mydocuments; but both _presidente_ and priest were far too drunk torealize my needs. Surveying the drunken town, I felt that it wasnecessary to act promptly and firmly if we were to accomplish anythingbefore the _fiesta_ ended. The only member of the government who was notextremely drunk that afternoon was the _sindico_. Calling him to me, Iaddressed him, scorning both priest and _presidente_. I refused to drinkwith them, saying that they were already too drunk to know their duties, and that both should be ashamed of their condition. At this time the_cura_ asked me if I were a clergyman. On my replying no, he remarkedthat I looked like one. I told him yes, that I was frequently mistakenfor one; that a priest in the Mixteca had even thought that I was abishop. He then drunkenly inquired whether I were married, and on myreplying no, made the astonishing observation that then, it was certainthat I could not be a priest, --that every priest had one wife, bishopstwo, and archbishops three. This drunken priest had just been makingcertain observations to the _presidente_ calculated to interfere with mywork, and I felt that I now had my opportunity. So, turning upon him, Igravely reproved him for his remark. I told him that, in his languageand his drunkenness, he was setting a bad example to his parish; that heshould go at once to the _curato_, and not venture forth during the timethat we remained in the town. Half-sobered by my order, he arose withouta word, went to his house, and did not again appear for four days. Having gotten him out of the way, I turned to the drunken officials andtold them that, early the next morning, I should begin my work, andthat they must make the needful preparations; that I wished to measure, photograph, and make busts of the population. I told them that atpresent they were too drunk to aid me, but that the following morningthings must be different; that enough at least to attend to my ordersmust be sober. After supper, attracted by the noise and hubbub, we setout to see the _plaza_. Torches were flaring in every direction, andconsiderable business was being done at all the booths. Crowds ofdrunken people were squatting on the ground in all directions; at thetown-house the band of music was playing the _jarabe_, and 40 or 50persons were dancing this lively dance. Old and young, men and women, boys and girls, all were taking part; no one paid attention to any otherperson, but each seemed to be trying to prove himself the most agile ofthe party. All were drunk, some astonishingly so. Occasionally adancer would bump against such an one, who would fall head over heels. Immediately picking himself up, he would go at it again, with evengreater vigor; sometimes one fell, of himself, in a helpless heap, and lay where he fell, until kicked out of the way or until the musicstopped. All around was pandemonium; yelling, singing, cursing, fightingwere in progress; the jail was crowded, but every now and then a newcase was dragged up; for an instant the door was opened, and against thecrowd, pushing from within, the new prisoner would be crowded into thecell. At one time in the evening a cry arose that a murder was beingcommitted in the jail. The door was opened, the policemen crowded in, and the two men who had clinched and were battling were torn apart. Onewas dragged outside and thrown into the woman's jail, and for a time theair was blue with the most insulting cries. Convinced that no workcould be done in the afternoons, we labored with the greatest possiblediligence each morning. The first morning, going to the town-house, we ordered subjects to be brought. The _presidente_ was drunk; the_sindico_ also; still, some of the town officials were found ina condition able to do our bidding. Having measured a few of theofficials, we proposed to take such prisoners as still remained in thejail, from the batch of the preceding day. There were eighteen of these, and with them we made a good beginning. Among the prisoners we found ourfirst subject for modelling. Oiling him, we began to make the moulds. The back-piece had been applied; the second piece, covering the lowerpart of the face and upper chest, was hardening, and we were busilyengaged in putting on the final application over the upper part of theface. At this moment the _presidente_ staggered into the jail. Whenhis eyes fell upon our subject, he stopped aghast; for a moment he wasunable to speak; then he groaned out the words, "O horrible spectacle!To think of seeing a son of this town in such a position!" As I wasbeginning to laugh and ridicule him, the old mother of the young mancame bursting into the jail, weeping and trembling, to see what fate hadovertaken her son. Wringing her hands, the tears rolled down her face, and her voice was choked with sobs, as she asked pitifully whether hemust die; she told me that he was her only support, and that, withouthim, she was absolutely alone. Taking the old woman outside, while themask should be completed, I chatted with her, and as soon as the piecesof the mould were removed, delivered her precious son, unharmed, intoher hands. 

Just as we were ready for a new subject, a young fellow, better dressedthan most, passed by. We called him to come in and be measured, but witha somewhat insolent manner, he walked by, paying no attention to ourwords. Sending the policemen for him, they soon returned with thereport, "_No quiere_" (He does not care to come). To allow a firstrefusal was not to be thought of, so we ordered his return. Again thepolicemen came back with no result. Thereupon I declared that no morework should be done until he came; that time would be lost thereby, andthe _jefe's_ order would be disregarded, but that it was not our fault. Upon this the _presidente_ informed us that the order was not explicit;it did not state that people must be measured; he would consult thecivil code to see whether anyone but criminals must be measured. "Verygood, " said I, "do as you like; but unless that young man is brought inwe shall send complaint to the _jefe_; send for a messenger at once tocarry my report. " At this stage, the policemen returned, telling me thatthe young man wanted did not belong to this town; that he could not befound, and probably had gone home. We told them that we did not believethem, but that we would proceed with our work; however, I said, that, if he really were a stranger but appeared again, I should order hisimmediate arrest and jailing. To this they all agreed; and we continuedwork until the town was again too drunk for anything to be done. 

[Illustration: ORGANO CACTUS; TLACOLULA]

[Illustration: WHERE TREE FERNS GROW]

About the middle of the afternoon, when the bull-fighting was at itsheight, the young man wanted appeared in the ring as the chief fighterand attraction of the day. Stepping at once to the policemen I toldthem that he must be brought immediately to the town-house, --thatthe bull-fight must cease while our matters were arranged. With muchgrumbling and complaint they obeyed. The young man dismounted from hisbull and was brought by the policeman before us. Here we asked the_sindico_ the name and residence of the young man; and, as we supposed, he belonged in Mitla. Asking him why he had not come to be measuredwhen he was told to do so, he replied that we had already measured him. Telling him that lying would not save him, I commanded him to appear thefollowing morning for measurement, --that otherwise he would be sent aprisoner to Oaxaca. In the morning he did not appear until officialswere sent to bring him. After he had gone through the ordeal ofmeasurement he swore eternal friendship to me, and at no time afterwardwas I able to pass him, on the street or in the square, without hisbegging me to drink _tepache_ with him. 

Mitla is famous for its weaving; fine _mantas_ of wool are made therein two chief styles--one a long strip of black or blue-black cloth, theother a rich red, sometimes banded or striped with black. These Mitla_mantas_ are widely sold to Zapotecs, in all the district around, andform the characteristic women's dress. The Zapotecs of this districtwear something on their feet that more nearly resembles true shoes thanthe footgear of any other Indians in southern Mexico. The sandal of theman has a projecting heel-flap which is bound around the ankles by meansof thongs, and forms a good protection to the hind part of the foot. Thewomen have not only such a flap, even higher than that used by the men, but also a broad strip of leather over the forward part of the foot, leaving the toes peeping out in front; between the heel flap and the toecovering, the foot is quite as well enclosed, excepting for the toes, asin a white man's shoe. 

It was quite impossible, with the amount of work we had to do, and thedifficulties under which we labored, to give the least attention tothe ruins. We arranged, however, to make a photograph of the townauthorities standing in the great court of one of the fine oldbuildings--a court the walls of which are covered with beautiful mosaicdecorations, betraying taste and skill. The motley crew of half-drunkofficials, miserably dressed, degraded, poor, in this scene of pastmagnificence, called up thoughts of the contrast between the governmentof old Mitla and the present, --of past magnificence and modern squalor. 

[Illustration: THE CONTRAST; PAST AND PRESENT--MITLA]

Having accomplished all we wished at Mitla, we again struck eastwardtoward the land of the Mixes. Late in starting, we made no attempt to gofurther than San Lorenzo that afternoon. The old road was familiar, and from there on, through the following day, everything came backto memory. Even individual trees, projecting rock masses, and littlestreams, were precisely as we remembered them from our journey of threeyears earlier. We reached Ayutla in the evening a little before sunset. Riding directly to the municipal house we summoned the town government. We had not provided ourselves with orders from the _jefe_ of thedistrict, as Villa Alta, the _jefatura_, lay far out of our course. Weplanned to use our general letter from the governor. When the officialsassembled we presented our order and explained it; we told them what weneeded for the night, and arrangements were at once made for supplyingus; we then told the _presidente_ of the work we had before us, andinformed him that, because his town was small, we should ask for onlythirty-five men for measurement, and that these must be ready, early inthe morning, with no trouble to us. 

The _presidente_ demurred; he doubted whether the people would come tobe measured; we told him that they would not come, of course, unless hesent for them. When morning came, although everything had been done forour comfort, there was no sign of subjects. That no time might be lost, we took the _presidente_ and three or four other officials, who werewaiting around the house; then, with firmness, we ordered that he shouldbring other subjects. The officials were gone for upwards of an hour, and when they returned, had some ten or twelve men with them. "Ah, " saidI, "you have brought these, then, for measurement?" "On the contrary, sir, " said the _presidente_, "this is a committee of the principal menof the town who have come to tell you that the people do not wish to bemeasured. " "Ah, " said I, "so you are a committee, are you, come to tellme that you do not wish to be measured?" "Yes. " Waiting a moment, Iturned to the officials and asked, "And which one particularly doesnot wish to be measured of this committee?" Immediately, a mostconservative-looking individual was pointed out. Addressing him, I said, "And so you do not wish to be measured?" "No sir, " said he, "I will notbe measured. " "Very good, " said I. "What is your name?" He told us. I marked it down upon my blank, and wrote out the description of hisperson. Then, seizing my measuring rod, I said to him quite sharply, "Well, well! Take off your hat and sandals. We must lose no time!"And before he really realized what we were doing, I had taken hismeasurements. Having finished with him, I turned again to the_presidente_. "And what other member of the committee particularlyobjects to being measured?" As I spoke, another man was indicated. Turning to him, I said, "Let us lose no time. Take off your hat andsandals while I measure you. " In an instant the thing was done. Theoperation was carried through. Before I had finished with the secondcase, the others began to smile and snicker, and when I was ready formy third subject I simply asked, "Who next?" and they came one afteranother without complaint. Having measured all the members of thecommittee, I soberly addressed them. "Now, if there is any harm in thisthat I have done, you are all as badly off as can be. If I were you, Iwould try to get as many other people in the same position as I could;go out and bring in others. " Before noon the work was done, and we wereready to go on to Juquila. 

We rested, however, the balance of the day, and spent a second night atAyutla. The day had been given to drinking, throughout the town. It willbe remembered that the village proper lies on a terrace, upon a slopeabove the town-house. As we sat before the house, in the afternoonand evening, we heard from time to time yells and cries above. Somepolicemen, who were standing up there to keep order, would then appearupon the edge of the slope, and, waving their hands, would loudly cryfor help; then the policemen from the town-house would run to theirassistance, and in a little time the party would return, dragging oneor more victims to the jail. This operation continued from early in theafternoon until late at night; fully fifteen or twenty persons werebrought down from the village to the jail during that time. 

We had hoped to find the valley of clouds, and the great cloud cataract, on the road to Juquila, but were doomed to disappointment. When we stoodupon the summit, looking down into what before had been the sea of mist, the whole place was clear, and everything, to the very bottom of thevalley, was visible. The further journey seemed more tedious thanbefore, and the latter part of the road seemed truly endless. There wasnot a breath of air; the sun poured its hot rays down mercilessly. Longbefore we reached Juquila I felt, for the first time in Mexico, that Iwas suffering from fever. After seven and a half hours on the road, we reached the town at 1:30 in the afternoon, and went at once to thetown-house, where we were well received, and arrangements were madefor our comfort. When they saw that I was suffering, they brought outhammocks, of which I made no use. Making myself a bed of blankets uponthe floor, I lay down in my misery and covered myself from the world, ablanket over my head. After some hours, I felt that we were losingtime, and that we must, at least, make arrangements for the work of thefollowing day. It was now dusk. I sent for the officials, and when theyappeared, told them that, notwithstanding my suffering, I could notlose time, and that early in the morning they must bring persons formeasurement. There was a good deal of discussion over the matter. Theofficials were dissatisfied that my order was not signed by the _jefe_of their district and dated from San Carlos. They suggested that we senda messenger to San Carlos to inquire whether the order was all right. Ireplied that four days would be consumed in going and coming; that timewas precious, and that it was impossible for us to wait. Seeing thatthey were likely to refuse to do what I wished, I made a little speech, in which I told them they had better do what I asked, and that promptly. No one so far had recognized me as having been there before. I told themthat they had never had better friend that I; that this was not thefirst time I had visited Juquila; that when I came before I had haddifficulty; that my companion, presenting an order from the governor, had been badly received by their _presidente_, who tried to do himviolence; that if I had reported this incident, they knew well whatwould have happened; that, however, being their good friend, I had neverreported it. Having jogged their memory regarding the past, I suggestedto them that a report of the previous occurrence, with their presentdisregard of orders, might be serious. I told them that they knew what Idesired; that they might at once inform me whether it would be done ornot; if they decided in the negative, the _secretario_ and my _mozo_must start at once on foot to Oaxaca, carrying my complaint to thegovernor; that, as for me, having started them upon their journey, Ishould leave early the following morning going to some town where thepeople knew what obedience to the law meant. They at once promised thatno time should be lost, and that, the following morning, I should havethe subjects for whom I asked, viz. , thirty-five men and twenty-fivewomen. Nor was it simply promises; having told them that I would beginearly in the morning whether I were well or ill, and that I wanted nodelay, we found our thirty-five men waiting, at seven o'clock. 

[Illustration: THE LAND OF THE MIXES]

At Juquila the system of public crying from the _plaza_ is fullydeveloped. The town lies in a valley, and most of the houses are onslopes surrounding the little plain or terrace upon which the _plaza_ issituated on which the government house is built. When aid was neededby the town authorities, whether _zacate_ for our horses, food forourselves, objects for inspection, or what not, one of the officers, whose business it seemed to be, stepped out upon the _plaza_, and, raising his voice would cry out what was needed by the authorities. Whoever had the things desired, coming out before their houses, wouldcry back the amount, description and variety of the articles they couldsupply. This we found to be the constant practice. 

Notwithstanding the clearness of the preceding day, our day of workingwas cold, damp, and foggy. The sea of cloud and cataract of mists musthave been in full operation. Where we were, a heavy wind was blowingand, before night, rain falling. We had not thought of the possibilityof heavy storms or damaged roads at this time of the year, but, beforenight came, the people of the village expressed surprise that we shouldtalk of leaving the next morning. They assured us that at Quezaltepecand Ixcuintepec it was surely raining heavily, and that the roads wouldbe wet, slippery and impassable. Long before we went to bed, a gale wasblowing and we felt doubts regarding further progress. In the morningit was still wet and chilly; all told of terrible roads and risks inproceeding; we delayed. Finally, we decided to press on at least toOcotopec. We had tried to send the _mozos_ forward with our baggage, butit was plain they would not move until we did. Finally, somewhat afternine, we started. It was still heavy and chilly; we found the road muchbetter than we feared; at some points it was slippery, but not forlong distances. Until we were on the final descent to Ocotopec we weresheltered from the cold wind. To be sure, here and there, where the roadpassed little funnel openings along the crest, we felt fully the coldwind loaded with mist. 

We noticed, what on the other trip escaped my attention, the profounddifference in vegetation between the two sides of the hill upon thecrest of which we were travelling. The one slope, cold and damp, wasdensely forested with trees, loaded with air-plants and orchids. Theother slope, warmer and drier, was far less heavily grown, and in largepart, with pines. Among the plants noticed by the roadside was a speciesof pinguicula which was very common on damp clay-cuttings. Its leavesform a close, flat rosette upon the ground, from which a slender stalkrises, with a a single crimson flower. When we reached the final descentto the town, we caught the full force of the cold, mist-laden wind, which struck our faces and made us shiver. Yet it was on this veryslope, so frequently cold and wet, that the oaks, covered withair-plants and blooming orchids, were at their finest. Ferns inastonishing variety, from the most delicate, through giant herbaceousforms, to magnificent tree-ferns; lycopods of several species, andselaginellas, in tufts, covered the slopes; and great banks of begonias, in fine bloom, showed themselves. Before we reached the village we wereforced to dismount, on account of the slippery condition of the road, and entered town on foot. 

In our other journey Ocotopec made no impression on us. It is really oneof the most picturesque and interesting of the Mixe towns. It is builtupon a slope, which is cut and built into a series of little terracedgardens; clusters or groups of houses stand on the terraces. The housesare rectangular, built of adobe brick and heavy thatch, with a thickcomb of thatch riding the ridge. Unlike most Mixe churches, the churchat Ocotopec is entire, and in good condition. It is built of stone. Thetown is purely Indian, and the type is the best we had seen. Had therebeen light for photographing, we should have stopped there and done ourwork, instead of passing on to Ixcuintepec. As it was, we spent thenight, and were well treated. Leaving early in the morning, wehurried to Quezaltepec for dinner, the road being better than we hadanticipated. The town is prettily distributed upon a curved crest; thehouses are neat, built of adobe or of poles daubed with mud. Much fruitis grown here, and coffee is an important crop. In almost every yardmats were spread out, on which coffee was drying, or being sorted bypeople squatting on the ground. Considerable cotton is woven at thispoint. 

Leaving at 3:40, the evening ride through the forest was magnificent. The flora was such as we have before described. As we rode through thehigher forests, we constantly heard birds, notable among which were the_claríns_, with their fine clear notes. It was dark before we reachedCamotlan. Nowhere had we been better treated. We were shown at once intoa clean room, and were soon surrounded by bustle and preparation for ourcomfort. There are but 143 inhabitants, of whom six--four men and twowomen--have goitres. We had been previously informed that the whole townwas goitrous. There were three deaf-mutes, but no idiots, in the town. Inquiring for books printed in the Mixe tongue, we were informed thatthe choir-master had one. On expressing my desire to see it, they sentto bring him. We were astonished at his appearance. The messengers whobrought him carried him in their arms, and set him down upon the floor, when we saw that he had been born without legs, and with sadly deformedarms and hands. Yet, when once placed upon the floor, he moved abouteasily, and had a cheery face and sunny temper. He was delighted to showus his book and took the greatest pride in reading from it. It is trulyremarkable that he can do this. The book was written in the dialect ofJuquila of more than 170 years ago. The dialect of Juquila was no doubtthen different from that of Camotlan, and during the 170 years therehave been great changes, even in that town itself. As I watched theman read from his book, I noticed that he pronounced parts of wordsdifferently from the way in which they were spelled; how he had workedout for himself, unaided, the proper meaning and purport of the wordswas a mystery. I had intended to purchase the book, but found him soattached to it that I gave up the plan. Had he been a normal man, Ishould have insisted; but then, if he had been a normal man, he wouldnot have had the book nor known how to read it. 

From Camotlan we rode steadily for five hours to reach Ixcuintepec. There were considerable stretches of slippery road to be passed. The twogorge rides, the bridges of vines, and the houses along the way, werebeautiful as ever, but the magnificent mountain forests were leftentirely behind us. The old church at Ixcuintepec is visible on the highcrest for a considerable distance. As we made the final climb, the boysnoticed in the trees structures one and a half feet or two feet indiameter, and somewhat dome-shaped. I should have taken them for wasps'nests, but the party insisted that they saw parrots come out of them, and that no doubt young parrots were in the nests. Immediately there wasgreat excitement, for Manuel had all along wanted to capture a parrot totake home with him. The party stopped, and stones were thrown to driveout the birds, but with no result. Finally Mariano climbed the tree, creeping out along the branches almost to the nest; just at that momentan unusually well-aimed stone struck the nest, but instead of parrots, out streamed a great cloud of wasps, which flew straight towards the_mozo_, who lost no time in getting down from his precarious position. 

[Illustration: VIEW IN QUEZALTEPEC]

We found Ixcuintepec almost deserted; hardly any of the town officialswere there. Almost everyone was off, working in the coffee _fincas_. We quickly saw that we had made a great mistake in waiting for ourremaining subjects until this town. Not only were men conspicuous bytheir absence, but the women were extremely hostile. They objected toour photographing their houses or themselves. They drove the messengerwhom I had sent to measure a house, for the purpose of making aminiature reproduction, off the premises with clubs. The _mozos_, whohad accompanied us thus far, had no intention of going farther, and theproblem of getting carriers--which had troubled us ever since we hadleft Mitla--assumed serious proportions. It was with great difficultyand much bluster that we secured the food we needed and the _mozos_. When the _mozos_ came, three out of the four whom it was necessaryfor us to employ, were mere boys, the heartiest and best of whom wasscarcely ten years old. In vain we declared that it was impossible forsuch little fellows to carry the burdens that needed transportation. Itwas plain that they were our only resource. Starting the three boysupon a short cut to San Miguel, the oldest _mozo_ and ourselves went byanother road to Coatlan. It was fortunate for us that the school-teacherat this town was interested in our work. We took possession of theschoolhouse, showed our orders to the officials, and, after muchdifficulty, obtained our wishes. The town was almost as deserted as hadbeen Ixcuintepec, but after infinite difficulty, we succeeded in gettingsufficient subjects to complete our work. 

We had thought ourselves unfortunate at Ixcuintepec and Coatlan; theworst lay before us. We found San Miguel deserted. Our three _mozos_ whohad been paid, and ordered to go simply to that village, and there toleave our things, had left before we arrived. The man who had come withus, we had dismissed before we realized conditions. The coffee hadbeen gathered for the season; the chief man of the place was in themountains; there was no town government; neither prayers, threats, norbribes produced food for ourselves and our horses; two or three menaround the place would not be hired as _mozos_. We finally were forcedto leave our busts, plaster, photographic outfit and plates on a benchunder an open shed, and go on alone to Santiago Guevea. It was a bitterdisappointment, because our previous experience at San Miguel had beenso pleasant and interesting. 

When we left Coatlan that morning, it had been through clouds anddrizzling rain. When we passed through San Miguel, conditions were butlittle better. From there, we went through a gorge road, everywherepassing little plantations of coffee, bananas, and tobacco. Finally, webegan our last mountain or forest climb. The wind with the rain becamecolder and more penetrating. At the summit, we found a typical northerraging, and at points our animals and ourselves were almost blown fromthe crest. In good weather the road is long, but through this it wasdreadful. Few towns compare in beauty of location, and appearance froma distance, with Santiago Guevea. It was nearly five when we drew up infront of the crowded town-house. It will be remembered that this town isZapotec, Coatlan being the last Mixe town. The school-teacher interestedhimself in our welfare, securing for us a real sleeping-room with cots, putting our horses into the corridor of the schoolhouse, and arrangingfor our meals. Chocolate and bread were at once furnished, and at eighto'clock a good supper was sent to our room. In the _plaza_ outside, thewind was blowing a hurricane and the cold cut like a knife; but thehouse in which we slept was tight and warm. In the morning, we found thewild weather still continuing. It had been out of the question to send_mozos_ to San Miguel the night before, and it seemed wicked to startthem out in such a storm of wind, fog, rain and cold. Still, our timewas precious, and we ordered men sent to the place where our stuff hadbeen left, to fetch it; meanwhile, we decided to wait until they shouldappear. Our animals had had nothing to eat the previous day, except alittle corn we had brought with us from Coatlan. We therefore ordered_zacate_ brought for them. The night before, I had inquired regardingthe acquaintances we had made at San Miguel in our previous trip. Ilearned that the man had died less than a month before, but that thewidow, the four boys and the little girl, having finished their work atthe coffee _finca_ at San Miguel, were in town. Accordingly we calledat the house. The woman immediately recognized me, and asked after DonErnesto. The boys were sleeping, bedded on piles of coffee, but wererouted from their slumber to greet us. At first, none of them rememberedme, but the little girl did, and soon Castolo also. Their house wascomfortable, and piles of corn, coffee, and bananas were stacked up inthe place. They invited us to stop with them, but we were already wellhoused by the authorities. As we left, the woman went to the corner, and, from a pile of similar objects, took two things neatly wrapped incorn-husks. On opening them, we found that they were eggs, which arefrequently wrapped in this way for storage, in all the indian towns. Although we had ordered food for the horses, at seven o'clock it hadnot appeared. We called at the town-house several times, but still no_zacate_. Our dinner came, and the afternoon passed, but still no fodderfor the horses was produced, and the poor animals had eaten nothing, practically, for two whole days, although subjected to hard work and thepelting storm. We anxiously watched for the coming of the _mozos_ withour equipment. The storm, though still raging, was abating, and we couldsee well down the road. When, at half past three in the afternoon, therewas no sign of either men or fodder, we called the town authorities toaccount. We told them that we would wait no longer in a town where ouranimals could only starve; that they must forward our boxes, plaster andbusts promptly to Tehuantepec; that we should hold them responsible forloss or delay, and that all should be delivered at the office of the_jefe_. Paying no attention to their entreaties that we should wait alittle longer for the fodder, which they promised, as they had so manytimes before, would come soon, we saddled our animals, and at 4:20 leftthe town. Just as we started, little Castolo appeared with two bunchesof _zacate_ sent by his mother, as a present to Don Federico. 

Certainly, there must be a new and better road from Guevea to SantaMaria than the one we traversed in our other journey, and which again, following from memory, we used. It was a fearful trail, neglected andruined, over slippery rock and rough, sharp-splintered stone. Still wepressed on rapidly, making even better time than we had been assured atthe town that we might expect to make. Never were we more happy than inreaching Santa Maria, lovely in the moonlight, with its great church, fine municipal-house, cocoa-nut trees and thatched huts. Here was nosign either of the norther or the rain. The next day's journey was overthe hot dusty road with glimpses now and then of the distant Pacific andTlacotepec for destination. The following morning we pressed on towardTehuantepec, through the dust and heat, reaching the city at noonday. Toour great surprise, we found the _mozos_, with the plaster, the busts, and the boxes of plates, waiting for us since four o'clock in themorning. 

CHAPTER XIII

ABOUT TEHUANTEPEC (1899)

Since our former visit to Tehuantepec, that hot and dusty city hadsuffered terrible misfortune. Through a period of several months it wassubject to frequent shocks of earthquakes; for a time these were ofdaily occurrence, and on one occasion there were seventeen in a singleday. The town still showed the destruction produced by these earthquakeshocks, although for some months past there had been none. Houses, stores, churches, all presented great cracks and bare spots from whichplaster had fallen. Many of the people had left the city permanently;those who remained were completely discouraged and unwilling to spendtrouble and money in the repair of their houses. Tehuantepec is, ofcourse, a city of considerable size; situated on a railroad, it haslost its importance since that thoroughfare was constructed. It was, formerly, the natural point through which all the produce of thesurrounding country passed; the railroad has given similar opportunityto other places, to the loss of Tehuantepec. Between earthquakes, thedamage resulting from the railroad, and the location of the militaryforces at Juchitan, not far distant, the town is declining. It is still, however, the _cabecera_, and the _jefe_ is a man of some force andvigor. Shortly after our arrival, I visited his office, delivered thegovernor's letter, and stated our purpose in visiting his city. Heseemed interested, and at once stated that there would be no difficultyin carrying out my plans; that I would find plenty of women formeasurement in Tehuantepec itself; that the 100 men had better besecured at San Blas, which, although independent in government, adjoinsTehuantepec. I suggested that it would be well to measure the women inthe court-yard of his palace; he, however, replied, "By no means; itwill be much better to go directly to the market, where the women aregathered in great numbers; a _regidor_ will accompany you to arrange thematter with your subjects. "

Although convinced that his plan was bad, we arranged to begin work thefollowing morning; with instruments and _regidor_ we presented ourselvesin the market, picking out a suitable spot and preparing for work. ThenI told the _regidor_ to bring a subject. The market-place was crowded, probably two or three hundred women being there gathered. Approachingthe nearest of them, the _regidor_ politely asked her to step up andbe measured. We were not, however, dealing with Triquis. The women ofTehuantepec are certainly the heads of their houses; the men occupybut an inferior position. Possibly, they are really larger than theirhusbands, but, whether that be true or not, they give that impression tothe spectator. The lady indicated lost no time in assuring the_regidor_ that she had no intention of being measured, and he returnedcrest-fallen to report results. He met with no sympathy. I told him hehad been sent to bring the women, that my business was simply to measurethem; that if he would do his duty, I would do mine. He made two otherefforts, equally futile, and finally returning, said he thought an orderwould be necessary. I told him, if he had not already an order I did notknow what an order was; that the _jefe_ had distinctly told me what hewas to do; that he was not doing it. He then said he had better go tothe palace a moment; would I kindly wait. I waited. He soon reappeared, and started in bravely with a new subject, but was again repulsed. Returning, he said that we had better go up to the palace and interviewthe _jefe_ again. I replied that I had no time to spare; that we hadalready lost two hours at the palace, waiting for the _jefe_ to appear, and that I did not propose to lose more time; that he knew what Iexpected, and must either do it, or I would return to my hotel. Hehelplessly remarked that we had better see the _jefe_, whereuponI picked up my instruments and departed to the hotel. Leaving myinstruments at the hotel, I decided, while matters were adjustingthemselves--for I had no thought of bothering myself further--to callupon the bishop. Sallying from the hotel, I met upon the street the_regidor_ and two other town officials, who were awaiting me. "Sir, "said he, "will you not measure the women?" "No, " said I, "I am going tocall upon the bishop. I have no time to waste. We went once to measurethe women, but you had no power; your _jefe_ plainly is a man withoutauthority. " "No, sir, " cried he, "the _jefe_ has issued a strict orderthat the women must be measured. " "No matter, " I replied, "I have notime to waste. I shall make my call. " With this I entered the bishop'spalace, and had an interesting visit with that prelate. When leavingthe palace, I found the _regidor_ and four town officials, awaitingmy appearance. He at once demanded whether it was not my intention tomeasure the women. He said that he had been to see the _jefe_, and thatthe _jefe_ said my wishes must be obeyed. I asked him where it wasproposed to measure the women, and he replied that it should be whereverI pleased. "Very good, " said I. "We will measure them in the court-yardof the _jefe's_ palace; have subjects brought there at once, and send aman to my hotel for my instruments. "

To the palace we went, and thither shortly four policemen brought awoman from the market. With bad grace, she submitted to be measured, after which the four policemen went again to the market, and soonafter reappeared with a second subject. So the work went on, with fourpolicemen to each woman, until our full number was finally secured andthe work completed. 

Three years ago, on my return from Guatemala, I met in this city anEnglish doctor named Castle, who has lived here for many years--a manof scientific tastes and interests, who has employed his leisure instudying the botany, zoology, and indians of the district. He iswell-informed, and one of the few persons acquainted with the Juaves. Icounted on his help in approaching that curious and little-known tribe. The doctor's house is full of pets; eight different kinds of parrots, a red and yellow macaw, a brilliant-billed, dark-plumaged toucan, anangora goat, a raccoon, dogs and cats, are a part of the happy familythat prowls at large in his house. A little creature, an indian, no morethan eight years old, has adopted the doctor for her father. Shehad come to him as a patient for a trouble by no means uncommonhere--night-blindness; in caring for her, he gained the littlecreature's heart, and she will hardly hear of leaving him to returnhome. The doctor accompanied us on our first visit to San Blas, and toldus many things, not only of the Juaves, but of the Zapotecs and otherindians of the region. 

From the hotel, in the heart of Tehuantepec, to the town-house of SanBlas, is a walk of only twenty minutes. Here for three days we didour work, returning to our hotel for meals and lodging. The work wenteasily, the men presenting little or no objection to our operations;measurements, busts, portraits--all were taken. On the whole, theTehuantepecanos do not present a simple, pure indian type. The womenseemed to be purer than the men. The _secretario_ at San Blas has beento school. He is one of the few indians of the district who has taken aninterest in the study of his native tongue. He has already published agrammar of the Zapotec, as spoken in his village. He has also printed alittle tract for lovers, in which high-sounding phrases are translatedfrom the Spanish into Zapotec. He has also prepared, and holds inmanuscript, a dictionary of the dialect containing some 4, 000 words. 

The visit to the Juaves we considered one of the most important andinteresting of our journey. These people are conservative, and amongthe least known of the native populations of Mexico. There are but fourtowns, with a total population of probably less than three thousandpersons. These towns are situated at a few leagues' distance fromTehuantepec, near the Pacific, upon narrow tongues of land, washed bysalt lagoons. The nearest, largest, and according to Dr. Castle, themost conservative of the four towns, is San Mateo del Mar. We had hopedthat Dr. Castle might accompany us on our journey. This, however, wasimpossible, but he suggested that he would go with us part of the way. To avoid the great heat, we travelled by night, as there was moonlight. Hiring a _carretero_ at San Blas, we loaded our materials andinstruments into the cart, and started it upon its way. At about fouro'clock in the afternoon, we rode from Tehuantepec, taking a roundaboutroad in order to see the hill which gives name to the town. It wasSunday, and many women and girls had been visiting the cemetery, carrying bowls filled with flowers to put upon the graves of friends. Wesaw numbers of young fellows sitting by the roadside, and learned thatthey were the lovers of the young women, awaiting their return from thecemetery. 

The name Tehuantepec means the mountain of man-eaters. These man-eaterswere not men, but tigers, or ocelots. The story runs that long ago thismountain was infested with wild beasts who destroyed the people of theneighboring villages. Fearing extermination, the people of the towndecided to consult the Juaves, who were famous for their _naguales_, orwitches. The oldest and most skilled _naguál_ of the tribe was employed. Having performed his incantations, he told them they might expectimmediate deliverance; that he had conjured a deliverer from the sea. Soon there came forth from the water a gigantic turtle, who made his wayslowly inland, until he reached the bottom of the hill, which was thehome of the tigers. The dangerous animals were just descending fromthe mountain in a double line, but the moment they caught sight of themammoth sea-monster, their bodies froze with terror and they were turnedto stone. Terrified at the power of the creature he had conjured, theold _naguál_ quickly made use of his most powerful incantation, with theresult that the turtle also was transformed into stone. The proof of thetruth of the story we saw in the lines of stone tigers on the mountainside and the stone turtle at the foot of the hill, as we rode by. 

The doctor suggested that it would be well to take a guide with us fromSan Blas as far as Huilotepec, as there were many side-roads beforewe reached that town, and that, from there, we would need no help. Wefollowed his suggestion. The road was almost level. It passed through adistrict covered with a dense growth of brush and thorny trees, exceptwhere the land had been plowed for planting corn. In the early eveningwe saw many birds. Flocks of parrots rose from the trees as we passedby; at one point Manuel shot a little eagle, which fell wounded to theground. Our guide concluded to carry it on alive. All went well for sometime, but at last, with no warning, the bird made a vicious dash, andwith its claws tore through the trousers of the guide, making a greatgash in his leg. The man promptly decided it was better, on the whole, to carry it further dead than living. 

The doctor turned back at sunset. We reached Huilotepec something beforeeight, and found it a large pueblo with houses built of bamboo or cane. Here we had a good supper, and dismissing our guide started out, bybrilliant moonlight, for the last part of our journey. Shortly beyondthe town, the road turned, for a moment, into the river, and afterpassing for a few rods in the river-bed, struck up again onto the bank. At this place we made a fatal blunder. When the road went down into theriver, supposing that we were about to ford, we kept straight across thestream. Finding a road upon the other side we had no suspicion but whatwe were going well and travelled onward. For a long time we found trailsof varying degree of badness. Sometimes the branches formed a completetangle which, even in the daytime, would have required careful watching. As it was, the faces of the party were well scratched with thorns. Sometimes, we seemed to be on a good road; at others, we had hardlyfound a trail. At one place we passed a ranch--Corral de San Diego. Ahost of barking dogs announced our coming, and we cried out to the oldman living there to tell us the road. His directions were not clear, butin attempting to follow them, we retraced our trail, and then struckinto another road. Keeping to it until we really could not followit further for the tangle, we retraced our steps until we came to acart-road crossing that on which we were. We started first to the rightupon this; then, concluding we were wrong, turned about and went theother way. We soon found ourselves off the road again, and travellingblindly through the brush. Coming to a round patch of clear sand, towhich the trail on which we were seemed to have led us, we could find noway out. Convinced that we were hopelessly lost, we camped out upon thesand for the night. Fortunately we had a little corn with us which wegave to the horses, after which we tied them to the trees. As we layupon the sand in the bright moonlight, we could hear the dashing of thesea waves not far away. The heat was intolerable and the mosquitoesvenomous. We secured no rest, and, at the first signs of day, were readyfor our start. The two boys went out to hunt a rabbit, but returnedwith most discouraging reports. While they were absent, Don Anselmo andmyself were left in camp. Suddenly he cried out that our horseswere running away; such was really the case. The last one was justdisappearing in the brush and Anselmo started after them, leaving meto keep the camp. When the other two returned, they, too, started inpursuit. After a hard chase, the animals were captured and brought back. By seven we had mounted and were on our way. We retraced our trail ofthe night before, going back to the cart-road. A little before eight wecame upon a ranch, the Ranchito del Boca del Rio. Here we asked our way, and found that we were still as far from San Mateo, as when we leftHuilotepec the night before. Eating a light breakfast, we secured aguide who took us, by the shortest way across the river, back to themain trail for San Mateo, where he left us. The road was long and hotand sandy. Our horses could hardly keep up a decent walk. It seemed thatwe would never reach the town. More than an hour before we arrived atthe town, we encountered little ranches belonging to it. Everywhere wesaw flocks of sheep, cows and horses. Curiously, the Juaves have alwayshad herds, since our first records of them, but they eat no meat. Thecountry was more tropical than any through which we had passed. Clumpsof palm trees were to be seen here and there. Pools of standing water, where horses and cattle stood cooling themselves, were frequent. Thepeople whom we met wore little clothing. Men frequently had nothing butthe breech-clout and hat. Women wore a skirt, but no upper garment. Children up to ten and twelve years of age ran naked. Reaching San Mateoat twelve o'clock, we found the village excited at our non-appearance. Our _carretero_ had arrived long before with our luggage. He had toldthe _presidente_ of our intended coming, and men from the town had beensent through the by-roads to seek for us. The town lies on a levelstretch of sand, and the houses are built of canes and thatched withpalm. Most of the trees in the village are palms; some, cocoa palms. The_plaza_ is a large open space. On one side of it is the church, of stoneand brick; on another side is the town-building made of brick, coveredwith plaster, and consisting of three portions, --the _presidencia, curato_, and jail. A brick-paved corridor, roofed above, runs beforethe whole building. We were given the jail and _presidencia_ with thecorridor. Here hammocks and a bed of palm stalks were prepared for us, and orders issued that eggs and _tortillas_ should be brought us. TheJuaves raise no crops. They are fishermen, and their food and livingcome from the sea. Their dried fish and shrimps, and the salt, whichthey make from the brine-soaked bottoms of dried lagoons, go far andwide through the country, and for these they get in trade the corn, coffee, chocolate, and raw cotton which they need. We have alreadyspoken of their cattle, which is a source of income, though, as statedbefore, the Juaves rarely eat meat food. 

[Illustration: JUAVE INDIANS; SAN MATEO DEL MAR]

[Illustration: JUAVE FISHERMAN: SAN MATEO DEL MAR]

The Juaves present a well-defined physical type. They are of mediumstature or tall. Their noses are the largest and most prominent inindian Mexico, and are boldly aquiline. The men are rarely idle; evenas they walk, they carry with them their netting, or spindle with whichthey spin cord for making nets. It seems to be law, and is certainlycustom, that persons coming to the _plaza_ are expected to be more fullydressed than when travelling on the road or when in their homes. Usuallywhite cotton drawers and shirt are worn in the _plaza_; outside, practically nothing but the breech-clout. 

There is an interesting commerce carried on in Juave towns by Zapotectraders from Juchitan. As might be expected, this is entirely in thehands of women. Some women make two journeys weekly between the twotowns. They come in ox-carts, with loads of corn, fodder, coffee, chocolate, cotton and the like. These they trade or sell. When theyreturn to Juchitan, they carry with them a lot of salted and driedfish, shrimps, salt and eggs. Upon these expeditions the whole familyaccompanies the woman; the traveling is done almost entirely by night. These Zapotec women are shrewd at bargaining. They must be doing apaying business. It was interesting to see the primitive devices forweighing. The scales consisted of two tin pans of equal size and weighthung from a balance beam. The only weight was a stone weighing a pound. In case a Juave woman wished to buy a quarter-of-a-pound of cotton, theprocedure was as follows: The weight was put into one pan of the scalesand a pound of cotton weighed out into the other; the weight was thenremoved and the cotton divided, so as to balance in the two pans; one ofthe pans was then emptied, and the remaining cotton again divided, withthe result that a quarter-of-a-pound of cotton had been weighed. 

One curious feature, which we had not seen elsewhere, but which Dr. Castle had warned us we should find, was the nightly guard set upon us. As we lay upon our beds at night, looking out upon the white sand infront of us, we could see, by the moonlight, at some little distance, a circle of eight or ten men who spent the night sleeping within call. Another striking feature was the music which we heard in the lateevening and early morning. In the early morning, five o'clock orearlier, and at sunset, there was service in the church. Later on, ateight, there was again singing in the churchyard, lasting until quitea late hour. One evening, on investigating, we found eight or ten menkneeling on the sand before the church door, singing in the moonlight. They were practicing for the procession and special service of thesecond Friday of Lent. 

The water-life of the Juaves is at once picturesque and curiously tame. The men spend much of their time on or in the water. They make greatdugout canoes from large tree trunks. There are usually no paddles, butpoles are used to propel the craft sluggishly over the waters of thelagoon. Few of the men can swim. The fish are chiefly caught with nets, and both seines and throw nets are used. The lagoons are said to aboundin alligators, and the men, when fishing, generally carry with themspears with long iron points which are said to be used for protectionagainst attacks of these reptiles. Great respect is shown the alligator, and curious superstitions prevail regarding it. 

Between San Mateo and the nearest of the great lagoons, the countryceases to be level and is covered with sand dunes. On these dunes thereare great numbers of hares of a species peculiar to the locality. Theymake excellent eating, and Manuel kept our larder supplied with freshmeat, which was welcome, and which we could not otherwise have had amongthese non-meat-eating folk. An old Zapotec woman, seventy years of age, with snowy hair and gentle face, was deputed by the town authorities todo our cooking. Her relatives live in Juchitan, and why she had chosento live among these people I do not know. She took a motherly interestin all our party. Nothing was too good for us. She spent her whole timein hunting supplies and cooking and serving food. Not only did sheinsist on all our purchases being supplied at cheapest rates, but herown charge for help and service was ridiculously small. From earlymorning until late at night the poor old soul was busy in our behalf. Onour leaving, she took my hands between her own, and kissing them, beggedthat we would send her a picture as a remembrance. 

The road to Tehuantepec at night was one of no adventure. We wereimpressed with the great number of families travelling in ox-carts overthese roads in the cool night air. It was a custom and habit of which wehad before no realization. It lacked but ten minutes of one o'clock whenfinally we rode up to the hotel in Tehuantepec. From the hostler welearned that every room was full, --five persons in some cases sleepingin a single room. So we were compelled to lie down upon the porchoutside until the morning. 

CHAPTER XIV

ON THE MAIN HIGH-ROAD

(1899)

After a day or two of rest, we started from Tehuantepec upon our returnto Oaxaca. For the first time, we were to follow the usually travelledhigh-road. Our hearts failed us, as we thought of thus neglecting thelovely land of the Mixes, but it was on our program to see the Chontals. Starting at seven, we lost a little time in having a photograph of ourparty taken as we left the city, so that it was really 8:15 before wewere on our way. Our plaster had been sent by _carreta_ to Xalapa. Wehad a hot, hot, hot ride over a heavy, difficult sand road. At leasthalf a dozen times we forded the Tehuantepec river, and everywhere atplaces which would have justified the name, Xalapa, "the sandy water. "Finally, arriving at Xalapa at four o'clock, we found it a largetown, of the usual hot, dusty Zapotec kind. The authorities bestirredthemselves vigorously to locate us in comfortable quarters, with an oldlady of regal appearance and dignity. From the start, we feared thatthis royal appearance and dignity would be paid for, but the opportunityfor comfort was not to be neglected. One of the houses of her royaldomain was vacated for our use, and two good cots and a hammock were putat our disposal. The supper was abundant, and capital in quality, andthere was plenty of food for the horses. Strolling down to the riverafter supper we found it broad but very shallow; it did not reach ourknees at any point, when we waded across it; the bottom was, as weimagined it would be from the name, moving sand. After a bath in themuch too shallow stream for swimming, we returned refreshed to ourcomfortable beds. As anticipated, we found the bill, when presented inthe morning, truly regal; after some demur, our queenly hostess reducedit slightly, but, even so, we were reminded of the summer-resorts of ourown country. 

Tequixistlan, perhaps the largest of the Chontal towns, we found withoutan official head. While we were in Tehuantepec the _jefe_ receivednotice of his father's death. This notice had been duly sent to allthe villages and towns within the district, and, on a certain day, the_presidente_ and other chief officers of the different pueblos gatheredat Tehuantepec to express their sympathy by speeches and to presentflowers to the official. It was for this errand that the _presidente_ ofTequixistlan had gone to the _cabecera_. Had he been at home, perhapswe would have had no difficulty, but as it was we found the governmentdisjointed and nerveless. Constant nagging and harrying were necessaryin carrying out our wishes. The town itself was not bad. It stands upona sort of terrace, at a little height above the neighboring river. Thetown-house is a long building, occupying the whole upper end of thelarge rectangular _plaza_; at the lower end is the fine church and_curato_. Along the sides were _tiendas_, school, etc. , well builtadobes and plastered over with tinted plaster. Behind the church beyondthe river rises a handsome background of mountains. The long corridor infront of the municipal-house was fine and broad, with a high roof andbrick pavement. Oleanders bloomed before this corridor. The view fromit was fine, and the air cool there even in the middle of the day. Weaccordingly took possession of it, working and sleeping there. So faras personal comfort was concerned, we were well cared for. We had goodmeals, comfortable cots, plenty of food for the horses, but, as we havesaid, the work lagged, and it was only with the greatest difficulty thatwe could accomplish it. 

There is little distinctive about the Chontals, as we saw them. Thewomen dress much like the Zapotec women in the neighboring towns. Themen present nothing notable in dress. Outside the _plaza_, the houseswere built of light materials, and resembled the ordinary cane-walled, thatched huts of the Zapotecs. The people appeared to be badly mixed, and this not only with white, but also with negro blood. Nevertheless, as we worked upon subject after subject, a fairly defined type seemedto grow upon us. We could see that the Chontals are tall, with ratherwell-shaped faces, though somewhat high cheek-bones, with lightcomplexions, and with wavy or curly hair. When the work was finished, we had great difficulty in securing carriers to bear our burdens to SanBartolo. Enormous prices were demanded, and at last, angry over theattempted extortion, we threatened to leave all our stuff behind us, andhold the town responsible, reporting them to the authorities when weshould reach Oaxaca, demanding that damages should be collected. Thesethreats had the desired effect. The _secretario_, who had been the onlymember of the town government displaying energy in our behalf, promisedby all that was sacred that our goods should be delivered promptly atSan Bartolo; that if they were not already there on our arrival, we might safely arrange for further transportation from that town, convinced that the goods would come before we left. 

That we might not be too much delayed by this palaver regardingcarriers, I had started the balance of the party ahead, and rode onalone after them. They had left at 10:15, and we all had a hot, dry, dusty, thirsty mountain ride until five o'clock in the afternoon, whenwe reached the ranch, Las Vacas. It consisted of a dozen houses. Werode to the last one in the place, which consisted of brush and leafybranches, and had an enclosed _corral_ adjoining it, where we askedfor lodging. The owner was a young Zapotec, who, with his wife, wasstrikingly neat and clean. A little girl of seven was the only othermember of the family. The house had but a single room, but there was a_coro_, or cane platform, and loft. Having fed our horses and eaten ourown supper, I mounted to the loft, despite the advice of all the membersof the party, who predicted smoke, heat, mosquitoes, fleas and othertrials. They stayed below. There is no question that they fared worsefrom all the sources mentioned than myself. The woman worked untilmidnight, making _tortillas_ and cooking chicken for us to carry asluncheon on the road. We had started by four in the morning, andpushed along over a mountain road. The first portion of the road waswell-watered, but afterward it became hot, dry, and stony. Having gainedthe pass looking down upon the valley, we could see, at its furtherside, lying on a terrace, the pueblo of San Bartolo, stretching out ina long line near the front of a mighty mountain, upon which plainly ourway would pass. It was almost noon when we reached the municipal-house, and found that our carriers had already arrived, and left the luggage. Here things were really quite as bad as at Tequixistlan, but herefortunately we had no work to do. The town was Zapotec. One mightsuppose, from its being upon the main high-road, that they would beaccustomed to see strangers. We have hardly found a population at onceso stupid and timid. It was with great difficulty that we found foodto eat. Here we had to pay for beds (made of sticks tied together), belonging to the municipality, a thing which we had never done at anyother town in Mexico. 

[Illustration: VIEW FROM OUR CORRIDOR; SAN BARTOLO]

The people wear curious and characteristic garments. 

All the stuff used for clothing is woven in the town, and not only thewomen's _camisas_, but the men's _camisas_ and trousers, are decoratedwith elaborate designs--birds, animals, and geometrical figures--workedin various colors. Even in purchasing examples of these clothes, we werecompelled to make a vigorous display of our civil and religious orders. After some bickering, we arranged for carriers to San Carlos, which isthe _cabecera_ of the district. Starting by moonlight, at two o'clock inthe morning, we struck out over the enormous mountain mass to which wehave already referred. Roads in the Zapotec country do not go directlyup the hillside, as in the land of the Mixes, but zigzag by gentlediagonals up the slopes. The road was largely composed of jagged rock;two hours and fifteen minutes were necessary for the ascent; the descentwas bad enough, but a distinct improvement. At one place, however, we wandered from the main-travelled road, and found ourselves in anabandoned portion of the road, full of great holes which were filledwith drifted fallen leaves, so that their presence was not betrayeduntil our horses fell into them. The latter part of this descent wasslippery, being over hard stone, which was worn almost to a glassysmoothness by the passage of many hoofs. A little before reachingManteca, as we looked down from the height, we saw an immense train ofpack-mules coming. In the good old days, before there were railroads, such trains as this were frequent. From Manteca the road penetrated intocontracting valleys, until finally it might, with propriety, be called acañon road. At half past eight we reached San Carlos, a mean town withno _meson_ or other regular stopping-place. We left the horses underthe shady trees with the old farrier. While we rested and waited forbreakfast, I called upon the _jefe politico_, who had received severalcommunications from me, and had become interested in my work. Ourluggage was all at his office, and he promptly made arrangements for itsfurther transportation. At breakfast, we received the cheerful newsthat Mr. Lang's horse had the lockjaw and showed signs of dying. Oninspection, this proved to be quite true; the poor animal was in greatpain, and could eat nothing, though making every effort to do so. Ourfirst thought was a shot in the head to put it out of misery, but theold farrier wished to try a _remedio_. He did his best, and it looked asif the animal might recover; it was plain, however, that he could not beused again that afternoon. Accordingly, an extra horse was rented forMr. Lang's use. The remainder of the party was started on the road at1:50, while I waited to give the _remedio_ a chance to operate and thebeast an opportunity to rest. At three I started, leading the sickhorse. We had a fine ride in the cool of the evening, over a mountainroad past the little ranch El Quemado, beyond which we found an immenseascent. When we reached the summit, it was fast darkening, and Ipressed on as rapidly as the led horse would permit. Finally, I reachedEscondido at seven. Several large parties of packers, with their trainsof mules, had already settled for the night; camp-fires were burning. Here and there drinking had been going on, and there was noise of loudlaughter, singing and dancing. Our party was already eating supper whenI arrived, and my own meal had been ordered. Shelter was suppliedus adjoining the house, where we spread our blankets and spent acomfortable night. We were late in starting, and were not upon the roaduntil seven in the morning. We found the high-road most uninteresting. For long distances we descended, passing a ranch and emerging finallyinto a deep, hot gorge. By the time we reached Pichones we were tired, hot and thirsty. There, however, we could get no water, for man orbeast, for love or money; suffering with thirst, the road seemed long tothe river near Totolapa, where we refreshed ourselves with water, but aheavier road than ever had to be traversed. Much of the way we followedthe stream-bed, fording repeatedly; the remainder was through deep sandand over rolling pebbles. Passing Juanico, on a high bank overlookingthe river, at noonday, we were delighted to strike upon a rock road, high on the river bank. Keeping to this trail, passing from plantationsof bananas lying at the river level below us and catching many prettyviews of valley and of mountain, we at last reached Totolapa, completelyworn out with the journey and the heat. Here we rested until the heat ofthe day should be past. 

[Illustration: OUR PARTY LEAVING TEHUANTEPEC]

[Illustration: ZAPOTEC WOMEN AND GIRLS, TLACOLULA]

We had expected at this town to secure a muleteer, as the one we hiredfrom San Carlos had agreed to come only to this town. Here, too, we hadexpected to rent a new horse for Mr. Lang. Our muleteer, however, wasmuch taken with the party, and declared that he should hire himself tocontinue with us to Tlacolula. We quickly arranged with him, and at fouro'clock prepared to leave. The sick horse was then at its worst; it hadlain down, and for a time we believed it was really dead; it was out ofthe question for it to go further; so, calling one of the villagers, Itold him that he might have the horse, and if there was any possibilityof curing, it, he should do what might be necessary. 

From four to seven it was a tiresome climb, largely through stream-bedsto Carvajal. It is a large _rancho_, but we stopped at the first housewe came to, a miserable place, where, however, we got coffee, bread, beans and eggs, and some mats for beds, which we laid out upon theground, under the open sky. Taking early coffee and _tortillas_, we wereagain mounted at four and on our way. It was the last ascent. The moonwas shining brightly, and we could see that the road followed the edgeof a fine gorge. When we once reached the summit, there was no furtherdescent to make. We were on the high, flat, table-land of Oaxaca, andfrom here to the capital city of the state, the road is level, andpasses through a rich agricultural district. Passing San Dionisio atseven, we pressed on as rapidly as possible to Tlacolula, where wearrived before noon, ready for the good meals and comfortable quarterswhich we well knew awaited us there. 

Tlacolula is a large town, in the midst of a dusty valley. Its housesare large, rectangular constructions, well built of poles, with finethatched roofs. They stand in yards, which are enclosed by fences oforgan-pipe cactus. The people dress well, and at almost every house theyown an ox-cart and a yoke of animals. While photographing there thatafternoon, we suggested that we wanted a group of girls and women innative dress. "Very well; I will take you to the house, where you canget one. " Arrived there, the policeman at once led out five women andfour children, whom he placed in line. After the picture was taken, weexpressed our satisfaction and surprise that so good a group had been soreadily secured at a single house. "Oh, sir, " he replied, "we struck alucky time; there is a funeral going on there. "

[Illustration: IN THE HOT VALLEY; CUICATLAN]

CHAPTER XV

CUICATLAN

(1899)

Between Tehuacan and Oaxaca the railroad passes through a low, deepvalley which is ever hot. Few people on the train pass through thisvalley without feeling its depressing influence. It would seem thattravelers would hardly stop at stations within its limits, unlessimpelled by actual necessity. The most important of the towns in thisvalley is Cuicatlan. Little of it is to be seen from the railroad, butin reality it is a notably picturesque village. 

It is the _cabecera_ of a district in which dwell three most interestingtribes--the Cuicatecs, Chinantecs, and Mazatecs. We had time to visitonly the nearest of the Cuicatec towns. Cuicatlan itself is situatednear one side of a valley, through which runs a considerable stream. Thedistant bank rises in two magnificent mountain masses. The nearer bank, at the very base of which the town nestles on a series of little hills, rises into almost sheer precipices of purple conglomerate. These cliffsare hundreds of feet high, and are, apparently, due to a giganticlandslide. The mass which fell must have measured fully two miles inlength, and still lies, broken and heaped up, at the base of the cliffs. The face of the cliffs, and the fallen masses of rock at its base, arecut into narrow gullies and gaps by water. The town consists of severalclusters of houses, scaled along the slopes of little hillocks andsettled into the spaces between them. Gigantic cactuses surround thetown, and cocoa palms rise to great heights within it. 

It is customary for travelers to emphasize the slowness of the Mexicans. Either we have been exceptionally fortunate, or the reputation islargely undeserved. We have been rarely delayed by sluggish action. Here, however, we found a _jefe_ who would surely satisfy the mostcomplaining. He was mild in manner, gentle in speech, fond of brilliantplans and schemes, all of which, however, were to be put in operationto-morrow and not to-day. It was with difficulty that we impressed uponhim our necessity. We told him that we wanted animals to carry us toPapalo. In reply, he told us that Papalo was but a poor town, and heoutlined a journey the traveling alone in which would occupy someeight or ten days. When we assured him that we had no time for such anenterprise, he said that it would be much better for the towns to cometo us in Cuicatlan. He proposed sending to-morrow to those towns, andassured us that, at the end of a week's time, we would have all thesubjects we needed. So, when we suggested that this, too, was loss oftime, he had other brilliant plans, all quite as useless. With theutmost difficulty we finally succeeded in getting him to arrange foranimals to go to Papalo. From the very start, the road was up-hill. Passing first through a section covered with a magnificent growth oftree cactuses of two species, in fine fruit and flower, we found thevegetation varied as we mounted, and at last came up among the pines. There was a great variety of landscape and geological formation. Purple-red conglomerate, with horizontal layers weathered into massiveforms; granitic schistose rocks, over which we later passed, gave theirpeculiar scenic outlines. We climbed steadily for fully four hours, and then looked down, along a gently sloping hill trail, to our town, perched upon a slightly lower hill. Just at the edge of the town, wepassed a gang of men and boys at work, making a level platform for thenew _plaza_ and town-house. We congratulated ourselves that we shouldhave no difficulty, here, in finding subjects. The town claimed threethousand population. Many of them were certainly away upon their fieldsand ranches, scattered through the mountains, and working _fincas_ forwealthy landowners. The town itself is picturesque in the extreme. Notable among its features is the ruined church, the roof of which hasfallen in; the walls still stand, bare and broken, but the decorations, some richly carved and gilded, are still unmoved within thedemolished edifice. The damage was recent, and represented a doublecatastrophe--lightning and earthquake. 

[Illustration: CACTUS; CUICATLAN]

We could not begin work until the _mozo_ came with the instruments. Finally, at four o'clock in the afternoon, we began measuring with nogreat difficulty. Before night, fifteen subjects had passed through ourhands and one bust had been made. Even when we arrived, at midday, itwas too cold for us to stay with comfort in the town-house, though itwas hot enough outside in the sunshine. When night came, it was bittercold, and we went to bed early in hope of keeping warm, a hope withoutfoundation. Early the next morning, we were ready for our work. Everyone had disappeared, except those whom we had measured the night before. We requested the town authorities to bring in subjects. A few stragglerswere dragged in and measured, and some pictures taken. Notwithstandingthe poor way in which they had done their work, the policemen struck, declaring that they would not bring others until they had been paid. Itwas plain the town needed a lesson. We promptly paid the demand madeupon us, and, then, calling the _presidente_ and the _secretario_, we told them that we must have a receipt for the payment to show the_jefe_. We said that such a thing was unheard of; that, for townofficials to demand pay, before they would agree to obey the orderof their chief, was mutiny. At first they flatly refused to give thereceipt, but after a little consultation were anxious to return themoney, and threats were freely made to throw the whole police-force intojail. We said that this was not our desire; we were surprised at thedemand, but, having met it, we insisted upon having our receipt. Ameeting of the town authorities being held to consider the matter, ourrequest was again refused, but attention was called to the fact thatsome subjects were waiting outside to be measured and photographed. Ithereupon refused to measure or photograph any person until my demandhad been met. I showed them, clearly, the position in which they hadplaced themselves; I stated that when they had done a wrong, and astranger demanded an official statement of the case, their duty wassimple and clear. By this time my own party was in arms; photographer, plaster-worker, Manuel, all were scared. They insisted that our throatswould be cut that night. They called attention to the ugly manner andblack looks of the town authorities. They declared that we had betterflee, while yet there was opportunity; they insisted that they had notleft comfortable homes to be murdered in cold blood; they begged that Iwould, at least, retreat from the position taken, and consent to measurethe subjects who were waiting. I assured them that it was far moreimportant to teach the town a lesson regarding their duty to theirhigher officials, than to measure a few indians. Finally, after hoursof uncertainty, black looks, mutterings, and refusals, the towncapitulated, and the receipt was in my possession. Having gained mypoint, I called the attention of the town officials to the bearings ofthe case. I emphasized their duty to the _jefe_. They knew, quite well, that it was out of place to demand money for obeying his order; I statedthat I appreciated whatever work the policemen might have done, andthat, in due season, I might have recognized it by a gift, but thatdemands were quite another thing. I showed them how important it was, that, when trouble rose between them and a stranger, they should furnishany statement of the case he might, in justice, ask. Having stated thematter fully, I consented to receive back the money, and tore up thereceipt much to their relief. 

[Illustration:]

Still the work went slowly. No one was left in town but the officialsand some women. The latter locked and barred their doors, at theapproach of any of the town authorities, and neither threats to burntheir houses above their heads nor bribes would bring them forth. It wasonly after three days of hard work that eighty men and twenty-five womenwere secured. By that time, it was plain that the other men were safelyout of reach, and we concluded that naught remained but to return toCuicatlan, to complete our work with representatives from other towns. This we did, although we found our _jefe_ still gentle, mild, and slow. 

Once in the hot valley, we concluded that we might as well see more ofit. Leaving Cuicatlan at noon, a few minutes' ride brought us to thestation at Tecomavaca, perhaps the hottest of the hot valley towns. Within it are ruins which have been strangely neglected by all touristsand investigators. Probably, the great heat has killed whatever littleenthusiasm may have been kindled in those who have seen aught of theseruins. When we reached the station, in the hottest portion of the day, the valley seemed to glow; all looked hot and desolate. There were no_mozos_ to help in carrying baggage, though the town was fully half amile from the station, behind bare, hot, sandy hills. It is one of thepoorest and meanest of the Mexican towns. A dreary _plaza_ is surroundedby miserable adobe, or adobe-plastered, buildings. The only edificesthat looked clean and neat were the school, jail, and town-house. Wefound shelter at a sort of a _meson_, where we could get no supper untilnine, or possibly till ten. Rather than go inside the rooms, we tookpossession of the corridor, and there, with two cots, a table, and thefloor, lay down to rest. But not to sleep! The town, small as it was, had twenty cases of _la grippe_. The woman of the house where we werestopping was one of these. Her husband, who came back from the mountainslong after dark, appeared to have an affection and solicitude regardingher, which, under other circumstances, might have been quite touching, but which, then, was thoroughly exasperating. While he cooked his ownsupper, made chocolate for her, and heated hot water for her use, hekept passing back and forth, between the kitchen and the sick chamber, until later than two o'clock in the morning. The noise which he made, and these repeated movements, kept us all awake the whole night long. The night was hot and close, and new and unknown insects troubledus extremely. We were glad to be dressed and mounted, the followingmorning. Riding across the river, we made the ascent to the summit, onwhich were the ruins of Tecomavaca Viejo. The ascent was so abrupt thatour horses were repeatedly compelled to stop for breath. The trailpassed through cactuses, and spiny shrubs and trees, which tore ourclothes more than all we had endured during weeks of travel. The ruinsare unquestionably old. The hilly slope presents a succession ofterraced platforms, one behind the other, at different heights. Therock walls between these are banked up and faced with rock, coated withplaster and mud; there are many pyramids and mounds; there are alsocurious subterranean, stone-faced, graves. Many curious disks of stonewere found, a foot or eighteen inches in diameter, and three or fourinches thick; these were all reddish grit, and had plainly been piledone upon another to form pillars. Along the forward edge of some of theterraced platforms, we found the lower discs of some columns still inplace. While the amount of work, represented in these cut terraces, banked rocks, and subterranean constructions, impressed us greatly, itwas difficult to get a clear idea of the relationship of the parts. 

[Illustration: CACTUS NEAR CUICATLAN]

[Illustration: VIEW IN A TLAXCALAN BARRANCA]

When, however, we found ourselves at the station, waiting for the train, we looked back across the river to our three ruin-crowned hills. Then, for the first time, having visited the spot, we could clearly make outthe relations. Three natural mountains or hills, the greater, centralone flanked on both sides by lesser, had been utilized by the oldbuilders; the natural rock masses had been cut and walled, until theypractically formed masses of construction, rising terrace behindterrace, to the very summit. When the terraces were entire, with theirtemple-crowned pyramids, and with embankments and walls in full repair, these vast constructions must have been indeed impressive. 

CHAPTER XVI

IN TLAXCALAN TOWNS

(1900)

A street-car line, running for most of the distance down hill, connectsSanta Ana with Tlaxcala, the towns being separated by seven miles. Whenmaking this little journey to Tlaxcala in January, 1897, we noticedin the car with us, a stout, purely indian man, who seemed anxiousto engage us in conversation. Knowing a few words of English, he wasparticularly anxious to practice them. He called our attention to thevarious villages, streams, and mountains in the country through whichwe were passing, and took delight in analyzing the native names andexplaining their meanings. When we were returning in the afternoon, wemet a gentleman who had been in the same car with us in the morning, andwe inquired regarding our indian acquaintance. He told us that he wasa full-blooded indian, whose native tongue was Aztec, and who lived inSanta Ana. Being the child of poor parents, the state had assisted inhis education; he was now studying law in the city of Puebla. He wasalso a musician, and on this occasion had been upon his way to a publicappointment, where he was to sing. 

Later, in Puebla, we called upon this gentleman, whose name we found wasQuechol, meaning a bird with a crooked neck, perhaps a flamingo. He wasinterested in our study, and said we ought some time to visit the indiantowns of his people upon the slopes of Malintzi. In January, 1900, having been delayed in our plans, we decided to spend a few days inTlaxcala, and secured his company. Our preparations were made at SantaAna; at the home of his parents we were hospitably welcomed, andchocolate and bread were furnished, before we started on our journey. While this refreshment was preparing, we visited the old church, infront of which stood an aged cypress tree, hung with gray moss andblazing with red flowers. We also entered some of the houses, where, on domestic looms, the _serapes_ for which the town is famous aremanufactured. We visited also a private school for girls, established bya Señor Barela, who is noted as the first to introduce the industry ofweaving wool into this community. While the memory of this gentlemanis held in high esteem by this people, that of his wife is by no meanssavory. It seems that she was an avaricious, vain and selfish woman, with no sympathy for his schemes for the betterment of the people. Herfeeling was well known, and she died heartily hated by all. When thetime came for her burial, the grave was prepared, and her body placedwithin it. But the earth twice refused to receive the corpse. It wasthen carried to to the Sawapa, near by, and thrown into its waters. Thestream overflowed its banks, and tossed the body upon the ground; againthe effort was made to thus dispose of it, but again it was thrown uponthe shore. It was then suggested that it be carried to "the Cuezcomate, "an extinct geyser-crater, famous through all the country, and popularlybelieved to be the mouth of hell; when the body was thrown into thisopening, it is said the devils were seen to swarm upward to receive it. 

It was almost noon as our little party started on foot in the directionof Malintzi. Our indian friend, his brother, a white friend, ourphotographer, our Mexican boy and ourself, made up the party, and wewere followed by three _mozos_ on foot carrying supplies of food. Westruck out over a sandy plain, where the foot sunk deep into dry sand, until we finally reached a well-built wall of stone, considered in thedistrict a notable piece of engineering. It was constructed to turn thecourse of a little stream which, in times of flood, has frequently donedamage to the town. From here, our trail led us on through the sandypine-scrub, broken now and then by narrow gullies, called _barrancas_, with almost vertical sides. In every case, we were obliged to descendinto these gullies and climb out upon the other side. After one and ahalf hours of walking we reached the village of San Pedro, where westopped for dinner. The two Americans accompanying us lay down upon theground, completely tired out, and were fast asleep within five minutes. Manuel assisted the local cook in preparing dinner, while we talked withvisitors until the meal was ready. The houses of San Pedro are wellconstructed of stone, set in adobe, and have well-thatched roofs. Thegranaries, or _cuezcomates_, are of unusual size and well built. Theyrange from six or eight feet in height to twelve or more, and are shapedlike great urns, open at the top, which is protected by a thatch, generally two-pitched. The _temascals_ were also unusually well built ofstone, and frequently were neatly covered with white plaster. Soonafter leaving San Pedro, in the afternoon, we came upon two indian boysdigging in the ground. Inquiring what they were doing, we learned thatthey were hunting honey-ants, and in a moment our whole party wasengaged in the same operation. These ants were found some inches belowthe surface, either singly, or in roundish holes containing half a dozenor more; the abdomen was swelled until it was as round as a pea and aslarge as a fair-sized currant, and was filled with honey. To get thesweet liquid, one takes the insect by the head or forward body andpressing the honey bag sucks out the contents. It is sweet and rich, with a little twang, as if fermented, and people in the district callit honey-wine. Three quarters of an hour brought us to San Francisco, though we had to go down and up two large _barrancas_ before we reachedthe town. It was almost sunset when we arrived. Sitting down beforethe town-house, we sent for the _agente_. Soon after our arrival thechurch-bell rang furiously, and the din and clangor was kept up a longtime. While waiting for the official, supper was prepared, though we hadhad some difficulty in arranging for it, and were in doubt as to wherewe were to spend the night. Before supper was ready, a motley crowdpoured into the room in which we sat. One large fellow carried a greatsword strapped at his side, another bore a short sword, another a knife, another a large and ancient gun. Probably there were other weapons notin sight. This group of indians was the _agente_ and his _guardia_. Wewere objects of suspicion, and much argument, and an abundant supply of_huitzatl_--strong drink--were necessary, before we secured permissionto spend the night at the house where we were to have supper. No soonerhad this company withdrawn and supper been eaten, than we prepared forbed. One wooden bed, with a mat of rushes, served for Señor Quechol andmyself. A second mat, laid on the floor, formed the bed for our fourcompanions. In the morning, we took a walk to Akxotla, where we wishedto see an ancient painting. Here we encountered greater suspicion thanbefore, and, after wasting the greater part of the day, accomplishednothing. It is true an indian made a _camalpa_ for us. This is astringed musical instrument; though the name is Aztec, it is unlikelythat it was known before the coming of the Spaniards. Quechol says theword means mouth-harp, coming from the Aztec _cam_, mouth, and theSpanish _harpa, _ harp. We returned to San Francisco for our dinner, andat four o'clock again started on our journey. 

It was after five before we reached San Bartolome. As we drew near thevillage, we saw a magnificent double rainbow, brilliantly displayedupon the eastern sky against a cloud of almost inky blackness. Lookingwestward, as we entered the village, we saw the sun setting in a sea ofgold, between Popocatapetl and Ixtaccihuatl. Watching this magnificentsunset, we sat down before the old church, and almost instantly acrowd gathered to see what the strangers might want. Don Romualdo, inwandering through the village, found a _temascal_ in use, and hurryingto us, led us to see the method of its use. It is a dome-shapedstructure, with an entrance so low that one must crawl upon his handsand knees in entering; it is a sweat-bath, used for cleanliness andhealth. A quick fire, built inside, heats it thoroughly, after whichwater is thrown upon the hot stones to produce steam. Four persons, ofboth sexes, were in the one in question, taking a sweat-bath. When wereturned to our companions, sitting before the church, an indian of thevillage, accosting Don Romualdo, claimed to know him; he also claimed myacquaintance, and reminded me that he had been one of the subjects I hadmeasured two years before in Tlaxcala. A score or more of natives hadgathered, in the moonlight, around our party. Having heard some indianssinging, we tried to get these to sing some native songs. Only afterLouis and Frank had sung some English songs, which were well received, were we able to hear Aztec songs in exchange. After a long delay, wewere taken to the schoolhouse for supper and the night, and spent thebalance of the evening in taking down a native song, _The Tlaxcalteca_, and witnessing a dance which accompanied it. A bed was made up for theparty by putting various benches and tables together. 

[Illustration: TLAXCALAN HOUSE WITH TEMASCAL. ]

[Illustration: THE MAPAHO IN USE; SAN JUAN ZAUTLA]

Most of the following day was spent in visiting in the village, purchasing idols and in making notes on life and customs; at fouro'clock in the afternoon, we set out for Ixcotla. Near sunset we reachedthe house of Quechol's uncle, old Isidro. Almost eighty years of age, hewas straight and lithe as a man of thirty. His house and all the lesserbuildings of his place were excellent and in fine condition. A flightof steps led to the flat roof, from which we watched the sunset. In theyard, were half a dozen hives for bees, made from the stocks of the_maguéy_. The old man was rich, and owned other houses, but he livesalone, his wife being dead and his daughters married. He is a master ofthe Aztec, and uses it in its most poetical and figurative style. Hedoes not speak like common men, but his conversation abounds in metaphorand flowers of speech. When once one spoke to him of his lonely andsolitary life, he said, "Alone and solitary! No, we are three! There arehere myself, my good angel, and my bad angel. I am never alone. " Isidroknows all the boundaries of the fields, and can trace all the titles, and is frequently appealed to in land disputes, and even in law cases, is summoned to give testimony. He received us heartily, offeredcigarettes and ordered supper. To refresh us, he broke fresh leaves fromthe orange-tree and steeped them in hot water, sweetening with sugar. After supper, good beds were made upon the floor, with plenty of matsand blankets. 

We had hardly risen in the morning, when the village was thrown intogreat excitement by the appearance of a band of soldiers. They had cometo arrest a young man supposed to be a leader in the local opposition toGovernor Cahuantzi. This opposition was just at fever heat; the electionwas approaching, and a fierce effort was being made to oust thegovernor. Forty-four towns were in open rebellion, among them, all ofthose which we had visited. There had been new laws passed regardingland and taxes; these had been resisted. The governor had threatenedto send engineers to make new surveys, and to bring land-titles intoquestion. The suspicion and distrust which we had met were doubtless, inlarge part, due to these measures, and the fear that we were governmentspies. So great was the discontent, and so openly expressed, that it wassaid that on the Saturday preceding, in the Plaza of Tlaxcala itself, there was a riot, with cries of derision and contempt, and firing ofguns upon the palace. We were told that the nearest _haciendero_, whowas friendly to the governor, was marked for assassination and would bekilled within the next few days. 

Leaving at ten next morning, we skirted Santa Ana, and, having passedthrough San Pablo, came out upon the banks of the Sawapa. This prettystream has reputed remedial power, and in May hundreds of people bathein its waters, to protect themselves against small-pox. As we crossedthe great stone bridge, we met a drunken indian who attached himself toour party. Between him and the Mexican members of our party, there arosehostility and an exchange of angry words. To us, personally, he wasmaudlinly affectionate and respectful. Finally, shaking him off, afterclimbing a considerable height, we stopped at Belen for a noonday restand lunch. Dinner having been ordered, we seated ourselves in the shade, when our drunken friend again appeared upon the scene, and in greatexcitement, begged me to move, as it was certain death for a heated andperspiring person to sit in the shadow of a Peru tree. So persistent washe, that Quehcol and Manuel lost all patience, and ordered the localofficials to arrest him. 

About the middle of the afternoon we were again upon the road; havingpassed the bare, fortress-like church of San Mateo, and descended a longhill, toward evening we crossed a fine bridge over a gorge of blackbasaltic rock, and shortly reached Santa Maria Atlihuitzia, where weplanned to spend the night. Here is a fine old church, with a façadeabsolutely covered with elaborate carving; a square tower rises at onecorner. The great altar is a magnificent piece of carving and goldwork; the windows are set with thin slabs of onyx. Within, near thechurch-door, are two paintings representing the scene of mayrtrdom forwhich the town is famous. These pictures are ancient, and represent someinteresting details of indian life at the time of the Conquest. Thehead-dress and mantle of feathers worn by the old chieftain, the dressand hair-dressing of his wife, war weapons and buildings are all shown. Here, in 1527, the boy Cristoval, child of the great chief Acxotecatland his wife Apalxitzin, was killed by his father because he would notrenounce Christianity. The little lad was only thirteen years of age, and had been trained by Spanish priests. He was the proto-martyr ofthe new world, and the story of his martyrdom and the early church inTlaxcala, have been charmingly narrated by Mendieta. Close by the churchstand the ruined walls of the monastery, impressive for their massiveconstruction and the enormous space which was enclosed. It was darkbefore we finished the examination of these quaint and interestingold buildings, and we were glad enough to go to the house of the_secretario_, where we found good beds and elaborate furniture. In theroom where we were to sleep there was a _nacimiento_, made in connectionwith the Christmas season. The table was covered with little landscapes, scattered over which were figures of many kinds, including a group ofSan Jose, Maria, and the infant Christ. 

Santa Maria is purely _mestizo_. In the morning, finding breakfastsomewhat slow, we started for a walk, and passing by the old church, came shortly to the spot where the boy martyr was killed. From here wedescended, over a long slope of gray tufa, to a pretty stream flowingthrough black basalt. The rock is hard and shiny with cells orair-bubbles scattered through its mass. Close by the water's edge wewere shown some curious impressions, on the nearly level surface of therock, which were said to be the imprints of the knees of the Holy Virginas she knelt here to wash clothes in the brook; there are also groovesmade by the Virgin's fingers as she scrubbed the clothing on the rock;by the side of these impressions are two hollows, marking the spot wherethe Holy Child sat with its mother as she worked. On the rock behindis the impression of a mule's foot. Formerly there were two of theseimpressions, but in 1888 a tornado broke away the mass of rock, on whichwas the other impression. Just below this place the stream leaps in apretty cascade which, with its white foam, contrasts strikingly with theblack rock. The trail followed by Cortez on his way from Vera Cruz toTlaxcala was pointed out to us and we were told that Atlihuitzia inthose days was an important city, numbering five thousand _solteros_(unmarried men). On the way back to the village, we visited the _arbolhuerfano_--orphan tree--a cypress, so called because it is the only treeof its kind in this district. Quechol says that a long line of suchtrees, at a distance of several leagues apart, was planted by theSpaniards, and he and the villagers mentioned a number of them indifferent places. Passing once more by the spot of martyrdom, a white_capulin_ was pointed out, as being the very tree represented in thepicture of the killing. 

It was now almost ten o'clock and we found breakfast waiting. AtQuechol's request, it was a purely Mexican meal, consisting ofAztec dishes. We had _tamales_, _atole_, and, for the first time, _champurado_. The latter is _atole_--corn gruel--mixed with chocolate, and is really an excellent dish. After breakfast, we left our friends ofAtlihuitzia and hastened back over the same road past San Mateo, Belen, San Pablo, and Santa Ana. The way was long and the sun was hot, but theroad was beguiled with many stories regarding the places that we passed, for the whole state of Tlaxcala abounds in legend. 

CHAPTER XVII

IN THE CHINANTLA

(1900)

Once more we found ourselves in picturesque Cuicatlan. Walking up thefamiliar street, we again found lodging with Doña Serafina. Havingsettled, and taken a look out over the beautiful landscape visiblethrough our windows, we interviewed the _jefe politico_, whom we wefound the same nerveless, well-meaning individual as ever. Aftergrumbling, and insisting that it was impossible to fit us out on suchshort notice, he finally promised that all should be ready the nextmorning. It was a sorry outfit that we found; one medium-sized mule formyself, and four small _burros_ for the other members of the party. Aboy from the jail was sent with us as _mozo_ to carry our instruments. It was still early when we started through the hot, sandy, flat land, covered with gigantic cactus trees, which swarmed with little birds ofmany beautiful kinds. We soon began to climb the great, red rock cliffs, up, and up, and up, endlessly. We had forgotten how long the road was;but it was longer than ever on account of the beasts we rode. Longbefore we reached Papalo, Manuel and Louis were on foot, rather thanlonger submit to the torture of riding their little _burros_. As weneared the town, we were surprised to find a cloud effect almost as fineas that near Juquila in the Mixe country. Had it had clearly definedbanks on both sides, its resemblance to a cataract would have beencomplete. As it was, there was no boundary back of the side towards us, and the clouds plunged over and downward as well as in the direction ofthe flow of the main mass. No one in the town recognized us. Supper anda night's lodging were readily supplied, but when we wished to securenew animals for the onward journey, there was difficulty. They werepromised, indeed, for seven o'clock, but it was long after eight beforewe saw any signs of their appearance. Remonstrating, we were told thatthere was other business to attend to, and that the town officials couldnot devote themselves to us. With great difficulty, by 10 o'clock allpreparations were made, and we started on the journey. The animals werenot bad, but we had been told that there were eight leagues of hard roadbetween us and Tepanapa, and six more from there to San Juan Zautla, ourdestination; we were told that we should spend the night at Tepanapa, reaching Zautla the second day. As we left the town we overtook afuneral procession on its way to the little hill-crest cemetery which wepassed soon after. At first the road was good, gradually ascending. Itled us up a rising pine-covered crest, with a little hollow of deciduoustrees in the midst. We were again getting into a region where the greathills presented two differing slopes, one dry, pine-clad; the othermoist and covered with the dense tropical forest. We soon foundourselves upon the damp slope in a forest, almost the counterpart ofthose with which we were familiar in the land of the Mixes. Great oakswere loaded with bromelias and dotted with orchids; ferns of manybeautiful kinds grew along the roadside. Unlike the forest of the Mixes, the trees here were hung with masses of golden-yellow moss, presentinga curious and mysterious aspect. From here, the trail descended rapidlyover surfaces of slippery stone and patches of mud; the air was heavierand heavier with moisture. Ferns abounded, and presently great treeferns were to be seen, here and there, in all directions. Shortly, ourroad was through a true gorge, where the footing for the horses wasprecarious. Great masses of lycopods of several species covered therocks and little round tufts of a dark green plant with feathery foliagedotted the decaying tree trunks. The descent seemed endless, and formore than two hours we descended deeper and deeper into the dampness anddarkness. It was six o'clock when we came out upon a slope where thetrail was easier and almost level, and it was after dark before wereached the first hut of the miserable _ranchito_ of Tepanapa. Checkingour horses, we called, but received no answer. Sending our _mozo_ to thehouse, we asked for food and shelter, but were refused everything, asthey said that they were in bed. A little lad, however, agreed to showus to the next hut, and we followed him as well as we could in thedarkness and over the slippery road, some rods further. We found theretwo empty huts within an enclosure, and, taking possession of one, brought in our things out of the mist, and soon had a fire built and acandle lighted. In vain we urged our _mozo_ to hunt for food. He saidthat all the houses were empty, and, if perchance one were occupied, noone would turn out so late to supply us. All were extremely hungry, aswe had eaten nothing since morning except a _tortilla_ or two with someeggs as we rode along. Manuel, Louis and Frank slept in the loft, Ramonand I upon the floor below. The two _mozos_ with the saddles slept inthe other hut. The night was cold and the damp air penetrating. We aroseearly to go upon our way, but unfortunately yielded to the request ofLouis and Ramon, permitting them to go in search of food. Two full hourspassed before they returned with a few _tortillas_ and two eggs; so thatit was half-past-eight when finally we started. 

[Illustration: SAN JUAN ZAUTLA]

The road was slippery and muddy, descending constantly; a large portionof the way was through woods: at the bottom of the slope we foundourselves by a fine brook, which we forded. Then began an ascent asprecipitous, slippery and unpleasant. The trail followed the bank of thestream. Passing through a dense jungle of vegetation, where the air washot and wet, the flora was characteristic. Trees with large, coarse, broad pods enclosing two or three great seeds, trees with acorn-shapedred fruits, quantities of sensitive plants covered with pink flowers, occasional orchids bearing flowers of brilliant flame color, and vineswith lovely blue pea-flowers made up the bulk of the tangled growththrough which we passed. At two places we crossed pretty streams, withcascades and narrow gorges, opening on to the gorge along the sides ofwhich we were travelling; where these streams crossed our trail therewere great masses of caladiums with their leaves of green velvet. Wepassed two little coffee plantations, the first of which was sadlyneglected and overgrown with weeds, the second neatly kept. From this werose again, and having gained the summit, looked down upon the villageof San Juan Zautla. 

Riding to the town-house, we met the _presidente_ and _secretario_, thelatter an intelligent fellow, who told us that the town was dwindling, numbering at present but 80 _contribuentes_. He ordered a capital dinnerfor us of chicken, fried bananas, eggs, _frijoles, tortillas_ andcoffee. Though the _secretario_ was intelligent, the _presidente_ wasotherwise. He was good-natured, but a fool. With pride he frequentlyremarked, "_yo soy presidente_" (I am president). Then he whisperedand mumbled, kissed my hand, assumed an air of great intelligence, andwalked off with a peculiar tottering movement. These performancestook place not once or twice, but every time the official made hisappearance. Having fed us, the _secretario_ disappeared, and did no morefor us. While waiting for him, our attention was attracted by a curiousdrumming noise. It was due to women who were beating cotton. At thefirst house we visited we found three women all busily occupied. An oldwoman sitting in the doorway was spinning thread; a second, somewhatyounger woman with a baby in a blanket on her back, sitting on theground, was weaving cloth; a third woman sat, with a great cushion ofmoss in a bag of matting on the ground before her, over which was spreada deer-skin on which was laid raw cotton, which she briskly beat withbeaters made of five or six divergent sticks fastened together at oneend. Such beating sticks are called _mapaho_; one is held in each hand, and the beating is briskly done, alternately with one and the other; thebeating is intended to spread the raw cotton into a thin and even sheetbefore it is spun into thread. Returning to the town-house, we began ourwork, but were soon interrupted. The town is situated on a slope overwhich the houses are scattered. From the porch of the municipal housewhere we sat, we could see several huts upon the slope above. Groups ofwomen and children gathered on the little terraces before the houses tolook down upon us at our work. The _presidente_ and other officials hadgone to bring us subjects, when we heard an outcry upon one of theseterraces. A man cried out to the officials; struggled, apparently witha woman, then fell. The police rushed up the path. A moment later asurging crowd of a dozen persons were struggling together with cries andshouts. In spite of the commands of the _segundo secretario_, we startedfor the scene of the disturbance, but long before we reached the spot, met a big _topil_ with his head cut open and blood streaming down hisface, soaking his garments. His arm was thrown around another man'sneck, whose wrist he held, dragging him thus a prisoner toward the jail. Two others followed, holding a bad-looking little man between them. Thetwo had fought, and when the _topil_ tried to take them, the little man, seizing a rock, split open his head. The two persons were thrust intothe jail and a guard set. Great effort was made to find the stone withwhich the blow was dealt, in order that it might be used as evidence. The _secretario_ told the _topil_ not to staunch nor wash the wound. With natural curiosity, the _presidente_ and other men were clusteredaround the jail, looking in at the prisoners, when the _segundosecretario_ ordered them from the door. 

This man is a strange one. He is a Cuicatec, who married a Chinatecwife. He is little, but important. He ever carries a queer old sword. When he first appeared before us, he impressively said, "_No tengascuidado_" (Have no care. ) He told us that our comfort and our ordersshould be cared for, even though we were in a pueblo of mere brutes, unreasoning beings; he should charge himself and the officials with ourneeds. There were scarce three hours of daylight in the afternoon, andnight set in chilly and damp. Meantime, the _secretario_, the _segundo_, the _presidente_ and the _topils_, all had disappeared. In vain we urgedthat arrangements should be made for fuel, for beds, and for a _mozo_, whom we had ordered should be supplied to accompany the man from Papaloback to that town with the horses. It was now dark and late, with nosign of attention to our wishes. Through the darkness, we picked our wayover a muddy road, slippery and soaked with water, to the _secretario's_house, where we forcibly made known our wishes, and said that attentionmust be paid to them. Before we got back to the town-house our shoeswere soaked with water and heavy with mud, while our clothing was soakedthrough with moisture from the air filled with mist and drizzling rain;and this in the midst of the dry season!

During the afternoon, we had seen a curious-looking indian, dressed ina red flannel shirt, white drawers and a cap, but with the regular redChinantec neck-cloth. He was a Mixtec from San Francisco Huitzo, who isin charge of the well-kept little coffee _finca_ which we passed uponthe road. He showed us a bottle of coffee essence of his manufacture. Itwas a heavy, oily, clear liquid which I understood he had distilled froma weaker and darker coffee extract. It was exceedingly strong, and wassupposed to be used for making coffee, a small quantity of the essencebeing put into a cup with hot water and sugar. He desired us to testthis, but a look at it was quite sufficient. He was a handy fellow, anddid much to hasten the fulfillment of our orders. Under his direction, sleeping mats were brought, and he, himself, served our supper, whenfinally it was ready. We were so tired that directly after supper welaid down upon the mats spread on the damp earthen floor. We had hopedto start our man from Papalo back with our horses early; the officialshad promised that the _mozo_ to accompany him should be ready; but, ofcourse, neither breakfast nor _mozo_ was to be seen. So we again startedfor the _secretario's_ house. The _secretario_ himself was lying drunkin bed, and the _segundo_ was almost as bad. In vigorous words I madeknown my dissatisfaction. The _segundo_, with his sword in one handand _tortillas_ in the other, almost too drunk to walk, led us to thetown-house and summoned the people before him. He thundered forth hisorders: "You dogs, children of a degraded race! Wretched brutes! Whatdo you mean? Why are you not bringing in breakfast for these gentlemen?Eggs, _tortillas, frijoles_, chicken? Why are you not supplying them?Obey his order. Fulfill your duty. You hear? If you do not fulfill yourduty, you shall be punished. Hear and obey at once. " Under this impulsethe men started and breakfast was soon disposed of. 

Work being slack, the boys went bird-hunting. Manuel fetched in a _raraavis_, a little old man of 95 years, who had an extra thumb on his righthand. Notwithstanding the small population of the town, there were threecases of extra digits. In addition to this old man with his extra thumb, two persons in the town each had an extra toe upon one foot. We havealready stated that the _presidente_ of the village was a fool. He hadplenty of companions. One of the men, who made himself quite useful tous was an imbecile; he crossed himself, kissed our hands, nodded hishead, and told us the most surprising things in regard to the subjectswhom he brought before us. In connection with each case he cried andcarried on at a great rate, and finally insisted that he was going tobring me a raw egg as an offering of friendship, which he did. One ofhis subjects was his cousin, who was both idiotic and a deaf-mute. Myimpression was that there were several cases of deaf-mutism in thevillage. One man, whenever any of our party spoke to him, or in any wayturned our attention to him, piously and vigorously crossed himself, grimaced and gesticulated as if in a fit. One man, who seemedexceptionally intelligent, after he had seen us make a plaster bust ofone of his townfellows, stated with great delight, that it was an idol, representing Jesus Christ, and that we were going to use it in thechurch. Unlike any other indian town we have visited, there is not eventhe pretence of an open school in this place. Nowhere else have womenand children showed so great a fear of us and our work. From the momentthat I showed an interest in the _mapaho_, the beating of cotton ceased, and the village was quiet. At no time during our stay did women orchildren come to the town-house. Shortly after sending back our horsesto Papalo, we found that there were no animals for riding in San JuanZautla. Fortunately, our next point, San Pedro, was but two leaguesdistant, and rather than wait until animals could be brought fromCuicatlan, we decided to walk. The night before we were to leave, wemade arrangements for our carriers. The _secretario_ had set the priceat two _reales_ a man; four were ordered, and an early hour set for thedeparture. When the time came, our men were in open rebellion. Theyrefused to go upon the journey. We told the town officials that, ifthese men failed us, they themselves must do the work. The men werereally scared, and stated that the people of San Pedro had threatened tokill us all, if we came to their town. In vain we argued--they were surethat the whole party were going to their doom. For such a paltry sumno man would risk his life. At last, however, the officials decreedobedience, and our party started. At first we led the company and thecarriers came behind. The road led straight down the mountain-side to abrook, and then up the opposite side to the summit, just beyond whichlay our goal. As we started, he who had recognized the bust of Jesusinsisted upon accompanying us a way for friendship, and on the journeymade various wise remarks regarding the busts. Hardly had we startedwhen our men again rebelled; they would not make the journey for theprice agreed upon, the risk was too great; they must be paid more, if they went at all. I felt that patience had ceased to be a virtue. Telling them that we would no longer go ahead, we ordered them to takeup their burdens and precede us, at the same time threatening to shootthem, if they stopped without permission. After marching along in thisnew order for a time, they indicated a desire to parley. They wouldcarry their burdens to the foot of the hill, where they would leave themby the brook-side. We could then go on to the village of San Pedroand send back carriers to bring them. To this proposition we gave noencouragement. The descent was abrupt. At the bottom was a fine brook, with a hanging bridge of vines swinging from tree to tree across it. Here we stopped to drink the fresh cool water, cut some sugar-canes, catch butterflies, and take views. One of the trees from which the vineshung was a perfect mass of ferns, orchids and bromelias of many kinds. On the great slope back of us, toward the gap through which the brookhad broken, were great cliffs of massive rock; otherwise the wholemountain slope was a sheet of richest green. The ascent was long anddifficult, and the party went slowly, with many rests. It was amusing, how, even at this distance, as we mounted the slope, we could hear theconstant beating of the _mapaho_ in the village behind us, as if inrejoicing at our departure. As we neared the summit, our carriers againmade signals of a desire to converse. They would fulfill their wholeduty, and would carry their burdens to the town-house in San Pedro, butwould we have the kindness, from here on, to take the lead? Oh, yes, weanswered, we would take the lead, and they should see that nothing wouldhappen. No one would harm us; we were not about to die. 

To make a favorable impression, we asked for a drink of water at thefirst house we came to, and passed a greeting with the few men, womenand children whom we met on our way into town. The greater part of thepopulation was at church, where we found a service in progress, and wewere obliged to wait until it was over before we saw the townofficials. I told the _secretario_ to summon the town government to themunicipal-house, which was a small affair, no more than 15 or 18 by 20feet, with walls of lashed poles and a palm roof. A narrow bench ranaround the four sides, and two tables, one long and one short one, setat right angles, occupied the greater portion of the open space. A longwide bench was placed alongside of the larger. At one end there was a_santo_, in a little shrine decorated with flowers and leaves. A littlefire was built upon the floor, over which wax was melting, in whichcandles were being dipped. 

The _secretario_ chanced to be a man whom I had met at Cuicatlan theyear before. He recalled our work, and taking us to his own house, wesoon had an excellent dinner. He seemed to be well-to-do, and hadtwo houses built of slabs lashed vertically together. Nets full of_jícaras_, great stacks of corn neatly laid out, good tableware inquantity, and a kerosene-lamp, all were evidences of his wealth. Weate at a good table, in the house, where the corn was stored. The mostastonishing thing, however, in the house was an old-fashioned piano, long beyond use. How it was ever brought over the mountains to thisvillage is a wonder. When we asked him, what we were to pay for thedinner, he replied, nothing; that we would begin to pay later. Theimpression made upon us by San Pedro was more agreeable than thatproduced by Zautla. The town government is large and vigorous, comprising a dozen well-built young fellows. On account of the churchfestival, plenty of subjects had been brought together. We did notunderstand what the _secretario_ expected, and therefore took up ourquarters at the town-house. We paid dearly for our misunderstanding. Wewaited long for supper, but none came. The _presidente_ and the oldermen were at church. The _secretario_ was nowhere to be found. While wewere waiting, the young fellows who were making candles, and a crowd ofboys, crouched about the fire and watched the work. Presently they laydown a couple of _serapes_ on the floor, and the whole group, eighteenor twenty in number, dropped down upon them, a perfect mass of humanity, packed close together in the most curiously twisted attitudes, and werefast asleep in no time. They had no covering, but seemed to keep eachother warm. After they were fast asleep, some of the other men appeared, and we urged the bringing in of supper. A handful of _tortillas_ and twofried eggs were not a hearty meal for six hungry persons, nor were oursleeping accommodations satisfactory. With difficulty we got some mats, and I lay down upon the smaller table, Frank on the larger, Louis andManuel rolled up on the ground below the latter, and Ramon and the_mozo_ on the long bench. Half a dozen of the older men remained sittingabout the fire. It can be understood that the room was fairly full. Themen made no pretense of sleeping until past ten o'clock, and two orthree times during the night they broke out into loud conversation. 

[Illustration: CHINANTEC GIRL SPINNING; SAN JUAN ZAUTLA]

[Illustration: CHINANTEC WEAVING; SAN JUAN ZAUTLA]

Just outside the town-house, under a thatched shelter, a group of oldwomen were cooking _atole_ in great _ollas_ until a late hour. Thisgruel they ladled out to those men and boys who had been working, anddoled out to them drinks from black bottles. The men and boys, withtheir red head-cloths or neck-cloths, went forth from time to time ingroups upon some public errand. Towards evening, eight or ten littlefellows came from the forest with bundles of firewood upon their headsand great _machetes_ hanging at their sides. In the morning, the samegroup of youngsters came in loaded with bunches of green leaves andholly to be used in decorating the church. At eight o'clock there was aprocession in the churchyard; the saint, dressed in flowing garments, was carried about, accompanied by banners and a band of music. Duringthe festival, everyone drank; even the little boys of eight or nineyears, who brought in their loads of wood, received their spirits, whichthey drank like old topers. There was no evidence of bad temper as aresult of this drinking, but an increasing stupidity. When, in themorning, we found our breakfast to consist of nothing but coffee, werealized our mistake of the night before, and promptly betook ourselvesto the house of the _secretario_, where we spent the following day. Thedemands of the church during the day were so heavy that we did littlework. The day itself was dark and dismal. In the late morning theboys brought in great loads of poinsettia, from which they fashionedbrilliant rosettes and garlands for the church. At night, a woodenplatform was brought in for a bed, upon which Louis, Manuel and I slept, while the others made a bed of broad boards upon the floor. Being behindwith his developing, Louis set to work as soon as the lights were out, and kept at it until half-past-one. Scarcely had he come to bed andpromptly fallen asleep, when there was a pounding at the door, which wasalmost immediately after broken in. Rising, I called out to see what waswanted, and four or five indians, all very drunk, came staggering in. The oldest of the party carried a great _machete_, and one of themclosely hugged a bottle full of spirits. After begging pardon fordisturbing us, they built a smoky fire, near the drying negatives. Fearing that their drunken movements and the smoke would work disaster, I made them change their place of rest and fire, moving them to theother end of the room. There they built another fire, and, beforemorning, they had consumed three bottles of spirits. What with thefirelight and smoke, the noisy laughter, the loud talking and constantmovement, it was impossible for me to sleep. Only for a single hour, when they fell back upon the floor in drunken slumber, and their fireburned down, did I get a bit of rest. If seems that they were anofficial guard put to watch the town store of grain which was kept inthe building, and which was subject to the depredations of animals. During the following day we completed our work upon Chinantecs. The typeis one of the best marked. In the child, the nose is wide, flat atthe tip, with a straight or even concave bridge; the eyes are widelyseparated and often oblique; the mouth is large, the lips thick and theupper lip projects notably beyond the lower; the face is wide, andflat at the cheek-bones. With age, this type changes, the nose becomesaquiline, and of moderate breadth, the upper lip becomes less prominent, the skin lightens. 

For two days more, days of darkness, rain and cold that penetrated tothe marrow, we remained prisoners in the village, waiting for the horsesfor which we had sent the day of our arrival. It was impossible to makephotographs, nor was it feasible to look around the town, or into theadjoining country. The _secretario_, indeed, showed us the way in whichspirits are distilled from the sap of sugar-cane, and we had ampleopportunity to examine the dress of the people and the mode of weaving. All the women dress in garments of home-woven cotton, and the redhead-cloths, so characteristic a feature of the dress of men and boys, are woven here from thread already dyed, bought in other places. Thelittle figures of animals or birds or geometrical designs worked inthem in green or yellow worsted are woven in, at the time of making thecloths, with bright bits of wool. 

At last our animals appeared. They had been sent from Papalo, and wemade arrangements, as we supposed, for using them through to Cuicatlan. The animals arrived at 9:30 in the morning and the _mozo_ with themreported that the roads were bad from the constant rains of the pastseveral days. We decided to leave that afternoon, stopping at Zautla forthe night, and then, making an early start, to push through in a singleday. The _presidente, alcalde_, and other town officials accompanied usto the border of the village, where they bade us adieu, begging fora _real_ for drink. As we left, the sky was clear and the mists wererising from the valleys. For the first time we gained some idea of thebeauty of the country all around us. The houses of the town are wellbuilt, with walls of poles or narrow slabs neatly corded together in avertical position. The roofs are thatched with palm; they pitchsharply from a central ridge and the ends pitch also from the ridge inindependent slopes. The top is crested with a comb of thatch, neatlyapplied. Off to the right from the village lay a magnificent valley, with massive rock walls clad with green forest. The low masses of cloudsand great banks of mist but emphasized the impression made by thoseparts of the scene that were visible. Soon we had passed the ridge andlooked down again into the Zautla valley. The road was not as bad aswe had anticipated. As we made our upward climb, we found that theflame-colored orchids, few when we last passed that way, were out inquantity. They are a terrestrial species, and the colors are a beautifulcombination of flame-red with chrome-yellow. The other day only theouter and lower flowers of the racemes were blown, but on this occasionthe whole cluster was in bloom. We noticed strikingly, what had beforesuggested itself to us, that through this district flowers of certaincolors mass themselves together. Thus, on this slope, the hundreds ofbunches of flame-colored orchids were rivalled by clusters of a tubularflower perhaps an inch in length, of almost the same hues. Along theglen-road near Tepanapa all sorts of flowers seemed to be pink orflesh-colored, while along the jungle-bank, near the coffee plantation, everything was blue or purple. When we reached Zautla, neither the_presidente_, the _secretario_ nor the _segundo_ was in town. The big_topil_, whose head was healing, did the honors of the place. We hadintended to make an early start, but it was half past six before wemounted and were on our way. Going back over the old road, we soonreached the little coffee _finca_ in charge of our Mixtec friend, andhere we left the familiar trail, for what our guide insisted was abetter one. We struck up and up and up the slope to avoid little ravineswhich he assured us were very bad. At last, when it was certain that hehad completely lost his way, we started down into the forest. For a timewe followed a bad and disused trail, but soon even this disappeared, andwe tore our way through the tropical vegetation as best we could. Oftenthe men had to cut the way with their _machetes_; sometimes we slid foryards over the wet mud; frequently our heads were caught by hangingvines, and faces and hands were scratched with brambles. When at lastwe came out upon a cleared space, we found ourselves at the Chinantecvillage of Santa Maria. Perhaps there were four houses in the village. Our appearance caused great excitement. Our pack-animals bade fair todestroy the maize and other plantings in the field. In the trail wereoxen, which had to be gotten out of our way for fear of being driven tofrenzy by our mere passing. They assured us that we were on the road toTepanapa, so we completed the descent to the brooklet and started up atrail which at any time would have been steep, stony, slippery, all atonce. We were compelled, finally, to dismount and lead our animals;Frank, before he did so, tumbled his horse three times down the bank. Atone place two of the horses fell together in a struggling mass, and fora moment things looked serious. All the animals but my own fell, atleast once, before we reached the summit. From there, it was an easyride over a level district until we were in sight of Tepanapa, which, bysunlight, presented a most attractive appearance. The houses are spreadover a gentle slope, to the very edge of a little _barranca_. Each hada little enclosure, with a group of banana plants. Butterflies ofbrilliant hues lazily flew about, and a few birds uttered theircharacteristic cries. We could not, however, delay. Before us lay atremendous ascent; the first part, which we had passed after dusk, wefound rougher than we realized; rock masses here were covered with athick cushion of brilliant crimson moss, a kind of sphagnum. The gullytrail had not been improved by the recent rains, and it taxed ouranimals severely to reach the summit. Arrived in the district of thetrees loaded with beards of golden-yellow moss, we caught a magnificentview back over the valley. With one sweep of the eyes, we could almostfollow our whole round of wandering. The ridges on which lay San JuanZautla and San Pedro Soochiapan both were in sight, as were the valleysin which Santa Maria and Tepanapa lay. But the only actual feature whichwe could see and recognize was the little coffee _finca_ this side ofZautla. The combination of green mountains, blue ridges and bare rockcliffs was grand. Here our road forked, and at this point we had amoment's excitement. We met an old indian man with a baby tied upon hisback, and his old wife, carrying a burden, followed after. Before them ablack bull was calmly walking. The moment the old man saw us, he wavedhis arms and cried out, in great excitement, "_Toro, muy bravo_!" (Bull, very fierce!) and hastened forward to catch the lasso wound round thehorns of the beast to lead him out of our way. Just then the bull tookmatters into his own control, and, with a snort and plunge, startedwildly away, dragging the old fellow at a wild run down the trail, finally whirling him and the baby into a heap by the roadside, while hehimself took up the mountain-side. It was after dark before we reachedPapalo. 

After much grumbling, supper was prepared and a solemn promise giventhat we should leave at seven in the morning. When we were ready, noanimals were to be seen. The _presidente_ asserted that the price whichwe had paid was only to that point, and that if we wanted animals forCuicatlan we must make a new arrangement. This was sheer blackmail, because there had been no misunderstanding in the matter, and a liberalprice had been paid. After wrangling for an hour, we shook the dustof Papalo literally from our feet, and started to walk to Cuicatlan, telling the town authorities that our burdens must be taken by _mozos_to the _cabecera_ before three o'clock, and that we should pay nothingfor the service. Probably we should not have been so ready to take thisheroic action if we had not remembered that the road was down hill allthe way, and good walking. Still, fifteen miles is fifteen miles, andthe sun was hot, and though we left at 8:30, it was two o'clock beforewe entered Cuicatlan. We had no adventures by the way, except thekilling of a coral snake which lay in the middle of the road. At threethe _mozos_ with their burdens arrived, and felt it very hard that wekept our promise of paying nothing for their service. 

CHAPTER XVIII

TO COIXTLAHUACA

(1900)

For a day we rested at Cuicatlan to make arrangements for a trip tothe land of the Chochos. We complained bitterly to the _jefe politico_regarding the miserable animals which had been supplied us for our lastjourney, and demanded something better. 

Frank had had enough of practical anthropology, and left us, so therewere but four to be provided. At eight o'clock the following morning, four decent horses and two pack animals were waiting at our door. Amounted _arriero_ was in charge, to accompany us. Although he had beeninefficient on the preceding journey, the same jail-bird was sent withus, as _mozo_, whom we had had before. At 8:30 our party of six personsstarted; passing the river, which we forded, an excellent road took us, for a league, over the sandy plain, which was fairly grown with trees, supplying a little shade. The great _pitahayas_ were in bloom, and theirwhite flowers looked well against the ugly, stiff green branches. Theroadside was bordered with _acacias_ which, in full bloom, presentedmasses of golden balls and perfumed the air with their delicate odor. Passing a considerable sugar _hacienda_, the trail struck into themountains, and for three hours we made a steady ascent. The road itselfwas excellent but the sun beat down with fearful force, and the heatwas reflected from the bare road and the rock cliffs along which wetravelled. At one place the vegetation consisted of a curious mixture ofgigantic cactuses, rising as single stalks as high as telegraph polesbut larger in diameter, and palms. Arriving at the crest, we saw a longplain stretching before us, presenting a mingled growth of palms andpines. At the very border of the ridge stood a hut of poles, where westopped to drink _tepache_ and to eat broiled chicken which we hadbrought with us. We found the old woman, an indian--neither Cuicatec, Chinantec, Mixtec, nor Zapotec, as we might expect--but a full Aztecfrom Cordoba. She was bright and shrewd, and, as we chatted with her, we noticed a little chicken a few days old awkwardly running about withcuriously deformed feet. Upon my noticing it, the old lady remarked thatthe moon made it so. I inquired what she meant. She said, "Yes, weknow it is the moon which shapes the bodies of all young animals. " Wefollowed the road a long distance over the hot plain, passing San PedroJocotepec to our left, and shortly after, struck up the mountain sideand had another long and steady climb, until, at last, we reached thecrest of all the district. Here and there, we encountered bits oflimestone, which always, in this southern country, makes the worstroads for travel. The rain erodes it into the oddest of forms, leavingprojecting ridges almost as sharp as knife-edges, with irregular hollowspitting the surface, so that it forms a most insecure and unpleasantfoot-hold for the animals. Not only so, but the surface, rough as it is, is frequently as polished as glass, and, whether wet or dry, is slipperyto the tread. Walking over these jagged surfaces of limestone isdestructive to any shoes. A single afternoon of this will do more wearthan a month of ordinary use. Troublesome as these limestones are, asroads, they are ever interesting, because the masses by the roadsidepresent the most astonishing and beautiful forms of waterwear; upon amass eight or ten feet across, there will be worn a system of ridgesand intervening channels, which, in miniature, seems to reproduce theorographic features of the whole country. 

[Illustration: WOMEN WITH BABIES; SAN JUAN ZAUTLA]

[Illustration: CAIRN, ON ROAD TO COIXTLAHUACA]

While we were passing over one of these limestone stretches, a littlebefore reaching the summit, we found a spot of unusual difficulty. Thetwo pack animals were together, one tied to the tail of the other; thesecond had several times acted badly, but in passing over this bit ofroad, he jumped and plunged, so that his pack loosened and slid to oneside. Plunging, kicking, and falling, he dragged down the unfortunatebeast to whose tail he was tied; the old rope tugged and creaked, and, for a moment, we expected to see the very tail of the forward animalpulled out, and both packs destroyed by the struggling beasts. Fortunately, at this moment, the rope itself broke. The forwardanimal was loosened and quickly quieted; but the other one kicked andstruggled, with our load of plates and developing trays under him. Quickly cutting the ropes that held the burden, we tried to release theanimal, but it lay exhausted, and, for a moment, we thought it dead. Really, however, it was not hurt at all, and the loads themselvesappeared undamaged. The burdens having been repacked, we again startedon the journey. At several places on this road, we had noticed cairns, or heaps of pebbles. On inquiring from Don Manuel--the funny littleman, who had the animals in charge--we learned that every Chocho indianpassing the place adds a pebble to the heap, to secure good luck andinsure his safe return home. At the summit, we found one of these pilesof stone surmounted by a cross, and learned that when the Chochos reachthis spot, they always stop, repeat a prayer, and dance for good healthand fortune before the cross. It was now almost dark. Soon we saw thedownward slope, at the foot of which Huauhtla lay. We hastened downthe slope, passing through a grove of oak trees, heavily loaded withbromelias; at the foot of the slope, we crossed a stream of clearestwater, bordered with handsome cypress trees, and passing several houses, came to the one where we planned to stop for the night. It was now dark. There was no opportunity for sleeping in the hut, and so we preparedto lie down outside. The people in the house prepared _tortillas_ andbeans, and, after eating, we rolled up in our blankets and lay down onsome dried corn-husks on the ground. It was a night of suffering; thecold was so great that our blankets furnished no protection, and theplace swarmed with fleas innumerable. At last, at four o'clock, twohours before sunrise, we started on our journey in the hope of gettingwarm. The air was damp and heavy, and, until the sun rose, we hada desolate journey. We were again upon a limestone district, withinteresting features of scenery, and with few difficulties in the road. We passed many oblong hills of limestone, the horizontal layers of whichupon the slopes present tiers of steps, one behind the other. Thesehills were astonishingly overgrown with trees, and formed masses ofthe darkest green. There was a great deal of subterranean water, andsink-holes produced by caving over such streams were frequent. The soilgenerally was a residual red or brownish clay. Flocks of gray pigeonswere startled from their roosts by our passing; and little doves wereplentiful; great hawks and small eagles were seen in pairs, hoveringhigh in the air. We passed several little ranches, to one of which thename of El Zapato is given from a foot-print which is said to be paintedon the rocks at that point. Finally, we saw before us the hill behindwhich, Don Manuel assured us, lay Coixtlahuaca. To mount and drop downbehind it seemed a simple thing, but we had to traverse the whole lengthof the rather irregular ridge, which seemed interminable. The road whichled up to it was called the Rio Blanca--white river--an appropriatename, as it was broad and deeply worn into the soft rock of which theridge consisted. When we reached the crest, we found the ridge extendingas a flat plain of light, buff-colored tufa, with many trails worndeeply into it, and giving out, under the bright sunshine, a frightfulreflection of light and heat. Long before we reached the end of thisdreary stretch, we saw Coixtlahuaca and its adjoining indian villages, Nativitas and San Cristobal. As we drew nearer, the view was striking. The town is broad, but of little depth; its streets are laid out withregularity; its great church, with masses of ruin on either side, isconspicuous; the _plaza_ is large for the size of the town. To one sideof it are the _portales_ and the town-house and _jefatura_. To theright of the town and behind it is a large, walled cemetery with manygravestones. Back of all, rise hills of tufa, such as we had justtraversed. The houses, similar to those at Huautla, and in the countrybetween there and here, appear to be constructed with a view to cold. At least, two houses usually occur in one inclosure; the one, moreimportant, corresponds to the god-house of the Aztecs and the otherto the cook-house. The former is better built, and has low, carefullyconstructed walls, and a high abruptly four-pitched, heavily thatchedroof. Going to the _jefatura_, the young clerk there was much impressedby the documents we presented, and asked us if we would accompany him tothe _jefe's_ house, as thus no time would be lost. Upon arriving at thehouse of the _jefe_, we found that a wedding was about to be celebratedin the church. The _jefe_ received us with magnificent promises; weshould room at the palace, arrangements should be made for boarding ata private house, beds and other proper furniture should be broughtimmediately, and the following day we should journey on horsebackthrough all the indian towns of the vicinity. This was all very fine, but we told him that meantime we were hungry--we had eaten nothing sincethe night before and then had fared badly--and that we must unload ouranimals, which we had left with the rest of our company, standing infront of the palace. The unloading was done at once and we were giventhe schoolhouse for our quarters, at the rear of the _patio_ of thepalace. At this moment, however, everything else was neglected for thewedding. This we all attended, and it was, indeed, an occasion. Thebride in white, with veil and orange-blossoms, was accompanied by hermother, god-mother, and other female friends. She was really a prettyand wholesome indian girl, and the groom was a decent young _mestizo_, with gray wool sombrero, and linen jacket, cloth trousers, etc. Heand his god-father were bustling about attending to all sorts ofpreliminaries. In the solemn procession which took place to the church, the company of ladies preceded; the _jefe_ and myself led the line ofmale friends, and, when we filed into the church, the building wasfairly filled. The special friends, including our party, moved inprocession to the high altar, where the ceremony was performed. Thebridal company knelt with candles in their hands. Other candles, some ofenormous size, were burning in various parts of the church. The priest, with much ceremony, gave the sacrament of the communion to the couple, and then fastened two golden chains, crossing, about both their necks. A scarf of satin was placed upon them so as to cover both, passing overthe head of the woman, and the shoulders of the man. From the church, our procession, dwindled to the particular friends and guests of honor, walked through the village to the justice-court, where the civilceremony was performed. The matter having been accomplished with fullrespect to the requirements of the law, we thought again of dinner. The_jefe_ told us that to-morrow we should go to our boarding-place, butthat to-day we were to dine together in state. Time passed, hour afterhour lagged by, until the _mozo_ and _arriero_ struck for money, withwhich to buy themselves something to eat. Meantime, we waited. Finally, at three o'clock in the afternoon, we were summoned, and the _jefe_, myself, and our companions, started down the hot, dusty, main street. On and on we walked, until, at last, the _jefe_ himself impatientlydemanded of our guide how far we had to go. At last, we heard thestrains of music, and, shortly, found ourselves in a yard crowded withpeople, among whom two bands of music were present, one with stringedinstruments and the other with brass. It was the house of the bride, andafter a moment's waiting in the yard, we were ushered, by the _jefe's_clerk, into the building. It had been cleared of all its contents and along table, set in the middle, ran lengthwise of the place. Benches wereplaced beside it. A line of vases, filled with bouquets, occupied themiddle of the table and between these were bottles of wine, _catalán, mescal, pulque, tepache_, beer, etc. The ladies were already seated; wetook the remaining seats. The company consisted of the bride and groom, their parents, god-parents, families, and particular friends. And then, we had a dinner which amply compensated for the thirty-six hours throughwhich we had been fasting--good bread, soup, stews, broiled meat, _mole, mole prieto_, chicken, beans, sweetmeats, coffee, with the beveragesbefore mentioned. Dishes, when they came in, were politely passed acrossthe table to the ladies opposite; no one ate till all were served, andwhen we were through, the place was cleared, and another room full offriends sat down to the bountiful repast. And then a third, and thena fourth, till everyone had feasted, even to the commonest, and themusicians, to whom abundance was carried after those invited in hadeaten. Through all this lengthy feasting the bands of music alternatedwith each other. When all had eaten, the women quickly cleared thehouse, the tables were moved, and all the chairs of the neighborhoodwere set stiffly around the walls, after which dancing began, continuingthrough the night. 

[Illustration]

After having eaten, we stepped outside to visit with the crowd. Amongthem, several drunken men showed special friendliness. One of theseinsisted upon showing us an idol, which, from his description, shouldhave been a rather beautiful piece. It turned out to be a verycrudely-made head, wrought in coarse, cellular lava. Considering thematerial, the work was really fine; nor was it a fragment broken fromthe body, as there had never been more than what we saw. From here, ayet more drunken _dulcero_ insisted on our going to his _dulceria_ andbake-shop, where he told us that he had a much finer piece. We foundhe really had an enormous head, made of coarse, but rather bright, redstone; it was another example of the same type of separate head, a typewhich must be characteristic of the district. 

Notwithstanding the fine promises, we found no beds or other furniturewhen we returned to our room. This was not, perhaps, surprising, in viewof the excitement over the wedding, which might drive lesser matters outof the mind of the great official. With difficulty, we secured some matsfrom the chief of police, and made our beds with these upon the desksand benches of the school room. But, though we remained in Coixtlahuacaseveral days, no beds were forthcoming, though we referred to them oftenenough; nor did the private boarding-house materialize. We, however, found a little place in the village where we got plenty of good foodcheaply. Nor did the ride on horseback through the neighboring villages, which had been so pleasantly suggested by the _jefe_, materialize. However, each day of our stay we were assured that all arrangements hadbeen made for it to take place on the morrow. 

We have already mentioned the _plaza_ as large in proportion to the sizeof the town. On Sunday it was crowded, and while many things were boughtand sold, the trade in _sombreros_ surpassed all others. This is aspecialty of all the district; throughout the Chocho towns, they make anexcellent grade of palm-hats and everyone engages in the making. Bothmen and women braid palm, and in every yard there is excavated in thesoft, tufaceous rock, a _cueva_, or cave, in which they work. Herethe palm is left between times, and here two persons generally worktogether, each braiding at a hat, while a little cross, cut in therock-wall, looks down upon the work, for good luck. These caves have anarrow opening upward and are scarcely large enough to admit the twopersons who sit at their work. The object of the cave is to keep thework moist, as the plaiting cannot be well done, if the palm dries out. 

The Monday we were there, the victory of February 5th was celebrated. The day began with music by the brass-band, from the roof of the_presidencia_. The band, a large one, consisted almost entirely of boysabout fifteen years of age. Only the director and one among the playerswere men grown. At sunrise the national flag was raised, and at seventhe church-bells were rung. Through the afternoon, games of ball andcock-fights furnished amusement. Among the crowd, at the house of thebride, we had met a little, stout man of about twenty-five or thirtyyears, who considered himself superior to the other people, and whovariously attempted to make himself familiar. At several times duringour measuring and bust-making, he had hung around, making smart remarks, but we had never invited him to submit to measure, as he did not seem tobe a really full-blood indian. He had made a nuisance of himself, but, finally, one day, when he was standing in the crowd, which was lookingon, he called my attention to a friend of his, remarking that here wasa good subject. On calling this young man to be measured, we met withunexpected resistance. He was purely indian, short, well-dressed, andwell-mannered, but he refused to be measured. We had had some littletrouble with our subjects that afternoon, and therefore insisted that heshould undergo the operation. He refused. Of course, the officials wereon our side, and the police led him off to jail. When he saw that therewas no escape, he consented to be measured, and they brought him back, under guard, until the operation was performed. So much feeling had beenraised by the matter, that his foolish friend, to whose jocularity heowed the unpleasant experience, thought best himself to be measured. Accordingly measures were taken, although it was after dark, and acandle had to be used in reading. As our day's work was done, wereturned to our room, making ready to go to supper. The crowd haddeparted. To our surprise, we found these foolish fellows at our doorawaiting us. "Sir, " they said, "we would speak with you a moment. " Goingaside with them, I asked their wishes. They then launched out, withweeping and groans and much wringing of hands, into a dreary tale. Theywere young teachers waiting for appointment; one of them had a littlefamily; it would be a dreadful thing for them to be taken away andforced into the army. It was impossible to convince them that there wasno harm in the matter. After long discussion and elaborate explanations, they cheered up somewhat, but insisted that I must go to the house ofone of them, the one who had given trouble, to take _pulque_. Wewent, three abreast, each one of them taking one of my _brazitosqueridos_--"beloved little arms;" as we went, they alternately indulgedin admiring exclamations--"Ah, Severo, what a _maestro_! how fine agentleman! how amiable! Say Manuelito, was there ever such a one. " Atthe house, which was neat and clean, I met the mother and two littleones, who would be left behind in case Severo were forced to go into thearmy. Then the _pulque_ was brought in and sampled. As I was leaving togo to supper, they said, no, I must go to my room; they would accompanyme. In vain I reminded them that my companions were waiting for me atthe eating-place; I must be seen back to my very door, then I might gowhere I pleased; but with them I had gone forth, and until they saw mehome again, they would be responsible for my person. 

Coixtlahuaca itself is largely a _mestizo_ town. But immediately in itsneighborhood, and on its outskirts, are indian villages. All Chochosknow Spanish, and but few talk their own language. There is little ofinterest in their life and nothing characteristic in their dress, whichis that of _mestizos_ in general. But the physical type is well defined. The stature is small; the face is short and broad; the nose is wide andflat, with a fat, flattened tip; the hair is somewhat inclined to curl, especially on top behind. 

Despairing of the promised trip through the villages, we issued ordersfor our animals to be ready early one morning. Only after vigorouscomplaints and threats were they actually ready. The owner of the beastwhich I, myself, mounted went with us on foot, and a _mozo_ was suppliedfor carrying instruments. In spite of fair promises that we wouldleave at three, it was 4:40 before we started, though we had risen athalf-past-two. Our _arriero_ was the best we ever had; far fromsparing his good horse and grumbling at our speed, he was continuallycomplaining at our slowness. "Why don't the boys want to go fast?" hewould say. "Don't you want to get there at a good hour? Why do you goso slowly?" And then, striking the horse, he trotted along at wonderfulspeed. We reached Huautla at half-past-eight, stopping an hour to feedour horses and to eat beans and _tortillas_. We then pushed on down theslope, and out over the long ridge, passing the hut of our CordobanAztec woman. It was the hottest hour of the day when we descended thebroad road, over the hot rocks, and saw Cuicatlan in the distance. Thanks to our _arriero_, we drew up at Doña Serafina's when it was but3:40 in the afternoon, having been upon the road eleven hours. 

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XIX

HUAUHTLA AND THE MAZATECS

(1900)

A short ride upon the train, through the hot and dusty valley, broughtus to the miserable station of San Antonio, from which, we had beenassured, a coach ran daily to Teotitlan del Camino; arrived at thestation, no stage was in sight, and we were told that it sometimes cameand sometimes not. Accordingly, leaving my companions at the station incare of the baggage, I walked to the village, half a mile away, to seewhat arrangements could be made for transportation. It was hot, and itseemed difficult to arouse interest on the part of the town authorities. Neither conveyance nor animals were to be had. Accordingly, a footmessenger was sent to Teotitlan, which is a _cabecera_, asking that somearrangement be made for transporting us. As there was no hurry, and itwould be some time before we could receive an answer, I sat under thethatched roof in front of the town-house, resting and enjoying thelittle breeze which had sprung up. Suddenly the belated coach, itself, came into sight, bound for the station. Starting to mount, the drivertold me it was better for me to remain sitting comfortably in the shade, and that he would pick up my companions, of whom, I told him, therewere three, and that I could join the company, as they passed. Asarrangements had already been made regarding the transportation of thebaggage by mules, the advice seemed good, and I remained where I was. Along time passed, and when, at last, the coach arrived, it contained butone passenger, a dignified _licenciado_. When I asked the driver wheremy companions were, he answered that they had refused to come becauseI had sent no written order to that effect. I suggested that we shouldturn back and get them, but to this proposition he gave refusal. Notonly so, but the _licenciado_ expressed vexation at the delay which hewas suffering, and demanded that we should go on at once. Argument, persuasions, threats were all of no avail, and, as it was necessary thatI should see the _jefe_ at the earliest possible moment, I was forcedto mount the coach and leave my unfortunate and obedient companions totheir fate. For an hour and a half the coach lumbered slowly over a hotand dusty road, which passed between small, bare, gray or brown rockhills, rising to a higher level only a little before we reachedTeotitlan itself. 

Hastening to the _jefatura_, I discovered that the _jefe_ had gone toMexico, leaving the _presidente_ of the town as his lieutenant. This manwas neither willing, interested, nor efficient. He had little authority, even with his own policemen and townsmen. I requested that the firstthing should be to send for my companions and bring them to town withinthe briefest time. Orders were sent by the policemen to the driverof the coach, that he should return at once to the station; to theseorders, he sent the false reply that his coach had broken down, onewheel being completely ruined. After some wrangling and delay, the_presidente_ sent a foot-messenger to San Antonio with orders to theauthorities of that village to supply three animals for the travellers. The messenger left at five in the evening. Meantime, we arranged withdifficulty for beasts for our further journey. Although we were assuredthat no animals from the town could accompany us further than the first_ranchito_ in the mountains, named San Bernardino, they assured us thatfresh animals could be obtained there for the remainder of the journey. Going to the regular hotel in the village, we found the prices higherthan in Oaxaca or Puebla, and equal to those of a first-class hotel inMexico itself. As the landlady seemed to have no disposition to do aughtfor us, we decided to look elsewhere. At a second so-called hotel wefound a single bed. At this point, a bystander suggested that Don PedroBarrios would probably supply us lodging; hastening to his house, Isecured a capital room, opening by one door directly onto the main road, and by another, opposite, onto the large _patio_ of his place. The roomwas large and clean, and four good cots were soon in place. Havingordered supper at a little eating-house, for four persons, to be readyat seven o'clock, I spent a little time in looking at relics foundin the neighborhood. Pottery figures and heads are quite common andfrequently painted brilliantly; small heads and ornaments of green-stoneare not uncommon; curious clubs of stone for beating bark-paper are alsofound; objects of gold and silver have been found in ancient graves, near the foot of the mountains, on the outskirts of the village. Thesewere of curious forms and excellent workmanship, and included largeornaments for the ears and pendants for the neck, made of thin sheets ofgold; turtles and human skulls cast in a single piece; and most curiousof all, odd pieces of filigree where the gold-wire was coiled intostrange human heads. One of these was made half of gold and half ofsilver wire. 

At seven, no sign of my companions had appeared. A policeman went totell the keeper of the eating-house that we would eat at eight, and, putting my chair outside the open door, I sat in the cool air andwatched the people passing in the moonlight. Eight o'clock came, and nocompanions. The supper hour was postponed to nine. Between nine and ten, Don Pedro and I talked over various matters, and at last, yielding tohis solicitation, I went to supper, he promising to send my comrades incase they should arrive during my absence. I had just finished supper, at half-past ten, when my three hungry companions arrived, with bigappetites for their own meals, and it was after eleven before the partywas through its supper. 

[Illustration]

They, themselves, had by no means spent a dull afternoon. The stationagent and his lady wife had indulged in a vigorous battle. Both weredrunk, shot revolvers recklessly, bit one another, tore hair, andclubbed most vigorously. The man finally took $6, 000 in money out of thecompany's safe and left the station, vowing that he would never be seenagain. Though the authorities at San Antonio had received the order tosupply animals at six o'clock, it was after nine before they had thebeasts ready for the travellers. 

After an excellent night's rest we started our pack-animals, andwere ourselves ready for the journey at nine, when we found that noarrangements had been made for a foot _mozo_ to carry our instruments. This again caused delay and trouble, but at last we were upon the road, and started out through the little village towards the mountains. Myanimal appeared a beast of vigor and spirit, and my hope ran high. Themoment, however, that we struck the climb, matters changed. He thenstopped every few yards, breathing as if it were his last gasp. This hekept up for the whole ascent, and there seemed doubt whether he wouldever reach the summit. For a long distance, the road followed the sideof a gorge in which a fine brook plunged and dashed. We passed andrepassed picturesque groups of Mazatec indians with their burdens. Thewomen wore _enaguas_, the lower part of which was brown, the upperwhite. Their _huipilis_ are among the most striking we have seen, beingmade of native cotton, decorated with elaborate embroidered patterns oflarge size, in pink or red. The favorite design is the eagle. Men wore_cotones_ of black or dark blue wool. We had been riding steadily fortwo hours before we reached San Bernardino, where the _mozos_ and packanimals were changed, and where we rested for a few minutes. We thenrode for a long time, gently ascending through forests of pine or oak. Here and there the air-plants on the oak trees were notable. Finally, wemounted to a road along a narrow ridge, like a knife's edge, and fromhere on had one of the most remarkable roads that I have ever travelled. Keeping continuously upon the crest, we had upon the one side the dryslope, with the pine forest, and on the other the damp slope, denselygrown with low oaks, heavily clad with orchids and bromelias andweighted with great bunches of gray moss. The road passed up and downgentle and abrupt slopes separated by level spaces. When we first caughtsight of Huauhtla it looked so near, and the road to be traversed was soplain, that we expected to reach the town before three o'clock; but thetrail proved drearily long. True, the scenery was magnificent. The greatmass of mountains; curious ridges extending out from their flanks; themultitude of horizontal, parallel long roads following these; the littletowns, San Geronimo, San Lucas--all were attractive. From the greatslope opposite Huauhtla, the view of the town was most impressive. Before us opened a narrow valley, the depth of which we only realizedafter we had traversed it. An hour and a half was necessary for makingthe descent and the up-climb. From the point whence we were looking, thechurch, town-house, and clustered houses of the village were above us. Below stretched a line of _nublina_, and beneath it the whole greatmountain flank was checkered with the irregular brown and green fieldsbelonging to the villagers. It was already five o'clock when we beganthe descent from this fine view-point, and, on our way down the slopeand up the opposite slope to the village, we met great numbers ofdrunken indians, --as it was Sunday, --usually a man and woman together. Two of the men we met had been fighting, and were covered with blood;the face of one of them was livid with the blows which he had received. Many of the parties were noisy and quarrelsome, and some of them showeda tendency to meddle with us, as we passed. 

[Illustration]

The greater portion of the journey had been over fine, dry roads; afterwe reached the knife-edge ridge, however, whenever there was a descentor ascent, we found the road of clay, moist and slippery; in the rainyseason these bits would be bad enough. At this time of year they are dueto the _nublina_, great masses of which we saw from the time we reachedthe crest-road, and, at times, we passed through great sheets of itwhich cut off all view and which soaked our clothing. Upon our lastdescent and ascent, we were almost discouraged, and the last half-hourof our journey was made by the light of the moon, struggling through_nublina_. Though it was dark, when we reached the village, we wereimpressed with the fineness of the municipal-house, the best constructedwe have seen in an indian town. Its location, near the edge of themountain slope, giving a magnificent outlook over the great valley, isvery fine. The houses of the Mazatecs are picturesque. The walls arebuilt of mud, or slabs or posts daubed with mud, while the roofs arethatched with palm. The ridge pole extends, at both ends, in projectionswhich themselves are thatched, forming curious and striking horns. Thissame mode of thatch, picturesque in the extreme, is also used above thelittle granaries which are raised, on poles, several feet above theground, in order to keep the contents from the attacks of animals. Huauhtla is a large town. The village and its immediate dependencieshave a population of 7000. Until lately the town was jealous of visitsfrom outside, and little inclined to hospitality towards travellers. Ifthis were formerly true, it has ceased to be so. We were received mostheartily; the large and enthusiastic town government, after learning ourerrand, expressed their willingness to aid us in every way. They at oncecleared a fine large room in the town-house for our occupancy, preparedfour beds of boards covered with _petates_, and brought from thepriest's house, hard by, blankets, sheets, and pillows for my own use. Arrangements were also made for our eating with the priest, PadreManzano, with whom we fared in truly regal fashion. In the days westayed at Huauhtla, there were no delays in our work and everything wentin orderly fashion. It is true, our subjects for busts were an awkwardand trying lot. The first subject broke the back-piece of the mouldto fragments, and, when the plaster was being applied to his face, he opened his mouth and talked, opened his eyes, and drew out hisnose-tubes, with the result that eyes, nose and mouth were all filledwith the soft mixture, and it was all that we could do to clean himwithout damage. As for trying to take his bust again, that was quiteout of the question. The second subject was all right, until the lastapplication had been made, when he turned in the partly hardened mouldwith truly disastrous results. The third one acted so awkwardly that apiece of mould, which should have come off singly, was taken off in tenfragments. 

The dress of the Mazatec women is elaborate and striking, both _enagua_and _huipíl_ being made from the cotton woven by themselves. At thebase of the _enagua_ is a broad and heavy band of wool, embroidered ingeometrical patterns, the color being cochineal. Above these bands, there are embroideries in the same colored wool, animal and humanfigures, and geometrical designs. Unfortunately, cochineal, whilebrilliant, is by no means permanent, a single washing of the garmentspreading the color through the white texture. The _huipilis_ areornamented frequently with red, purple and crimson ribbons, bought instores in the town, which are sewed to the garment in such a fashion asto divide it into rectangular spaces. These, in turn, are occupied withthe elaborate large patterns in pink representing the eagle and otherdesigns already described. It is uncommon among Mexican indians tofind a native use of silk. Here, however, silk-worms are reared andcarry-cloths, kerchiefs and belts are woven from their product. Theseare worn by both men and women. The mode of wearing the hair among theMazatec women is in two broad, flat braids hanging down the back. Thewomen made no demur whatever to being measured, but everyone, whopresented herself for the operation, came dressed in her best clothing, with her hair elaborately braided, and showed serious disappointment anddissatisfaction if not invited to be photographed. 

[Illustration: MAZATEC WOMEN; HUAUHTLA]

[Illustration: HEAVY BRAIDS; MAZATEC WOMEN; HUAUHTLA]

The town has a most curious reputation, as devoted to commerce, and notto manual labor. In fact, it is considered disgraceful for a man ofHuauhtla to indulge in work. The people of San Lucas, the nearest town, and a dependency, are, on the other hand, notably industrious, and itis they who carry burdens and do menial work for the lordly Huauhtlapeople. Mrs. De Butrie told us that she tried in vain to get a cook inthe village. The woman was satisfied to cook and found no fault with thewages offered, but refused the job because it involved the carrying ofwater, and she feared lest she might be seen at such ignoble labor. Mr. De Butrie a while ago bought a set of shelves from a man who had them inhis house. As they were dirty, he suggested that they must be cleanedbefore he would receive them. The seller said, very well, he would sendfor a man of San Lucas to clean them. It was only lately that theycondescended to carry stuff to Teotitlan to sell. In the town-house theycherish two much-prized possessions, the _titulo_ and _mapa_ of thetown. The former is the grant made by the Spanish government to thisvillage, in the year 1763. It is an excellently preserved document inparchment and the old writing is but little faded. As for the _mapa_, itis a strip of native, coarse cotton cloth, seven feet by three feet nineinches in size, with a landscape map of the surrounding country paintedupon it in red, yellow, black and brown. It is a quaint piece ofpainting, with mountains valleys, streams, caves, trees, houses, churches and villages represented on it with fair exactness. It wasprobably painted at the same time that the _titulo_ was given to thevillage. 

The morning after our arrival, we witnessed a quadruple indian weddingin the church at seven. The brides were magnificent in the brilliant_huipilis_, and the godmothers were almost as much so, with their fineembroideries. The ceremony was much like that at Coixtlahuaca, alreadydescribed. The bride put a silver ring upon the groom's finger, andhe did the same by her; the priest put money into the man's hands, hetransferred this to the woman, and she to the priest; single chainswere hung about the neck of each of the party, both men and women; thecovering sheet or scarf was stretched over all four couples at once, covering the heads of the women and the shoulders of the men. 

Near the town-house, along the main street, is a series of sheds orshacks used as shops, altogether numerically disproportionate to thepopulation. Great was our surprise to find that one of these was keptby a Frenchman, who spoke excellent English, and who is married to anEnglish lady. They were the only white people living in this greatindian town. Monsieur de Butrie has a coffee plantation in the valley afew miles away, at Chichotla, but he finds the climate bad for himselfand lady. Accordingly, they had moved up onto the high land, and it iseasy for him, when he must give attention to his _finca_, to go to itfor the necessary time. They have some pretty children and are doingwell. We called at their house, quite like the others of the town, andwere hospitably received with chocolate and sweet English cakes. Duringour stay, this gentleman and his wife did their utmost for our comfort, and gave us many interesting bits of information regarding the people, their customs and their superstitions. We have elsewhere described indetail their witchcraft practices, their belief in transformation intotigers, and their ideas regarding the destiny and condition of personsafter death. 

[Illustration] [MAZATEC FROM SAN LUCAS]

[Illustration] [MAZATEC FROM SAN LUCAS]

Just across the way from the town-house, was a large house of the usualfashion, which we quickly learned was the rendezvous and practice-placeof the town band. This consisted entirely of boys, none of them morethan twenty years of age, and numbered upwards of thirty pieces. Theleader was a man of forty, a capital trainer. The daily practice beganat 4:30 in the morning, and was kept up until noon; then ensued anhour's rest. At one, they were again practicing, and no break occurreduntil long after dark. During the days that we were there, a singlepiece only was being practiced. It was our alarm clock in the morning, beat time for our work throughout the day, and lulled us to sleep whenwe retired for the night. Señor de Butrie insists that during the yearand more than he has lived in the village, several boys have blownthemselves, through consumption, into early graves. Our pleasant stayat Huauhtla came to an equally pleasant termination. Having stated thenumber of animals and human carriers necessary, and the hour at whichwe wished to start, we found every preparation made on awaking in themorning, and at 6:25, after an excellent breakfast with Padre Manzano, we sallied forth. Six human carriers bore our busts and baggage, andfour capital horses carried us rapidly over the good road. It was amagnificent morning, but later in the day, as the sun rose, it becamehot. We arrived at three in the afternoon with our carriers closebehind. The following morning we forgave the crabbed _cochero_ atTeotitlan sufficiently to take his stage coach for San Antonio, wherewe arrived in fifty minutes, having two hours to wait before thenorth-bound train took us towards Puebla. 

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XX

TEPEHUAS AND TOTONACS

(1900)

Leaving Puebla on the early morning train, and taking the Pachuca branchat Ometusco, we changed cars at Tepa onto the narrow-gauge Hidalgoroad for Tulancingo, which took us by a winding course through a great_maguéy_ country. After two hours of riding, in the latter part of whichwe were within sight of a pretty lakelet, we reached Tulancingo. Broadavenues, bordered with handsome trees, connected the station with thetown, in the _plaza_ of which we shortly found ourselves. This _plaza_consists of a large square, planted with trees, with an open spacebefore it, and is surrounded by various shops and the great church. It is pretentious, but desolate. In front of the treed space, weretemporary booths erected for the carnival, in which _dulces, aguasfrescas_, and _cascarones_ were offered for sale. Hawkers on the streetswere selling _cascarones_, some of which were quite elaborate. Thesimplest were egg-shells, dyed and stained in brilliant colors, andfilled with bits of cut paper; these were broken upon the heads ofpersons as they passed, setting loose the bits of paper which becameentangled in the hair and scattered over the clothing. Some had, pastedover the open ends, little conical caps of colored tissue-paper. Othersconsisted of a lyre-shaped frame, with an eggshell in the center of theopen part. Some had white birds, single or in pairs, hovering over theupper end. The carnival was on in full force, and we saw frequent bandsof maskers. They went in companies of a dozen or so, dressed likeclowns, with their clothing spotted and striped with red. Their faceswere concealed by cloth. They walked rapidly, almost ran, through thestreets. They spoke to no one, and did nothing except to keep up a loudand constant trilling of the most ridiculous kind. Packs of youngsterschased behind and crowded upon them; they also pelted them with stones, and the head of one of the maskers was bleeding quite profusely, but hestill kept up his headlong run and trilling. We had counted upon theassistance of the _jefe_, but found him too dignified to receive usoutside of office hours, and therefore we arranged the matter ofour transportation to Huachinango. The price was high, the coachinconvenient, and the _cochero_ unaccommodating. In vain we tried tohave all of our plaster taken in the load with us; only one-half couldgo, the balance must follow the succeeding day. Finally, at about ten inthe morning, we lumbered heavily away, and were soon out of the town, passing through a brown, hilly district, at first devoted to _pulque_plantations, but further along becoming fine pastureland. Neat fields, separated by bands of yellow, unplowed stubble, and true farm-houses ofgood size, were striking features. We passed through quantities of pinegroves, and everywhere a cold wind blew strongly in our faces. At oneplace, we were obliged to dismount and walk, on account of the sharpdescent, and found ourselves upon an ugly piece of limestone orsandstone rock, which soon, to our surprise, we found replaced by asolid mass of obsidian. The _cochero_, says that the place is knownas _itzlis_--the obsidians, the knives. It was 2:30 when we reachedAguazotepec, where we called upon the _presidente_, and engaged a_mozo_, for a _peso_, to convey our instruments the balance of thejourney, as we were completely tired out with carrying them upon ourknees. We also arranged with that official to forward the balance ofour stuff to Huachinango the following day. We also arranged to payfor horses from Aguazotepec to Huachinango. Having eaten an excellentdinner, when ready for resuming our journey, we discovered, withsurprise, that the stage was still our conveyance to Venta Colorado, only a league from Huachinango. There we were to secure the animalsfor which we had paid, though we were warned that only three could besupplied. Manuel and Louis at once tossed coins to see which shouldride first. Although we had paid the full cost of the coach, two otherpassengers were crowded in upon us, and the man, for whom we had paidthe _peso_ to carry our instruments, ran alongside the coach on foot, throwing stones at the mules, while we had again the pleasure ofcarrying the instruments and boxes on our knees. The country throughwhich we rode was much as before. For some time we passed through a finepine forest; then we made a deep descent into a valley, at the bottom ofwhich flowed a large stream, which was bridged by a grand old structureof stone and cement. This descent, and the opposite ascent, we wereobliged to make on foot, as the approaches were bad. We have beenimpressed strongly with the fact that everywhere in Mexico the worstbits of road are those which, in old Spanish days, were handsomelyand well paved; and which, during the disturbed period of the earlyRepublic, were neglected and allowed to go to decay. It is depressing tosee so many evidences of past magnificence and present poverty. It wasalmost dusk when, after skirting the edge of a deep gorge, we reached apiece of bad road, where the coach with difficulty made its way, withfrightful jolts and pitchings, till we drew up at Venta Colorado. Herethe coach was finally abandoned. Our animals were packed and mounted, and after fussing and quarreling with our ugly _cochero_ as to whetherhe or we should carry the bulk of our baggage, we started. The distancewas not great. It was down hill, and we had to pick our way with greatcare over the rough road, filled with loosened and separated blocks ofancient paving. 

This district, in one respect, reminded us of the Tarascan country. Every house along the road was a sales-place, where drinks, cigarettes, fruit and bread were offered, and each had the little boarded window, open when sales were solicited, and closed when business stopped. Thehouses, too, were log structures with shingled four-pitched roofs, andthe houses in the town were well built, cement-walled, with low-sloped, far projecting tile roofs supported on trimmed beams. One might as wellhave been in Patzcuaro, Uruapan, or Chilchota. Again the _cochero_; wehad told him that the stuff should go to the _jefatura_, and not to thehotel; he told us with great insolence that the _jefatura_ was closed, and that it would be impossible to see the _jefe_ and that the stuffwould remain at the hotel; he followed us, when we went to the _jefe's_house, and great was his surprise when he found our order efficacious. We had a long talk with the _jefe_, who told us that few indians livedin the town, and that none of them were Totonacs; he assured us that, though there were no Totonacs in Huachinango, we could find them inabundance at Pahuatlan, to which he recommended us to go. The nearestindian town to Huachinango is Chiconcuauhtla, but it is Aztec. The nextday was spent in town, waiting for our other baggage, and for the _jefe_to arrange our orders and lay out our journey. My day of fever was on, and I spent it mostly in bed. There were many indians in the market, most of whom were Aztecs, though a few were Otomis. The men wore darkbrown or black _cotones_; the _enaguas_ of the women were wool and weredark blue or black. Many carried on their shoulders carry-pouches, consisting of two rectangular frames of sticks, corded together alongthe lower side, and kept from opening too widely, above, by a net ofcords at the ends. The indians of Chiconcuauhtla are easily recognizedby their little flat, round caps. Late in the afternoon the bands ofmaskers, here called the _huehuetes_, were out. There were a dozen ofthem, dressed in absurd costumes; a bewhiskered Englishman in loudclothing, a gentleman, a clown, a lady, etc. These all went, by twos, on horseback; a clown and a devil and a boy with a prod, on foot, accompanied them. The duty of the latter, who remotely resembled death, was to prod the unhappy devil. They were accompanied by noisy crowds theseveral times they made the rounds of the town, keeping up the peculiartrilling, which we had noticed at Tulancingo. At dusk, these maskersdismounted and promenaded in couples about the _plaza_. 

Nowhere, as in this region, have we had so much difficulty with regardto animals. The demands were so exorbitant that we insisted upon the_jefe_ making the arrangements. He received us in anything but apleasant mood, but acceded, and finally we secured four horses and fourmules, for which we were to pay for two full days, and a foot _mozo_ towhom we also were to pay two full days' wages. As the _jefe_ himselfhad made this arrangement, we consented to it, but the man who wasoutfitting us then demanded pay for the _mozo_ who went to bring backthe horses and for the fodder of the animals. At this, even the _jefe_balked, declaring that he was not in favor of really robbing thegentlemen. Paying him the seventeen dollars and twenty-five cents, inorder that there might be no further discussion, we started. Just as weleft, the man who supplied the animals decided that our loads, whichbefore had been so large, were really not too large for three mules, which number was actually sent with us, though we had paid for four. We were ready for starting at seven, but it was ten before we left. Meantime, clouds had gathered, and just as we started, rain began. Therewere first several separate showers, and then a steady downpour, whichlasted almost till we reached Pahuatlan. All the blankets had beenpacked away, and we rode through the rain until our clothes weredrenched through and through. For three hours this continued, and itwas impossible to see anything of the country through which we passed. Finally, however, as we reached a great crest, and looked down into thevalley beyond, the sky was clear and we could see something of the sceneabout us. The descent we were to make, and the slope in front, werecovered with sugar-cane, broken here and there by great patches ofpineapples. With each plantation of sugar-cane there was a littleshelter of poles under which was a sap-trough or boiling-tank, while atthe side of and behind the shelter was a rude mill, the power for whichwas furnished by a yoke of oxen. Boys fed the fresh cane between thecrushing rollers, and the sap, as it ran out, was carried in littletroughs to vats. Not at all these little shelters was sugar-making inprogress, as we passed, but over both slopes many columns of smokeindicated places where the work was going on. The fire in the vat keptthe sap boiling, and a man standing near with a great ladle, piercedwith holes, kept dipping up and pouring out the hot sap. When we startedup the great ascent we had no hint of Pahuatlan, and, when we reachedthe summit, could see nothing of it. But hardly had we begun the descentbefore we saw the large and handsome town below, but still with a longslope and a sharp ascent to be passed, before we could reach it. Fromthe brook-side, at the bottom of the valley, almost to the villageitself, we passed through a dense growth of bananas, which seemed tohave suffered some damage, as many were dry and yellow, and individualleaves were curiously tattered and jagged. Among them grew other plants, coffee, orange-trees, peaches, and cane. When we reached the town, myheart sank; a church with handsome dome and modern tower, a planted_plaza_ with central fountain, buildings, of two stories with gaudyfronts and _portales_, surrounding three sides of the square, auguredbetter for comfort while we were in the place, than for workon Totonacs. We rode up to the _municipio_, where we found the_presidente_, a rather stylish young fellow, who was interested in ourwork and helpful. The town controls fourteen thousand persons, and itsname is derived from that of a large _ahuacate_, the Aztec name of whichis _pahuatl_. The _presidente_ assured us that there was no Totonactown, properly speaking, within the limits of the _municipio_. For allthis district, Orozco y Berra makes many errors. Atla, which he lists asTotonac, is really Aztec. The _presidente_, upon a local map, showed usthe interesting way in which natural barriers limit idioms. Twolittle streams, coming together at an acute angle, may divide threelanguages--one being spoken in the angle and one on either side. In Tlaxco, a small village in this _municipio_, four idioms arespoken--Aztec, Otomi, Totonac and Tepehua. 

Two years before, just as my work was ending, we were in the great Otomitown of Huixquilucan, in the state of Mexico. While resting at midday, Inoticed a neatly-dressed and clean young indian, plainly not Otomi, withwhom I conversed. He was an Aztec, and much interested in the work wewere doing. In our conversation, he told me that I would find much ofinterest in the state of Hidalgo, and particularly called my attentionto the making of paper from bark, which he had observed in the town ofSan Gregorio, two years before. This particularly interested me, and Ithen made notes regarding the method of getting to San Gregorio. I wasadvised by him, in case of going to that place, to talk with Don PabloLeyra, of Huehuetla, who was himself an Indian and a man of consequencein the district--a sort of _cacique_ among his people. Several yearsago, I had first learned from Señor Eurosa, a Mexican Protestantclergyman, that in the little town of Tlacuilotepec, there still surviveinteresting pagan practices. In planning our present journey, I hadarranged to visit San Gregorio and Tlacuilotepec for the purpose ofinvestigating this manufacture of paper and these pagan customs. Inquiring of the _presidente_ of Pahuatlan about his indians, I askedregarding paper-beating, and discovered that it was done at the nearestindian village of San Pablito, Otomi. We were told that bark of severalspecies of trees was used--_jonote_, dragon, and mulberry; that thepaper is usually made secretly and in-doors; that the passing travellercan hear the sound of light and rapid pounding as he passes through thevillage; that it is made in every house, and the proper season is whenthe sap runs, April to June; San Pablito is the only village in the_municipio_ where it is made. It is used in _brujería_ (witchcraft);other paper can be bought much cheaper, but only this kind isserviceable. It is cut into _muñecos_; representing human beings andhorses and other animals, and these are used to work injury to humanbeings and beasts, being buried in front of the house or in the_corral_. The judge, who was sitting by, told us that a prisoner broughtbefore him for trial was found to carry such a paper figure, which wassewed through the body with thread and had its lips sewed also; helearned that this figure represented himself, and that the lips weresewed to prevent him from pronouncing judgment on the prisoner. Theyassured me that the nearest point for finding Totonacs or Tepehuas, insufficient numbers for my purpose, was in the district of Tenango delDoria, where, at Huehuetla, we would find the largest Tepehua town, andthat in Pantepec, which is in the district of Huachinango, and nearHuehuetla, we would find Totonacs. We had had such ill success inlocating Totonacs so far, that, at our suggestion, they telephoned tothe _jefe_ at Tenango inquiring regarding the populations of Huehuetlaand Pantepec, with the result that we decided to visit those towns. 

At Tulancingo, we had been snubbed by the _jefe_, who would not treatwith us outside of office hours. When the _presidente_ of Pahuatlan tookus to the house where arrangements had been made for our accommodation, we found a garrulous, simple-minded, individual who was set to clearour room and make our beds. To myself, as leader of the company, hewas attentive and ceremonious in the highest degree, and on severaloccasions he took my companions to task for their ignorance regardingthe proper deference to display toward me. He inquired whether we wereacquainted with Señor Arroyo, _jefe politico_ of Tulancingo, and theninformed us, with pride that that gentleman was his "Señor Padre. ""If so, Señors, you may well ask why you see me thus dressed in_calzoncillos_. For two reasons: first, I am not a legitimate son, no, Señors, my lady mother, who bore me was an Otomi indian, but I am theacknowledged illegitimate son of my honored Señor Padre. Second, I hadthe misfortune to be involved in trouble in the district of Del Doria, which forced me to flee from that district to escape the _jefe_. But, sir, my Señor Padre said to me, 'son, I am the _jefe politico_ ofTulancingo and the governor of the State is Pedro L. Rodriguez; I am hisintimate friend, and we shall succeed in ousting that _jefe_ in Tenangodel Doria who has ordered your arrest. '" He also told us of one time, when his Señor Padre and an inspector visited that unfortunate districtas an investigating committee, and found the _jefe_ guilty and put himin jail _incomunicado_. He also told us of the band of Pahuatlan, justlyfamous, which made so great an impression in one town it visited, that it determined to go to Tulancingo to serenade the _jefe_ of thatdistrict, his honored Señor Padre. "And I was invited, sir, not that Iam a musician or know one note from another, but because I am ofthe family of the gentleman who was to be honored, and as a mark ofdistinguished favor to both members of the family. The band played sobeautifully, that it was not allowed to stop until half-past-eleven atnight, when it retired in great triumph. " All this was very interesting, the first time it was told us, but the natural son remained while we atesupper, and afterwards, following us to our sleeping-room, kept up therepetition until two were already in bed and asleep and the otherswished to be, when, finally, we turned him out and locked the door uponhim for the night. We have stated that we paid for four animals to bringour baggage hither, while but three were actually employed; the animals, both pack and passenger, started on their journey for Huachinango athalf-past-four in the afternoon, though we had paid both beast and mantwo full days' wages. 

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

Tlacuilotepec is a dependency of Pahuatlan. We started for our day'strip thither on a good lot of animals, at eight o'clock in the morning, with two foot _mozos_ for carriers. The journey was delightful. For alittle, we followed a trail down the left-hand bank of a fine ravine. Nearly at the foot we struck to the left, through a little cut, and weresurprised to find ourselves upon the right-hand slope of another gulf ofimmense depth. A few minutes later, we reached the point where the twostreams united. And from there on, for a long time, we followed thebottom of a great gorge. The rock walls were bold and often sheer, andthe upper line of mountain horizon was graceful and varied. The cliffswere mostly limestone, and presented remarkable examples of folding anddislocation. The long roots of trees, following exposed rock surfacesdownward for yards, and twisting and bending to find lodgment in thecrevices, were curious. Great tufts of a plant with long, narrow, light-green leaves hung down along vertical rock faces. In littlecaverns, at the foot of cliffs, were damp spots filled with ferns andbroad-leaved caladiums, and brilliant clusters of begonias in bloom. At several places, the water of springs or underground streams gushedforth, in natural rock-basins, or from under projecting ledges. At onespot, there was a dainty basin of limestone into which a pretty veil ofspring water fell gracefully. We crossed and recrossed the stream manytimes. Everywhere we were within sound of the creaking sugar-mills, andin sight of the ladling of boiled sap; everywhere we met _arrieros_driving animals loaded with little loaves of native sugar; everywherethe forest was broken with little patches of sugar-cane, growing on theslopes. Here and there, we saw cables slung across the streams, forpassing cargoes at high water. At one place was a fine display ofbasaltic columns, the position of which was horizontal, the flow havingcome up as a sheet injected from below, and not as a surface out-flow, where the jointage would have been vertical. Finally, leaving thisbeautiful ravine, we made a rapid ascent, passing a little villageconsisting almost wholly of a school, noisy with study, and a church, with a separate square tower. Shortly after reaching the summit, anddipping slightly, we found Tlacuilotepec. It is not a large town. At itscenter _mestizo, _ it has charge of several indian villages. We hadbeen referred for information concerning surviving paganism to a SeñorMartinez. We were interested in finding that the _presidente_ of thetown was a brother of this gentleman, and that both were Protestants. Wewere received with great cordiality, not only on account of our officialintroduction, but also because we brought an unofficial introductionfrom Protestant friends. Two charming beds were arranged in the littlemeeting-place in Señor Martinez's own house, and two others, almost asgood, were secured for the others of the party, in the little _meson_of the village. As we chatted, we were refreshed with a deliciousorange-wine, which is made here, and during our days spent with DonQuirino, we had meals fit for a king. The indians under his charge areOtomis, and in one little village, Santa Maria, Totonac. When we cameto inquire regarding the pagan practice for which we were searching, we learned that it was peculiar to the Otomis, and formed their annual_costumbre_--custom. They believe that Montezuma is to come again. Meantime, from him come health, crops, and all good things. Their_costumbre_ is a feast given in his honor, of which he is believed topartake. A _jacál_--hut--is prepared in a retired spot; a table isconstructed full length of the house within, and upon this a feast isspread of which all partake. 

Upon this table they place many _muñecos_ of paper; formerly these weremade of the bark paper, but they are now made of ordinary paper boughtin the stores. There may be so many of these that they cover the tablean inch or two thick. The feasters shove money, usually small piecesof silver, beneath these figures. They then kill turkeys and hens andchickens, and sprinkle the blood from the headless bodies over the_muñecos_. This they do that Montezuma may be propitiated, and give themwhat they desire; the money and the _muñecos_, sprinkled with blood, areleft upon the table after the feast, the former being stolen by passing_mestizos_. 

The _presidente_ stated that, at the _pueblito_ of Santa Maria, where weshould go upon the morrow to see some Totonacs, they had just celebratedtheir annual _costumbre_. He said that it might be somewhat similar, as they had sent him a headless turkey, as a gift. In the morning, wevisited this village accompanied by the two brothers. A half hour's ridebrought us to the spot, from which one gets one of the most lovely viewsin all this picturesque country. Standing on the end of a little spurupon which the village lies, one sees the handsome river below, whichseparates this _municipio_ from that of Villa Juarez. To the left, risemagnificent mountains covered with brilliant green vegetation, brokenhere and there by bare rock faces, from the base of which gentle slopes, extending down to the river, are covered with little corn-fields. Cuauhtepec, a Totonac pueblo, where all are said to dress in white, liesupon this stream, and immediately back from it the cultivated fieldsof the village stretch up to the very crest. To the right, is seenthe little ranch Tanchitla, with its fields, a strip of green forestseparating these from the fields of the next village, Tlapajualla. Thestream abounds in fish of various kinds, which form an important foodsupply. They are, however, rapidly being destroyed by the practice ofexploding dynamite cartridges in the water, by which not only the adultfish, but the young, of all ages, are killed. Unless the practice soonceases, and there are rigid laws against it, there will soon be no fishleft in any of the streams of this whole region. This particular streambears different names in different portions of its course--thus it iscalled Tanchitla, Pahuatlan, San Marcos, Caxones, Xico, etc. 

Having noticed that here, as at Pahuatlan, the banana trees were badlyinjured, we learned that this havoc was the result of two recenthail-storms, which were felt over a wide area, and which were of almostunexampled severity. By the time we had enjoyed the outlook, and learneda little of the village, the messenger who had been sent to call thepeople together had performed his duty, and a picturesque group of ourlong-sought Totonacs were at hand. The women wear _quichiquemils_ ofnative cotton cloth, the neck opening of which is over-hemmed withblack wool. Lines of crosses, rosettes, birds, etc. , are worked invarious-colored wools upon them. Many of them have a broad line ofcolor, in geometrical combinations, running vertically up the middle. The men wear _cotones_ of black and white. 

Twenty-five or thirty of the more important men of the village were nowtaken to the schoolhouse, where the _presidente_ inquired, for me, inregard to the _costumbre_. At first a little hesitancy was shown, butsoon all were interested and talked freely. The _costumbre_ comes atabout the same time each year, though not upon a fixed date. Its purposeis to secure health, good weather and crops for the coming year, thoughit may be held on the occasion of pestilence. Everyone, even widows andold maids, brings something for the feast. The celebration is held insome large house, and lasts through two days; floral decorations arearranged in the four corners of the room, candles are lighted, and_copal_ is burned. The first day, each person brings a handful of earthfrom his field, which is placed in a heap upon the floor. Fowls andanimals are slaughtered for the occasion; their heads are cut off andtheir blood is sprinkled upon the earth. After feasting and drinking, adance follows, the dancers wearing crowns and necklaces of yellow arnicaflowers, and carry in their hands wands made of pine-splints wrappedwith corn-husks, and with a flower of arnica tied to each end. Thesecond day, corn on the ear and beans are brought instead of earth, andthese are sprinkled with blood. On both days, blood-sprinkled materialis carried home, and the seed and earth are later put into the field. Inthe feasting-room, two paper lanterns are hung from the ceiling; theseare stuck over with gilt and colored paper disks and stars. Theyrepresent the sun and stars. Upon these lanterns a cross of blood ismade, at the time when the earth and seed are sprinkled. After the danceends on the second day, children shoot at the lanterns with small arrowsand try to break them. Disappointed that no mention had been made ofbark paper in connection with this ceremonial, we asked whether theyever used it. They answered promptly in the affirmative. For what? Towrap _ocotes_. With this, the man who told me hastened out and came backwith a little parcel in his hand. This consisted of twelve little sticksof pine about three inches long; they were tied together with a band ofthread or bark fibre, and were stained with blood; these were wrapped ina piece of green banana leaf, the upper face of the leaf being placedinside and the base of the leaf kept downward. When it had been thuscarefully folded, it was carried to the field and buried in a hole, carefully dug, so that the top of the package was close to the surfaceof the ground, and the face of the leaf wrapping was directed toward therising sun. To anyone who has studied American indian religions, thesetwo _costumbres_ suggest much of interest. 

The young man who had been most interested in our proper understandingof the _costumbre_ was anxious that we should see the village idols. These are kept concealed, apparently in a cave, though it is possiblethat they are buried in the ground. At all events, they exist, and inconsiderable number. A lively discussion ensued as to whether it wouldbe proper to show them to us, and it was decided that nothing ought tobe done until the old woman, who is at the head of the pagan practicesof the village, should be present. It seems that in the _costumbre_, already described, there are four priests or leaders. One of these isthe old woman just mentioned, and the other three are men. She was sentfor, and while we waited, we were told that, if we desired to seethe lanterns that were used in the last _costumbre_, they were stillpreserved in the _santocalli. Santocalli_ is a mongrel word--fromSpanish _santo_, saint, and the Aztec _calli_, house. It was a littlestructure of adobe and canes, close to the schoolhouse, and frontingwith it upon the little _plaza_ of the village. It had a two-pitchedthatched roof and a single door in the front. After some demur, it wasopened, and we entered. It consisted of a single plain room with twobenches made of beams along the wall. At the back was a terrible Christand Virgin, and, to the right and behind, another Virgin. These Virginfigures were both small and unattractive, and both wore _quichiquemils_. In front of the Christ and larger Virgin was a simple altar builtagainst the wall. In the floor, directly in front of it, were four smallhollows. To the right of the altar, a flat stone was set into the floor. In front of the altar stood a small table on which were censers andcandle-sticks. Underneath this table, the space between the fourlegs was occupied by a heap of ashes; in front and behind this wereill-defined basin hollows. To beams in front of these were hung thealmost globular paper lanterns already mentioned. When we had seen theselanterns, and were about to leave, the old _bruja_ appeared, with herfemale acolyte. She was furious over the desecration of strangersentering the _santocalli_, without her presence. She was a strikingfigure; very small, with a wrinkled, shrewd and serious, but not unkind, face; her white hair was almost concealed by her _rebozo_, which wasfolded square and laid upon her head with a portion flowing behind. The most striking thing was her great devotion, and complete unconcernregarding all around her. Entering, she hastened to the altar, knelt, --touched her forehead to the edge--and in a clear but not loudvoice crooned an impassioned cry to Christ, to San Jose and to theVirgin. Imperiously turning to her acolyte, she seized the censer filledwith copal, and, having lighted it, incensed the figures. Turning to the_presidente_, she asked whether he were going to placate the saint forinvasion by giving _aguardiente_ and candles, both of which appeared, asif by magic, when she was given money. Pouring _aguardiente_ from thebottle into a glass, she poured into the four basins in the groundbefore the altar, before the Virgin, before and behind the heaps ofashes under the table, and then placed it to the lips of the Virgin andChrist, lovingly requesting them to partake. She then compelled each ofthe three men priests to make the same libation. Taking the unlightedcandles, she made passes with them, over and across the figures, firstto one side and then to the other, brushing the wicks against them. This, too, had to be done by the three assistants, after which the oldlady began to make vigorous personal use of the bottle of spirits, though she was not at all selfish, urging, not only her acolytes, butthe _presidente_, his brother, and the chief guest, to partake. It wastoo late to suggest a visit to the idols, but the curious scene wehad witnessed gave sufficient food for thought. Hurrying back toTlacuilotepec, we ate a last excellent dinner, which had been longwaiting, and at three left for Pahuatlan. Our host, who had beenunremitting in his attention, refused all money. At certain indianhouses which we passed upon our homeward way, we saw curious pouchesmade of armadillo-shells, hanging upon posts or on the house walls. Welearned that they were used at planting-time for holding seed-corn. When the shell is freshly removed from the animal, it is bent into therequired shape, and then packed full with wet ashes, to make it retainits form in drying. Though it was half-past three when we left, the waywas so cool and delightful that we made the journey in three hours. 

During our day at Pahuatlan, with a guide furnished by the _presidente_, I made the journey on foot to Atla, an Aztec town, famous for the littlecotton sacks with red wool patterns, which are almost universallycarried by men throughout this district. White _cotones_, with narrow, dark stripes and a transverse band of red decoration at each end, andwhite _quichiquemils_, decorated with brilliant designs in red wool, arealso made here. Our object was not so much to see the village and thegarments, as to visit a famous witch's cave, situated in the noblepinnacle of rock, plainly visible from Pahuatlan. The whole partystarted out from Pahuatlan, but at the bottom of the great slope, I leftmy companions to swim, while the guide and I, crossing a prettycovered bridge, scarcely high enough for a man of my height wearing a_sombrero_, went on. It was a long climb to the village, but, whenwe reached there, my _mozo_ with great glee called my attention to_bruhería_ directly at the side of the church. In front of the building, to the right of the door as one enters, is a hole in the ground, intowhich a few large stones have been clumsily thrown or laid. Herechickens, flowers, eggs, etc. , are buried, in order to secure good luckor to restore health. Carefully removing some of the stones, we sawample evidences of such offerings, in bones, bits of egg-shells, anddried flowers. From here, the climb was easy to the crest overlookingthe village, and to the curious tower-like mass projecting conspicuouslyfrom it. The cave is situated in this mass of rock and faces almosteast; it is a shallow cavern, well-sheltered and dry, perhaps fifty feetwide along the cliff's front, though only the eastern third, which isthe more completely worn out, is used for ceremonies; it is, perhaps, no more than eight or ten feet deep, and has greater height than depth. Within the cave itself we found a little table, a small chair, and twoblocks for seats. On either side of the table, a pole was set obliquelyagainst the wall. The upper end of the left-hand pole was tied with astrip of palm which was looped through a hole in the rock wall. At twoor three other places, strips of palm had been slipped through naturalholes in the wall, behind bars of stone, and then tied. To the left, were a censer and two candle-sticks, behind which, lying obliquelyagainst the wall, were twenty-five or thirty dance-wands. These weresticks wrapped with corn-husks and tufted with clusters of flowers tiedabout the middle and at each end. The flowers used were mostly theyellow death-flower and purple ever-lastings. Two or three of them weremade with the yellow death-flower--_cempoalxochil_--alone. A few weremade of _xocopa_ leaves. While only twenty-five or thirty were inposition, hundreds of old ones lay on the bank to the left. Three smallcrosses of wood were placed near the wands; much white paper, clippedand cut into decorated designs, was lying about, as also wads of cotton, colored wools, long strings of yarn, and bits of half-beaten bark fibre. Near the front edge of the cave was a hole with large stones; here, witha little scratching, we found feathers and bits of bone of turkeys andhens, that had been sacrificed, as well as splints of pine tied togetherwith bark string. Wooden spoons, probably used in the banquets of thewitches, were stowed away in crevices of the rock. Chains of the yellowdeath-flower were looped up against the wall. It is said that the peopleof the town never enter here, but only _brujas_. Nor is it the exclusiveproperty of the witches of Atla, of whom there are but two or three, butthose of several pueblos make their rendezvous in this cave. In fact, from the crest, we could see two other little towns that are interestedin this cave, though located in another valley. 

[Illustration: THE PAGAN PRIESTESS AND HER ACOLYTE; SANTA MARIA]

[Illustration: THE WITCH'S CAVE AT ATLA]

Don Antonio, at whose house we stayed, told us that San Pablito is worsefor _bruhería_ than Atla. He says the people of that town make use of_muñecos_ of wood, of various sizes. For these he makes many littleshoes, for which he charges five or six _reales_ a pair; at that time hehad orders for three pairs, and showed us the little forms or lasts heemploys, and the special leather; they are particular about this, usingblack for shoes for males and red for females. He says they alsouse little hats, _serapes, enaguas_ and _quichiquemils_, for their_muñecos_. Some of these dolls they place on the altar in the church, and consider them as sacred, though they remove them when they expectthe priest. Others they take to a lake in the district of Tenango, nearSan Pablo el Grande, and leave them there as offerings. They also throwmoney and other offerings into the lake. 

We started at eight o'clock the following morning, bound for Tenangodel Doria. For a little time, after leaving Pahuatlan, we mounted, soonfinding ourselves at the top of a magnificent crest. From here thedescent was rapid and profound; in front of it rose an equally abruptslope to an even greater height; toward the left this presented awonderful knife-edge crest, jagged and toothed astonishingly, and onthis great slope, below the level where we were, we saw San Pablito, prettily located. As it was Sunday, most of the people were on theirway to market, and we saw many Otomis, whose dark color and broad facesreminded us of those in the state of Mexico, though they did not presentso marked a type. The _enaguas_ of the women consisted of an upper whitestrip and a lower striped one, the colors in the latter being blue andwhite, or white with a broad band of purplish blue, in which were wovenwhite designs. Their _quichiquemil_ was usually rather plain; white witha broad band of red, magenta or purple, parallel to the edge. It might, however, be decorated with a number of very small geometrical, floral, and animal figures, worked in brown, purple and blue, which were neverso crowded as to destroy the white background. At 9:30 we reached theschoolhouse and called out the teacher, to whom we delivered a letterwhich the _presidente_ of Pahuatlan had given us for him. He summonedthe town authorities and we made known our wish to see some of the barkpaper. At first there was some hesitancy, but, at last, an old womanproduced two sheets which, she said, she made the day before. At ourwish she then brought out the _tabla_, or board of wood on which thebeating is done, and the stone for beating. The latter was smaller thanthe ancient beating-stone, and not grooved upon the beating surfaces; ithad, however, the side notches for convenient holding in the hand. Theboard on which the beating is done is smooth, and is constantly cleanedand soaped. Two kinds of bark are used, _moral_ and _xalama_, the formergiving white, the latter a purplish paper. The bark is thoroughly washedwith lye-water taken from soaked maize; it is then washed with freshwater and thoroughly boiled; it is split into thin strips which arecarefully arranged upon the board. First the border is laid out the sizeof the sheet to be made; then, within this, strips are laid lengthwise, side by side. All of this is then beaten with the stone until the sheetof paper results. The paper when finished, presents two sides quitedifferent from each other; one, smooth and finished, is the surface thatwas below in the beating, while the other, rougher, is the one that wasbeaten with the stone. The sheets are dried in the sun, carefully foldedinto convenient size, and done up in packages of a dozen, which are soldto the indians in all the country round about. We secured seventeendozen sheets of this paper, and samples of the bark, and the board andstone used in the beating. 

While arrangements were being made for showing us these detailsregarding paper-making, we visited the village church, which was verymean and bare; we were disappointed to find nothing suspicious in theway of _muñecos_. It was suggested that we should visit the _oratorio_, where we found more. Here they held their _costumbre_ in June, orthereabouts. Saints were arranged in the back of the room on a raisedaltar; in front of this, running through the middle of the room, was atable on which stood censers and small candle-sticks of rude pottery. Upon the wall, over the saints, were decorations of rushes. Here thewhole village feast and dance. There were no _muñecos_ present, but wefound plenty of cut paper, most of which was probably decorative; themost curious was cut into groups of human figures, some of which hadcrowns and horns, or tufts of hair, upon the top of their heads. Thesewere said to be decorations for Montezuma, in whose honor the feast wasgiven. Leaving San Pablo at eleven, we rapidly made what remained of thegreat ascent. As we neared the jagged crest of rock, it appeared moreirregularly gashed and pinnacled than ever. At the crest, leaving theold road, which passed directly through the fantastic mass of rocks, we reached San Nicolas, from which, on looking backward, we gained amagnificent view of the valley and a fine waterfall, which shone like asheet of polished metal, far up the mountain side. From here our roaddescended gently, but winding, in and out, through a series of narrowvalleys, lying between parallel ridges. As we passed the crest, we saw alevel field of green corn, which looked as if we must reach it in a fewminutes. But the curves of the road proved frightfully long. It wasafter two o'clock before we reached the green field, and, just below it, Tenango del Doria, and made our way to the _jefatura_. 

When the _jefe_ came, we found, to our surprise, that he was the DonPablo Leyra of whom Xochihua had told us two years before. He is a pureindian, tall, smooth-faced, of gentlemanly manner, and with all thereserve characteristic of his race. He has lived at Huehuetla sinceboyhood, forty-four years, till just now, and has but recently come totake the position of _jefe politico_. He has not yet moved his familyfrom Huehuetla, and occupies a single room in his office-building. Hesecured us a pleasant room, with good beds for the older, and goodmattresses for the younger, members of our party, in a house near-byupon the hill. The _jefatura_ fills one side of the little _plaza_;around the other side are _tiendas_, with high-pitched single roofs, andprivate houses. The town suffers much from _nublina_, and is cold mostof the time. 

[Illustration: INDIANS FISHING IN STREAM]

[Illustration: PAGANISM AND CHRISTIANITY]

We asked Don Pablo about the lake, concerning which we had heard. Hesays it is not as much visited as formerly. While used by Otomis, andothers of this district, it is most favored by the Huaxtecs, parties ofwhom go there from long distances. They visit it when there is drought, for fear that the siren, who lives in it, is annoyed at their neglectingto make gifts; when there is too copious rain, they visit it to beg herto desist from sending more, and, when crops have been destroyed, toplacate her anger. Sometimes two or three hundred indians are in thesecompanies. They bring _muñecos_ of wood, cloth, clay, or even metal;such are shod, clad and hatted. They leave these upon the shore. Theyalso bring seeds and strew them in the water, and some throw money in. They also make offerings of turkeys and hens. Sometimes these bandsspend several days on the shore, dancing and eating. 

We found that Don Pablo had arranged all our plans. We were to leaveat nine, dine at twelve at San Bartolo, leave there at one, and reachHuehuetla between five and six. It was really only a quarter-past-ninewhen we did start, and the _jefe_, himself, saw us on our way. Thejourney was uneventful; the descents were gradual; we saw San Bartololong before we reached it; and, between it and us, there lay a valley, like a narrow gash, down which we had to go, and up the other side ofwhich we had to climb. We passed Santa Maria, an insignificant town, just before reaching the edge of this gully. From there we saw, in themountain ahead, above and behind San Bartolo, a great cavern which webelieve must belong to witches. Arriving at San Bartolo, we foundthe market in full progress, and had ample opportunity to see thecharacteristic dress of the women, with the little black, red and purpledesigns embroidered upon the white ground. We were impressively receivedat the town-house, for Don Pablo had telephoned them to be ready. Still, we waited a long time for the promised dinner, but at half-past-oneclimbed up a steep hill, in the rear of the town-house, to the homeof the _presidente's_ father, where a very elaborate meal had beenprepared, with wine and luxuries. All payment was refused, and, after wehad rested and refreshed ourselves, we left at half-past-two. The roadwas long; it followed the side of a great gorge, into which it descendedabruptly; in this gorge we saw magnificent vegetation. The trees wereheavily hung with long vines and ferns; parasitic fig trees, huggingvictims whose life sap they were stealing, were abundant. The countrywas of limestone. On the whole, the road was good, but, here and there, were patches where we traveled over sharp and jagged out-croppings ofrock, and near Huehuetla we were forced to make some stiff climbs up thecliff sides. Flocks of parrots were numerous, especially toward evening. The stream was a handsome one, with clear, deep water; we crossedand recrossed many times. The foot-paths rarely crossed, being cutsometimes, as a narrow trail, in the rock of the cliff. Noticeable werenumerous silvery lines of water falling over the cliff, several of whichmust have been hundreds of feet in height; these little threads of waterwere impregnated with lime, and deposited material in a sheet upon thebank over which they flowed, so that trails of brown tufa marked theirlocation; the lower ends of these deposits expanded into fan-like massesof tufa, over which the water trickled, dripped or fell. Where there wasnot sufficient water to produce a stream and fall, but enough to keepthe tufa moist, the growth of ferns, and other delicate vegetation, wasbrilliant and striking. We passed a number of coffee and sugar rancheson the road. It was dark long before we reached Huehuetla, and had itnot been for the moonlight struggling through the clouds, we should havehad difficulty in traveling the last portion of the road. At 7:35 wearrived, and went at once to the large and handsome house of Don Pablohimself, where we were expected, and where an elaborate supper was beingmade ready. The largest room in the house was put at our disposal andgood beds and cots, beautifully clean and carefully made, were ready. Formerly, Don Pablo was the _presidente_ of the town. His successor wasat the house to meet us, within five minutes after our arrival, and tooksupper with us. It is needless to say that in this town we met with nodelays in our work. To our surprise, we found a fellow countryman, acivil engineer named Culin, from Philadelphia, who has done and is doingmuch work for the pueblos of this region. 

Huehuetla is a large town, occupying a long valley hemmed in betweenmountains and bordering a stream. The streets are regular, and the viewfrom the hills about, looking down upon the well-built houses and theintersecting streets, is very pretty. The houses have substantial wallsof stone and mud, and many of them are white-plastered outside; all havea thick and heavy thatch. The _plaza_ lies before the house wherewe stopped, and, to the right, the large church stands on a terracesomewhat above the town. A large school building, finer than many of thebest in some large cities, was just being finished; its construction wasdue to Don Pablo's influence, and it was soon to be occupied. Meantime, the children were given instruction in the church, and at noon andevening, when their lessons were closed, they marched in double file, down the flight of steps in front of the church and across the _plaza_, where they separated and made their way home. During the time that wewere working at this town, when the school children filed past, theyalways removed their hats in the most respectful manner. While there aremany _mestizos_ in the town, it may truly be called an indian town, thelargest of those belonging to the Tepehuas. According to Orozco y Berra, Tepehua is not related to any other language in Mexico. We have notstudied it sufficiently to be sure that he is right; it is, however, certain that the language has been much affected by the Totonac, if itis not related to it, and many words in the two languages are the same. The people of this tribe have a great reputation, more or less deserved, for cleanliness; probably it is comparative, contrasting with theneighboring Otomis, rather than positive. However that may be, both menand women are usually dressed in clean white clothing. The _enaguas_of the women are plain white; their belts have a foundation of whitecotton, but raised designs of black wool are so thickly worked upon themthat the white is quite inconspicuous. 

The _camisas_ and _quichiquemils_ are generally white, with a verticalband of red, and with a few animal figures. Women wear many necklaces ofbright beads, and braid their hair into two braids, which end with tapesof various colors, --brown, red, green, maroon, and black. These braidsare brought together over the head and knotted in place. We secured nowomen for measure until we had practically completed the work with men, when they came with a rush, the whole twenty-five at once, dressed intheir best clothing, and insisted that the work must be done insidethe schoolhouse, out of sight, instead of on the street, where we hadoperated on the men. We had no opportunity to see any of the popular_danzas_, in some of which, we were told, songs were sung in the Tepehualanguage, but we did see examples of the little _teponastls_, or drums, used on these occasions; they are made from a round block, perhaps teninches long and three inches in diameter; these are hollowed out below, so that two thin lips only are left above, which, when struck, give outfar more musical tones than one might expect. The two nights that wewere at Huehuetla, we saw men and women fishing in the stream; carryingblazing torches in their left hands, they waded out into the water andwatched to see the dark bodies of the fish against the pebbly bottom ofthe stream; in the right hand they carried a _machete_, about a foot inlength, with which they stabbed the fish, rarely missing. 

We were now ready for the last tribe of the season, the Totonacs ofPantepec. Pantepec is in the district of Huachinango, and we had noorder from the _jefe_; Don Valentino, the _presidente_ of Huehuetla, said, however, that the _presidente_ of Pantepec was his friend, andthat he would give us a letter of introduction, which would serve allpurposes. As we were to return by Huehuetla, we left the busts which wehad made, and all but our most necessary baggage, at Don Pablo's house. Though we started at ten, we took the journey slowly, photographing andhunting birds. The road was a trail in a ravine, with all the beautifulscenery with which we now were so familiar. At one point we saw acurious phenomenon. The cliff rose vertically from the water's edge, ata place where the stream made a right angle; this cliff consisted ofalmost horizontal strata of varying hardness, so that some of the layerswere worn a little more than others, leaving these projecting. In thespace between these projecting layers, round river-pebbles, from thesize of hen's eggs up to the size of a man's fist, were firmly wedged, so that it was with difficulty that they could be dislodged. Not a few, but hundreds of the pebbles, were thus wedged, so regularly and firmlythat we could not believe the work to be that of nature, but suspectedhuman hands. We learned, however, that nature really had done the work, on the occasion of a flood, the result of a cloud-burst, which sweptinto the valley two or three years before. At several places in thisstream, we saw groups of from two or three to ten or twelve Totonacindians, who were fishing with little nets. Our trail led back and forthacross this stream many times, and before we reached Pantepec we hadmade thirty-nine crossings. From our last crossing, we climbed a steepascent, passing the little village of Tenasco, and found ourselves atPantepec. We rode at once to the town-house, and were told that the_presidente_ was sleeping; we went then to his house, where we wereinformed that he could not be disturbed. We left word that we must seehim as soon as possible, and that he would find us at the _municipio_. Nearly three hours passed before he put in his appearance. Inasmuchas we had seen this man's _jefe_, and he knew our errand, we toldthe _secretario_ to send a message for us to him at Huachinango. Wecarefully wrote out the message for forwarding, in which we told the_jefe_, that we had waited three hours for attention from the townofficials, and asked how much longer we should put up with delay. Wenever heard his answer, but in less than ten minutes, the _presidente_, covered with perspiration, was waiting for our orders and everypoliceman or the force was ready for our bidding. The message hereceived from the _jefe_ must have been vigorous, for not only waseverything done for our comfort, but work was rushed. During the nextday we measured ninety-eight men, photographed twelve subjects, and mademoulds for all our five busts--an unparalleled day's labor. We werefortunate in one respect--that the men had been summoned that day forpublic labor. So far as men were concerned, they gave no difficulty assubjects. With the women it was different, and full half a day was takenin getting together our twenty-five types; not but what there wereplenty of them, for our second day at Pantepec was market-day, and the_plaza_ was gay with women, but they did not wish to be measured, andthe whole town force, from _presidente_ to the meanest _topil_, wasafraid to meddle with them; at first, too, we had none but the mostwretched cases, women broken down and worn out with years of labor. Whennearly half our number had passed through our hands, and all presentedthis same unsatisfactory type, we were forced to make a sharpremonstrance, and only so did we get fair samples of young andmiddle-aged women. 

At Pantepec the centre of the town is _mestizo_; the Indians consist ofOtomis, of whom there are thirty households, and Totonacs forming thebulk of the population. It is easy to distinguish the women of the twotribes by the difference in dress. The _quichiquemils_ are particularlypicturesque. Both are more heavily loaded with embroidery than anyIndian garments we had ever seen, but the styles of the two decorationsare completely different. The _quichiquemils_ of the Otomis are smallerand completely covered with red and black embroidery; those of theTotonacs are much larger, and portions of the white foundationsmay still be seen, notwithstanding the heavy patterns in brilliantcolors--red, green, yellow and blue. Mothers put babies onto one side, with their little legs astride a hip, and then tie them firmly in placewith an _ayate_, or carry-cloth, of cotton, thus leaving their handsfree for work or other burdens. If we had difficulty measuring theTotonac women, we had still greater difficulty in photographingsatisfactory groups of them. Neither pleadings nor bribes on our part, orders nor threats on the part of the officials, had much influence. 

Pantepec is a large town, situated near the edge of the great mountainmass, and looking across a valley, which is backed by what appears to bea flat-topped, straight-edged, table mountain. The houses of the townare scattered over a considerable area upon the slope. The walls are ofpoles, heavily daubed with mud which is neatly and smoothly laid on. Thecorners of this mud covering are rounded, instead of angular, as usualelsewhere. The thatch is heavy and firm, and squarely cut along itslower edge, where it projects far beyond the walls. The _plaza_ is abovethe town-house, and is extremely ugly; a kiosk, which certainly canlay no claim to beauty, stands in the centre; ugly shacks, used as_tiendas_, border a part of it along the main road. Striking, at thistime, in the village were the _colorín_ trees, some of which occurredin almost every enclosure; they were in bloom, and had long, slender, flaming-red, cigarette-shaped flowers, which appeared before the leaves, from trunks that were gnarled and brown and almost branchless. Manypopular _danzas_ are celebrated here, but none was taking place duringour stay. San Gregorio, the town of paper-making, is not far fromPantepec, and large quantities of the bark paper are beaten in thelittle village of Ixcoyotla, which belongs to this _municipio_. Askingan old Otomi whether he knew about this paper, he answered us, withgreat cunning, that we probably knew as much of it as he did. He finallycondescended to state that the _muñecos_ of it were used in curingdisease; that anyone who has a disease secures one of these _muñecos_and applies it to the diseased part. The _presidente_ insisted that thispaper was not made from _jonote_, but from _uli_, and that formerly itwas much used in making strong and durable belts. 

[Illustration]

In starting back the next morning, we went down a different slope fromthe one by which we had come, with the result that we had to crossthe stream five times more than before, making the full forty-fourcrossings, of which we had been warned by Culin while we were atHuehuetla. We made our way leisurely, stopped when we pleased, and atone point noticed a cave, which we had not seen before, just across thestream, at a point where it was at its deepest. The cave was so near thewater's edge, that it could only be approached from the stream. The boysswam across and entered it to see if perchance they might find some ofthe paper figures used in _bruhería_. They found little of interestwithin; the walls and rocks were marked with crosses, and on the floorwere hundreds of little sticks cut to various lengths. We were glad, indeed, to reach Don Pablo's house, to eat his good supper, and tooccupy his good beds. Before we went to bed, Doña Panchita suggestedthat we ought to see certain _muñecos_ kept by a man named Diego, andused as idols by the village. Accordingly, she sent orders that the manshould bring his _muñecos_ to the house for us to see. To this request, he returned the proper reply, that he would not do so; that they wouldbe offended; that they were not toys to be carried about at the nod andbeck of everyone. This greatly increased our interest, and we arrangedfor a trip to his house. We first sent a messenger forward, with wordthat we were coming, and ordered him to stay there to see that Diegodid not run away or hide the idols. After supper, Doña Panchita, ourcompany, Mr. And Mrs. Culin, and one or two others, picked our way bymoonlight across the stepping-stones and foot-bridge, up a trail bycoffee groves along a purling brook-side. We were soon at the house, andafter some hesitation, Diego led us to the Holy of Holies. The _muñecos_were kept in a little house, which contained an altar built of boards, with fresh flowers for decoration. At the back of the altar, against thewall, were prints of Christian saints; on the altar were censers and anopen bundle of _copal_. Two wooden boxes were at the right end of thealtar, against the wall. These contained _muñecos_ which, for sometime, Diego hesitated to produce. Finally he took out an idol of ratherfine-grained, brownish-gray stone; the head was large and infantile, with the Mongolian cast of countenance; its badly shaped and scrawnyarms were raised so as to bring the hands together on the chest; thebody was shapeless. This figure was clad in a suit of unbleached cotton, much too long and slender for it, and the arms of the _camisa_, and thelegs of the _calzones_ hung limp. When we had duly admired this figure, a second was produced--a pottery female-head, fairly shaped, with nobody to speak of; this had glass earrings fastened in the ears. Next, asmall headless figure was brought out; it was old, though probably madeafter the Conquest, and we agreed that it represented a _padre_. Nextwas a simple pottery head. Last was a figure, with small head andpointed cap, made apparently of pottery; the body had been pieced out todisproportionate length with wood, and ended in a pair of wooden feet;this was dressed in black velvet, and wore a black hat. These, Diegoasserted, were all he had. After having expressed our delight with them, and our regret that we had not known what we were to see, that we mighthave brought with us some fine white _copal_ as incense for these gods, we set them up in a straight line on the edge of the altar to make aflashlight picture. As we left, we gave Diego two _reales_ to spend forthe benefit of his gods. After we left, we were assured that he hadfiner ones of black stone, which he dresses in red, but we were contentwith the ones we had seen. These figures are particularly used onSeptember 16th, San Miguel's day. They are also used at sowing-time, atharvest, and at the first cutting of sugar-cane. On these occasions, incense and candles are burned, the idols are taken in the hands, and tothe sound of music, worshippers move the figures, causing them to dance. Pleased with this, they give good rains to the faithful worshippers. When there is too much rain, they go in procession to the river, playingmusic and dancing dolls; when arrived, they peg down many _ayates_ andsacks, made for the purpose, into the water against the flow. These aredams, to stay the flood. On the other hand, when there is drought, aprocession carries the idols to a cave, where a feast is given and adance, with wands of flowers carried in the hands, indulged in. 

Though the price for animals from Huehuetla to Las Tortugas wasexorbitant, we had agreed to pay it--but told the man that, if he leftlater than six, it should be cut two dollars. It was long after eightbefore they appeared, and then it was only our own animals that wereready. We were forced to leave the packing to be done by the man himselfwithout direction; we ourselves hurried along the trail, hardly stoppingat San Bartolo on the way, arriving at Tenango at 4:15. Our animalswere fagged, and we were soaked to the skin, having travelled through_nublina_ most of the afternoon. Don Pablo received us with his usualcourtesy, and had arranged for us to sleep at the same house, where wehad been before. At bed-time, our man with the mules had not appeared, and we had received most contradictory and discouraging statementsregarding him. He had started at nine with two mules and left half ourstuff for another day; he had been seen at the river near San Bartolowith two mules heavily loaded, unable to proceed; he had concluded tostop at San Bartolo for the night, to push on to Tenango the next day, and reach Las Tortugas on the third. Dissatisfied and uncertain, we wentto bed; still, we determined to leave at five, and so gave orders toour _mozo_. We rose at 4:15 and the horses were ready before five. Contradictory stories were again told us regarding our animals. Somesaid the man had passed with them at five o'clock; others that he hadnot yet come; others that he had spent the night at Santa Maria. Ourfoot _mozo_ did not come, and sending the rest ahead, I waited for him. Hardly had they started, when Ramon galloped back to announce that theman was in town, that he had three animals and was nearly ready toleave. As he, himself, had told us that he must leave Tenango at threein order to reach Las Tortugas in time for the train, this was notreassuring. Ramon hastened on with the party. At six the _mozo_ appearedand started at once. In a few minutes we passed our _arriero_ who waspacking, but not ready to start. I urged him to hasten, but did notwait. Mist had settled during the night, but it was now rising, and wecould see the scenery, which, in wildness and beauty, was almost theequal of anything in Mexico, though with a character quite its own. Ourtrail ran along the side of a precipice; to our left rose great cliffspresenting almost vertical faces of smooth rock; the summits werejagged, and suggested that the mass consisted of stratified rocks tiltedup on end. Just as we left town, two narrow and lofty parallel rockssuggested a gate-way. Further down, a mass was worn out into a sharpcolumn, a little separated from the rock mass behind. On the right, wasthe precipice, ever abrupt, and sometimes the almost vertical bank of ayawning chasm. After an hour and a half over the fairly good road, wecame to a grand ascent. It was magnificent, though difficult. In somespots the road was muddy, and at others it was a series of rough stonesteps; at still others, it was the unmodified bed of a mountain torrent. As we followed up this gorge, side-gorges joined it, in which weglimpsed pretty cascades, pits worn by little falls, trees, the trunksof which were covered with thick sheets of green moss, quantities oftree-ferns blighted by the late frost, cliffs, and wild forms of rock, in wonderful variety. At last I reached the summit and overtook Manuel, whose horse was completely fagged, and who had been forced to dropbehind; for some time we saw the others before us, but somewhere theytook a different trail, and we saw them no more. After a considerabledescent, we made our final but easy rise. From here we were on a levelroad, which constantly improved until near Mepetec, while beyond it, wecame to a true cart-road. From here a fine view presented itself, overa forest of pine trees to the clean brown plain so typical of Hidalgo, swept, as we soon found, by the equally typical Hidalgo wind. We roderapidly from the _herrería_ of the Trinidad to Metepec, and then to LasTortugas, where we arrived at 11:40, having been five hours and a halfupon the road. To our surprise, Louis and Ramon were not there. Havingwaited some time, as it was almost the hour for the train, we ordereddinner for two, but before we had begun to eat the others appeared. They had taken a short road, which did not go by Metepec, and travelledslowly that we might overtake them. After a good meal, we waited forour man with the pack animals. Meantime the train was preparing, and wewatched it, realizing that if we missed it, we had a day of dust andscorching sun and heavy wind before us. The train's crew made all ready, the cry of "_Vámonos_" was given, and we settled down in desperation toawait our tardy man. An hour after the train left, he arrived, receivedhis fee less the two dollars, and started homeward. Twenty-three hourslater we took the train, and our season's work was done. 

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XXI

IN THE HUAXTECA

(1901)

The scenery on the Tampico branch was at its best, as there had beenrecent rains, and everything was fresh and green. At Tampico, weresisted the attractions of the hotels "where Americans always stop, "and went to the unpretentious Pan Cardo. Here we were comfortablylocated, and early the next morning tried to define our plans. We werein uncertainty as to what towns we should visit in order to examinethe Huaxtecs. The ancient Huaxtecs were among the most interesting ofMexican tribes. They are a northern offshoot of that great family, ofwhich the Maya of Yucatan is the type. The linguistic relationship isevident upon the most careless comparison. The ancient area occupiedby the Huaxtecs was near the Gulf of Mexico, and on both sides of thePanuco River, near the mouth of which some of their important centreswere located. To-day Mexicans divide the Huaxteca into two parts, --theHuaxteca Veracruzana and the Huaxteca Potosina--the former in the stateof Vera Cruz, the latter in the state of San Luis Potosi. At first, we thought to visit the latter, but the difficulty of reaching it waspresented so forcibly, and the ease of reaching the Huaxteca Veracruzanaso emphasized, that we determined upon the latter, and selected the townof Ozuluama for our central point. We could go by canoes across theriver to Pueblo Viejo, where we could secure horses for the furtherjourney. We were led to believe that it would be easy to make the tripin a single day. We had arranged for a canoe over night. It belonged inPueblo Viejo, and it was to come over early in the morning; we were atthe wharf at six, ready to start, but no canoe was in sight. Not onlyso, but a norther was blowing, and comforters, lounging on the wharfassured us that no canoe would come from Pueblo Viejo until the stormceased, which would not be for twenty-four hours. We were loath tobelieve this information, and brought all our baggage from the variousstoring-places, where we had left it, out onto the wharf. Time passed;the norther continued, and no canoe from Pueblo Viejo came. Thinkingthat it might be possible to secure a canoe from here to Pueblo Viejo, we dickered with a boatman at the wharf. We had agreed to pay for thecanoe ordered $1. 00 for the journey, which was something more than theregular price. The man with whom we now were talking declared that hewould not take us across for less than $3. 50. We were on the point ofyielding to necessity, when a rival appeared and offered to do the workfor $2. 50. Such is human perversity that we now insisted that he mustgo for $2. 00, which he finally agreed to do. Hurrying away to get hiscanoe, he soon appeared, and our hearts sank. The man who had demanded$3. 50 had a large, well-built boat, which should stand any wind andwater. The man whom we had engaged had a canoe so narrow, low, and smallthat we doubted his ability to perform his contract; however, he assuredus that all would be well, and showed himself so skilful in packing ourstuff into his boat, that we ourselves embarked, and started down thelittle lagoon in his canoe. So long as we remained in this narrow, sheltered stream, all was well; but when he poled from its mouth out tothe open river, we found it a different matter. More than this, we sawtwo or three canoes dancing over the white caps, and managed with greatdifficulty, although not loaded. The courage of our boatman was a littledashed; he suggested that we leave Ramon, Louis, and Manuel on an oldscow standing on the bank and fast going to ruin, while he poled myselfand the luggage over, after which he would return for my companions. This seemed good sense, and the boys were left behind. It wasinteresting to see the skill with which the man handled our ratherawkward craft, loaded at it was almost to the water's edge. He had nomotive power but his long pole. We did not ship a single drop of water, and at last entered the quiet, broad, canal-like lagoon on the otherside of the river. A moment more, and we were unloading our luggage ontothe shore. To do this, we were forced to wade through mud up to theknees. But at last all was safe, and with his empty canoe, our boatmanstarted merrily back for his other passengers. When they arrived, onlya few minutes were necessary for reloading the canoe, and we started upthe lagoon. Little side lagoons opened frequently into the one throughwhich we passed. At their mouths were V-shaped weirs of stakes, driveninto the bottom and wattled together with flexible twigs. These wereopen at the mouth, and in the openings were set dip-nets, which couldbe lowered into the water. Just now, with the heavy norther blowing, thousands of _camarón_ (shrimps) were driven into the nets, and at eachone we saw fishermen busily occupied. The lagoon abounded in water-birdsof many kinds, and hardly had we entered it, when Louis shot a pretty, small white heron. 

Believing that the owner of animals to whom we had been referred wasdemanding too high a price for his horses and mules, we decided to seewhat the town authorities would do for us, and went to the _municipio_. The _presidente_ told us, with delight, that the _jefe politico_ ofOzuluama was there with his family, rusticating, and at once summonedhim to meet us. He was a gentlemanly fellow, who told us that the pricedemanded was regular, but advised us to travel in a different way. "Here, " he said, "you can get a large canoe; starting now, you cantravel all night; reaching La Llave in the early morning, you can gethorses and go the seven leagues remaining comfortably. Take a littlesomething to eat before you start, and carry something for the way. "This seemed an opportunity for a new experience, and, though the pricewas little, if any, less than we were asked to pay for animals, wedecided to try it. Arrangements were begun at once, breakfast ordered, and a light lunch prepared for carrying. Meantime, the _jefe_ told usthat there were few Indians in Ozuluama, but that in Citlaltepec wewould find abundance. He gave us orders to his _secretario_, whorepresented him during his absence, and bade us god-speed. We left atone o'clock, in a great canoe, a heavy, timber-framed boat, propelledby long poles, by oars in quiet and deep water, and by a clumsy sail. Aframework of poles, covered with matting, roofed over the middle of theboat, and a piece of matting was spread upon the floor. Hanging blanketsto shelter ourselves from the heavy wind yet blowing, we busiedourselves variously, the boys skinning birds which they had shot, and Imaking up my various notes. The lagoon which we now entered was a largestretch of open water. We raised our sail, and made easy work. Havingcrossed the large lagoon, we entered the mouth of what probably would beconsidered a fair-sized river, which at first was closely bordered by atangle of trees and vines, and presented a truly tropical appearance. Palms were abundant, and, here and there, one of unusual size toweredhigh above the rest. The other trees were densely hung with long graymoss. Now and then, we disturbed alligators along the banks, and we weretold that snakes were abundant in the grass. The quantity of water-birdswas astonishing--great and small white herons, large blue herons, littleblue herons, the curious, dark wry-necks, and ducks by thousands. Thepositions and attitudes of these long-necked and long-legged birds, inthe water and on the trees, were curious and striking. The boys keptbusy shooting and skinning birds all the afternoon. In the evening, themen built a fire with charcoal in a tin-lined box in the end of thecanoe, and toasted _tortillas_ and made coffee. The awning was scarcelylarge enough to cover the whole party comfortably, when we lay downto sleep, but we wrapped up in blankets and spread mats for beds. Wesuffered intensely with the cold, sleeping little. At five o'clock ourboat came to a stop along the bank, and at six it was light enough todisembark and explore. Climbing up a little bank of clay, we foundourselves on a flat meadow, covered with grass and weeds, through whichnarrow trails ran to a few scattered palm-thatched huts. With a letterfrom the _jefe_, we called at Señora Mora's house. This lady was awidow, whose husband had but lately died; she was well to do, andpromised to supply us with animals after we should have had ourbreakfast. This was long preparing, but at last good coffee, fine_enchiladas_ and cheese were served, and, after eating heartily, wefound six animals ready for us. When we asked for our account, the goodlady replied that the bill was $2. 00. It was plain that she had made nocharge for either breakfast or animals, but only something for theboys whom she sent along to bring back the beasts. At about eleven, westarted on what was called seven leagues, but what was certainly thelongest nine leagues we had travelled for a long time. We had excellenthorses that kept up a steady jog. Still, it was after five when wereached Ozuluama. The journey was for the most part over a _llano_, thicket-covered and sprinkled, here and there, with groves of palm;the soil was dark clay, which in spots, wet by recent rains, was hardtravelling for the animals. We caught sight of the town, prettilylocated upon a hill-slope, about an hour before we reached it. From it, we looked out over an extensive stretch of dark green plains, broken, here and there, by little wooded hillocks, none of them so large as thatupon which Ozuluama itself is situated. Riding to the town-house, the _secretario_ was at once sent for. He ordered supper, and put acomfortable room, behind the office, at our disposal. On the back porch, just at our door, was chained a tiger-cat. It belonged to the _jefe_, and was a favorite with his little children, but since they had beengone, it had been teased until it had developed an ugly disposition. Itwas a beautiful little creature, graceful in form and elegantly spotted. But it snarled and strove to get at everyone who came near it. The_secretario_ at once told us that Citlaltepec was not the point we oughtto aim for, as it was purely Aztec; our best plan was to go to Tamalin, where we would find one congregation of Huaxtecs. From there, if weneeded further subjects, we might go to Tancoco, although it did notbelong to this district, but to that of Tuxpan. In the course of ourconversation, I was reminded that Ozuluama is the home of AlejandroMarcelo, a full-blooded Huaxtec, who once published a book upon theHuaxtec language. Expressing an interest in meeting this man, he wassent for. He is far older than I had realized, celebrating his 74thbirthday that very week. He was a man of unusual intelligence and mostgentle manner. At nine o'clock next morning, supplied with new animals, we started for Tamalin, said to be thirteen leagues distant. We werewell mounted, and the journey was much like that of the preceding day. For three hours we were impressed with the loneliness of the road; nopeople were to be seen anywhere. Here and there, set far back from theroad, were country houses. The road itself was an extremely wide one, cut through a woods, which consisted for the most part of low andscrubby trees, with scattered clumps of palm trees here and there. Usually the trail was single, but where we came on mud patches, manylittle trails were distributed over the whole breadth of the road. Hereand there, where there were particularly bad spots, into which ourhorses would have sunk knee-deep, we were forced to take trails backamong the trees. While the earlier part of the journey was throughrolling country, we came at noon into a true plain, though wooded. Wefound many cross roads, broad and straight, cut through the woods, andwere impressed by the great number of dry _barrancas_ into which wehad to descend, and out of which we had to climb. Most of these wereactually dry, but many of them contained a dirty pool of stagnant water. At many places, the road was bordered with plants, the leaves of whichsomewhat resembled those of the pineapple. They were light green incolor, narrow and long-pointed at the upper end, and spiny along thesides. This plant, named _guamara_, bears spikes of yellow fruits whichare pointed at the upper end, but in color, size, texture, structure andtaste reminded us of podophyllum, though it leaves a prickly sensationin the mouth, much like that produced by fresh pineapples. There werealso many trees bearing little limes or lemons, of which we gatheredabundance for making lemonade. At two o'clock our man pointed out aranch-house near the road, in front of which two men sat eating, andtold us we could procure food and drink there if we wished, and that wehad plenty of time for stopping. We found the men at the table to be theparish priest of Tantima and his servant. The priest informed us thatTamalin was three and three-fourths leagues away, while Tantima wasfour. The road for the greater part of the distance to the two placeswas the same. We had an interesting conversation with the good priest, and for the first time we met the curious prejudice, which existsthroughout this portion of the Huaxteca, against the Huaxtecs, and infavor of the Aztecs. We were kept waiting some little time for ourdinner, but by three o'clock were again upon our way. Just as westarted, we crossed the first true stream which we had met, but duringthe balance of the journey we crossed one or two others. Soon, leavingthe main road, we bore off to the left, and found several bad spots ofstiff black mud, into which our poor animals sank frightfully. Afterfive o'clock we saw, from the slope on which we were, for we had leftthe _llano_ and were again in rolling country, a little village, andhigher and further to the left, a second. The first of these wasGutierrez Zamora, which is Huaxtec, with a few Mexican families livingat one side; the second was our destination, Tamalin. We passed throughGutierrez at six, and reached Tamalin at seven. 

The _alcalde_ of the village was not there; in fact, we suspect thathe but rarely is. The _secretario_, likewise, was absent. We finallyprevailed upon his brother to help us to find an indian girl to cook ourmeals, and a room in the _secretario's_ house. In this room there wasbut a single bed and our helper thought me very particular in demandingthat _petates_ should be brought as beds for my companions. He assuredus that, when he traveled, he slept upon the floor, without _petates_. It was long after 10 o'clock before we had supper and secured aresting-place. We had planned to push out from here the followingmorning; no sign, however, of our baggage had appeared, and we wereforced to spend two days at Tamalin waiting for its coming. Here, too, we found that there were no Huaxtecs, the town being, so far as it wasindian, purely Aztec. We decided, therefore, to try Tancoco, returning, if need be, to Gutierrez. Both Gutierrez and Tancoco were in thedistrict of Tuxpan. Fortunately, we still carried our last year's letterfrom the governor of Vera Cruz to serve us with the local authorities, as it would be most inconvenient to go to Tuxpan for orders. Seeingthat it was impossible to leave that day, I walked in the afternoon toTantima to visit the priest. Between the two towns rises a fine, highrock hill. The ascent from Tamalin was in three slopes, with shortlevels between; the crest was but a few yards wide; the descent toTantima was abrupt and short. From the summit we looked down upon thepretty, level, enclosed valley occupied by a rather regular town, builtabout a large plaza which, the day being a market day, was gay withbooths and people. I met almost the whole population of Tamalin on myway over, as they returned from market. All the men were drunk; somewere so helpless that they sprawled upon the road, while others werebeing helped by their more sober comrades. I reached the plaza justthirty-seven minutes after leaving Tamalin, and at once telegraphed toOzuluama about the baggage. When I inquired for the priest's house, thetelegraph operator informed me that the _padre_ had told him all aboutus and our errand and that he would accompany me to the _curato_. Crossing the square, we found the _padre_ living in a comfortable place, close by the great, pretentious, stone church. We were warmly welcomed, and orders were at once given for coffee. The Aztec servant hastened tobring some, piping hot, and was quite abashed at being sharply reprovedfor offering it directly to me. No, indeed, a gentlemen so distinguishedwas not to be thus served; the table was moved up before my chair, aclean cloth spread, sweet cakes were sent for, a glass of fresh milkplaced, and then the coffee was set upon the table. Thus, in solitarygrandeur, I sat and ate and drank, while the priest and operator tooktheir cups of coffee in their hands. Though we had ordered horses forthe following morning, the baggage had not come, and we waited all theday. Strolling around the village, we found it a pretty place, throughwhich ran a fine stream, separating the houses into groups or clusters. It is a true Aztec town, and the houses are well-constructed. Severalhouses are set irregularly within a single enclosure; the walls arebuilt of poles set upright, but these are so heavily daubed with amixture of mud and chopped straw that they are strong and durable. Inapplying this daub, the hand is used, and a simple block of wood ofrectangular form, with a projecting edge extending midway of the upperside, is used as a trowel for spreading it, and giving it a smoothfinish. The thatchings are thick, and project far beyond the walls; theyare of palm, and neatly cut at the edges; a cresting, thin, but evenlyplaced and firmly pegged down, projects over the ridge, down eitherslope, and its edges form the only break in the smooth surface. Many ofthe houses had _temascals_, differing considerably from those of Pueblaand Tlaxcala. They are rectangular; the walls are built of poles, set upright, close together, and strengthened by being lashed to ahorizontal timber set midway of their height. The roof is a round vaultor arch of poles set lengthwise. The whole is neatly plastered over witha mixture of mud and chopped straw, and in the front a cross is workedin the clay mixture, to insure good fortune. The women here wove cottonin the usual indian fashion, but few wore the old dress, and those fewwere mostly aged. We noticed quantities of pottery here, and throughoutthe Huaxteca, but none of it is local in manufacture. Most of it hascome from the two towns, Huejutla, an Aztec town, and Panuco. We wereforced to spend a third night at Tamalin. The _secretario_ had been athome for two days and had fairly done his duty; still, our animals werelate when we were ready to start the following morning, and we were notoff until 9:30. It was a steady climb, over a long series of ascents, until we reached a crest from which Tancoco could be seen. We madea long descent and then a little upward climb to the town, which isnotable for its cleanliness and the industry and cleanness of itsinhabitants. The town is situated upon a little hill, from which onelooks out on a sea of green forests, with little rocky hillocks coveredwith trees rising from it, here and there, like wooded islands. Betweenus and Tamalin rose a semi-circle of ridges, sweeping from us off to theleft and forward in the distance. In front, near the top of this curveof ridges, two leagues distant, lay Amatlan, clear and impressive, fromthis point. Riding up to the little town-house, which had a porticoenclosed by a neat railing and supplied with pine benches, wedismounted, and, with some doubt as to its reception, presented our oldletter. The _secretario_ was an intelligent _mestizo_ from Tuxpan. Hesent at once for the _alcalde_, who was a good-natured, little Huaxtec, of pure blood, thoroughly dependent upon his subordinate officer. Wewere promised everything. The schoolhouse, remarkably clean, was putat our disposal, and a messenger was sent to notify an old woman namedGuadelupe that she was to prepare our meals. Before four o'clock, workwas under way, and during the two days that we remained, there were nodifficulties. The houses of the town are somewhat like those of Tamalin, but less well built. The single industry is the weaving of hats frompalm. On the house-roofs, and on the ground before the houses, palm wasdrying. Some of the work was extremely delicate, and the four grades ofhats sell for from four pesos upward. Men, women and children are alloccupied in the manufacture, and as they sit in their houses or at thedoor of an evening, or as they walk through the village on errands, their hands are ever busily occupied with the plaiting. There isabsolutely nothing characteristic in dress, both men and women dressinglike _mestizos_ in the important cities of the Republic. Almost everyone wears shoes; women, those with high French heels. A resident tailormakes the bulk of the clothing for the more particular men of thetown. In our school-room we were supplied with good kerosene lamps, anexperience almost unique. Few, if any, of the houses in the villagewere without the same mode of light. Many, if not all, of the women hadsewing-machines. 

[Illustration: VIEW AT TANCOCO]

We were more than ever impressed with the anomalous condition of thesepeople in their own land. They were the cleanest, most industrious, bestdressed and most progressive indians whom we had seen in any part ofMexico; but in the Huaxteca, the land which bears their name, they arebeing crowded by the less progressive Aztecs. _Mestizos_ and Aztecs bothspeak of them with contempt, and treat them like dogs. As for theirlanguage, it is neglected and despised; while many of them know bothSpanish and Aztec, neither _mestizo_ nor Aztec considers it worth whileto know a word of Huaxtec. While we had no trouble with the men, webegan to feel that the women would fail us. It was after five o'clock, the last day of our stay, before a single one appeared. Then they camein a body, accompanied by the full town force, and each with her husbandas a guard, to our quarters. They were dressed in their best calico, muslin, silk and satin, with laces and artificial flowers, earrings, necklaces, and with shoes the heels of which measured from thirty tothirty-five millimeters. They were perfumed; their hair was heavilyoiled with odorous greases. Each shook hands with our whole party, greeted us politely, and sat down on the long school-benches, waitingfor her turn for measurement. Notwithstanding this rather oppressivelylady-like mode of procedure, we were assured by old Guadelupe that ourerrand and work in the town had caused much terror and doubt, the womenparticularly feeling sure that it boded ill. It was said that theyrecalled the fact that years ago certain of their old men predicted thatstrangers would eventually come to the village, who would bewitch thepeople and destroy the town. It was commonly believed that we were nowfulfilling this prediction. 

The physical type of the Huaxtecs seems to be well marked. A peculiargray tint underlies the brown color of the skin. The head is short, broad, and curiously compressed behind; the eyes are wide apart, andfrequently oblique; the mouth is large, with thick but not projectinglips. 

We had planned to leave about the middle of the afternoon, and at 3:50the best animals we have ever had were ready for our use. A magnificenthorse, the special pride of the _alcalde_ himself, was put at mydisposal. When we came to settle for the animals, all payment wasrefused, their use being the voluntary offering of the town officials. The animals made nothing of the journey, and within an hour and a halfwe had again reached Tamalin. 

We found that Aztec town as disagreeable as ever. Solemn promises hadbeen made that various _danzas_ should be ready for us, and that thereshould be no delay regarding animals. Of course, we found nothing doing. The only satisfactory memory connected with the town is our cook, Porfiria. She was a master hand, and with training, should make areputation and a fortune. A pure indian, we would rather eat at hertable than at that of any half-breed cook in all that section. Shealways had quantities of food, and no two meals were alike. Unless weexpressly ordered something we had had before, it is doubtful whethershe would have repeated a single dish. Her _enchiladas_, seasoned withcheese and onions, were the best we ever had, and after the firstexperience, we insisted on having them at every meal. Her masterpieceswere in simple maize. Her _tortillas_ were good, but _tortillas_ onefinds everywhere; she served _cocoles, chavacanes_, and _pemol. Cocoles_are round, flat biscuits or cakes of maize, a couple of inches acrossand half an inch in diameter; they contain shortening, and when servedhot, are delicious. _Chavacanes_ are thin, flat square crackers ofcorn-meal with shortening and eggs; they are good even when cold, butare best when hot from the griddle. _Pemol_ is a corn-cake, crumbly, sweet, and baked; it contains sugar and shortening, and is made up intothe form of rather large cakes, shaped like horse-collars. 

As the result of vigorous remonstrance, the _secretario_ really had the_danza_ of _los Negros_ at his house that night. Music was furnished by_pito_ and _huehuetl_. The two performers, one representing a Spaniardand the other a negro, were masked. The action was lively, and thedialogue vociferous--both players frequently talking at once. The dancewas kept up until nearly ten o'clock, after which, as we planned anearly start, we were soon in bed. Just as we were dropping off to sleep, we heard the whistling and roaring of the norther outside, and the coldair found its way through every crack into our room. From our house themusicians and the dancers had gone to the _syndico's_, where they stayedsome time; but, between one and two in the morning, they came back toour house and played in the room next to ours, with the door wide open. Our interest was not great enough to lead us forth again. Finally theyleft, but at four o'clock the musicians, now quite drunk, appearedagain, and for a long time the _secretario_, his lady, and theschool-master, danced in lonely grandeur up and down the room. 

[Illustration: OUR CANOE FOR SIXTY HOURS; THE LAGOONS]

[Illustration: MANGROVE ROOTS]

Don Leandro, the _secretario_, had promised to accompany us thefollowing morning as far as San Geronimo. We had decided to go onhorseback to Paso Real, a little distance beyond San Geronimo, and theretake boat for Tampico. When morning came, we expressed surprise over DonLeandro's charging rent, in addition to the rather large price which wehad already paid for beds. This seemed to hurt his sensitive feelings, with the result that we started without his company. The ride wasmonotonous, over a road which made few ascents or descents, andpresented little of variety or interest. Little green hills borderedthe road on either side, and on many of them were ranch-houses, some ofrather good construction. In a little stream over which we passed, wesaw a great idol's head, of stone, a foot or more across, and wellmade. San Geronimo we found to be the comfortable country-house of the_alcalde_ of Tamalin and all the ranches among which we had made ourjourney. It was a fine old place, with high airy rooms, good verandas, and an old-fashioned tile roof. Our journey had been hot, and we found afine breeze blowing through the house. The _alcalde_ knew all aboutour errand and was ready to be helpful. He was a tall, slender, mild-mannered and polite _mestizo_. After we had eaten, he rode with usto Paso Real to arrange about a boat and point out various objects ofinterest on the way. _Chapapote_, from which chewing gum is made, is animportant product here, and among those interested in it as a businessis an American dentist. We saw many birds, among which doves wereconspicuous; the _alcalde_ says that six or eight species occur here, the different kinds singing at different seasons; one of them had apeculiarly sad and mournful song, and is heard in the early morning. Another bird, the _primavera_, seems to be like our mockingbird, imitating the notes and cries of many other birds and animals. At twoplaces we passed black lines of foraging ants, and he told us thatinsects, frogs, toads, and even snakes, encountered by these lines, arehelpless, being promptly overcome and devoured. Arrived at Paso Real, the _alcalde_ arranged for our boat. He told us that loaded boatsrequire three days for making the journey to Tampico, but that ours, being empty, would probably go through in twenty-four hours. The boat hearranged for had been partly loaded, but its owner had agreed to unloadin order to receive us. As a favor to him, we consented to permit fiveor six not large boxes to go along. Having ordered supper for us at thehouse upon the summit from which the road descended to Paso Real, the_alcalde_ left us. Supper was slow, but at last was over. Our baggagehad already been carried to the boat, and we strolled down to take ourpassage. Less room was left for us than we had expected the boxes wouldleave, but it was dark and we raised no question. We waited an impatienthour for our canoemen to take their supper, being almost devoured bymosquitoes, but at last were off at nine o'clock. Our force consistedof two men and a little lad. It was with difficulty that two couldbe accommodated beneath the awning, and Manuel and I took our placesoutside. For my own part, sleep was impossible. Now that we were inmotion, the mosquitoes ceased to trouble us. The stream was narrow, andon account of the curves, we were forced to move slowly. We floated outunder and beneath bamboos, which hung far over the water and outlinedthemselves like lace-work against the sky. At first, there wasmoonlight. Later, the moon set, but the stars were brilliant. The earlymorning was cold, and a heavy dew dampened everything outside theawning. During the day our men stopped on every pretext to rest andsleep, and whenever we came to a considerable stretch of water, any signof storm or cloud was heralded. Just before daybreak, we had reached thebeginning of the first large lagoon. Here our sail was hoisted, thoughit was of little use, while we poled along near shore, following all thelong curves. Our first stop, on account of a norther, was exciting; fromthe anxiety of the men, we expected to be instantly upset. We raninto the mouth of a little stream and lay to, and the men were almostinstantly asleep. Our party went out exploring; our landing place was aheap of shells, whether artificial or natural I am not sure; the placewas a favorite spot with hunters of caimans, or alligators, and we foundnumbers of almost complete skeletons and skulls lying on the banks. Theboys picked up quantities of scales and teeth, and it was interesting tosee how the new conical teeth grow up under the hollows of the old ones. We killed a duck or two for supper. One or two large caimans were seen, as we strolled along. Finally, I insisted upon the men starting again. We were traversing a system of great lagoons which opened one intoanother. Poling was our only mode of progress. That night Manuel and Ioccupied the shelter. When we rose, we found the great lagoon, throughwhich we were then passing, quite different in its character from thosepreceding it. Thickets of mangroves bordered the shore; the displayof aerial roots was interesting, and here we were able to examine thecurious smooth tips of the roots which are to penetrate the soft mudbottom. We landed at one place to get wood and to catch a glimpse ofthe sea, whose roaring we had for hours heard. We left our boat in thelagoon, and walked a short distance over sand dunes, thickly grown withtrees, to the beach, which only appeared in sight when we reached thetop of the last dune. It was a gently sloping sandy stretch, upon whicha fine surf was beating. There were no pebbles save bits of water-worncoral and shell. Quantities of sea-gulls were flying about and flocks oflittle snipe ran down over the retreating surf, catching food, turningand running rapidly in before the coming wave. A single shot into theflock killed thirty-one of the little creatures, which later in the daysupplied us an excellent meal. From this lagoon of mangroves, we finallyentered the great lagoon of La Riviera, which pretty town we passed alittle before three o'clock. From here we knew that, by hiring horses, we could reach Tampico in two hours; had we really known what lay beforeus, we would have done so. Having passed La Riviera, we entered a narrowcanal, bordered for the most part with tall, flat rushes and a greatgrass much like our wild rice. Here again we saw large herons and greatkingfishers; the boys had repeatedly tried to shoot one of the latterbirds, but with no success; finally, one was seen standing on the branchof a tree hanging over the stream; this one was shot, and when we pickedit up, we found it to be curiously distorted, the breast being strangelyswollen. When skinned, this swelling proved to be due to a fish whichthe bird had eaten, and which was almost as large as itself. Weightedwith this heavy burden, it is no wonder that the bird had been shot soeasily. At dusk we found ourselves at a landing-place, where we left theboxes, which turned out to be eight in number, each of which weighed onehundred and twenty-five pounds. They contained _chapapote_. Our men hadtalked much of _the_ canal, to which, for some time, we had been lookingforward. At this landing, arrangements were made for helping us throughthe canal, a little canoe being despatched after us, to help unload us. When we reached the canal, narrow, shallow and straight, cut for themost part through the solid rock, the moon was shining brightly. Ourgreat canoe was soon aground, and whole party, seven in number, climbedout into the water to push and pull. We dislodged it soon, but shortlycame to a complete standstill. Here for the first time, we realized thecargo which we carried, which before had been carefully covered so thatwe really were in ignorance of it. Eighty half-dozen cakes of sugar wereunloaded into the little canoe, which paddled away. We waited, notingwith regret that the falling water, probably due to tide, was fixing ourcanoe more and more firmly in the mud. Finally, the little canoe cameback, taking another eighty half-dozen cakes of sugar on board. Ourcanoe having been thus lightened, we made another effort to move it, and, after many struggles and groans, finally found ourselves in deeperwater, embarked, and poled off. Having reached the place upon the bankwhere the canoe loads had been left, we stopped to freight again. To oursurprise, we found here once more the eight boxes of _chapapote_, which, apparently, had been carted across. We were now able to calculate theload which our "empty" canoe, hired at thirty pesos, in order to take usquickly through to Tampico, was carrying:

 120 dozen cakes of _panela_, of 2 lbs 2, 880 lbs. 8 boxes _chapapote_, of 125 lbs 1, 000 lbs. 6 sacks of beans, of 100 lbs 600 lbs. 

 Total 4, 480 lbs. 

In other words, we had been crowded and delayed by more than two tons ofcargo. Perhaps, had we been actually alone in the boat, it might havemade its journey in the twenty-four hours promised, instead of the sixtyof accomplishment. It was nine o'clock when we were again aboard, and wemade the boatman travel all night long. At the stroke of half-past-threewe heard the bells of Tampico, and drew up along the waterside-landingof that city. For two full hours we lay there, listening to the buyersbartering with the boatmen for their load of maize, _frijol_ and_panela_ until daylight, when we gave orders to unload. 

CHAPTER XXII

IN MAYA LAND

(1901)

We had planned to go from Tampico to Chiapas, and from there to Yucatan, where we were to finish our work for the season. We found, however, thatthere was no certainty in regard to a boat for Coatzacoalcos, while theBenito Juarez was about to sail for Progreso the next day. Not to losetime, we decided to do our Yucatan work first, and to let Chiapas waituntil later. We were busy that day making arrangements for departure, and in the afternoon hired a canoe to take our stuff from the wharf tothe boat, which was standing out in the river, beyond Doña Cecilia. There was a brisk wind against us, and we almost arrived too late tohave our luggage taken aboard. The next morning, we took the first trainto Doña Cecilia, and were on board the boat at nine o'clock. We had beentold that the sailing would take place at ten, but, on arrival, foundthat they were waiting for cattle which were being brought acrosscountry. One hundred and twenty head were to make our chief cargo, andthey were expected at six a. M. Nothing, however, was to be seen of themin any direction. We had taken breakfast, and it was almost twelveo'clock before the first signs of the animals were to be seen. Meantime, at eleven, a norther appeared, and we were informed that it would beimpossible to leave short of twenty-four hours. Besides our company, there were three first-class passengers--a sort of German-Austrian baronand his lady, and a contractor, who was taking a force of hands toYucatan for farm labor. Eighty-three of these hands were our third-classpassengers; they had been picked up all along the line of the TampicoBranch of the Central Railway, and few of them realized the hardshipsand trials which lay before them. We were assured that more than half ofthem would surely die before the end of their first year in Yucatan. Aswe could not leave until the norther passed, it was decided not to takethe cattle on board until next day. Thus we spent a day as prisonerson the boat, standing in the river. In the morning the water was stillrough and the wind heavy, but at 9:30 the loading of the animals began. They were brought out on a barge, about one-half of the whole number toa load; tackle was rigged and the creatures were lifted by ropes loopedaround their horns. The first few were lifted singly, but after that, two at once. While it sounds brutal, it is really a most convenientmethod, and the animals, though startled, do not seem to be injured inthe least, nor indulge in much kicking. By 11:40 all were loaded andwe were ready for our start. We had to wait until the customs-houseinspector should come on board to discharge us, and this was not doneuntil half-past one. We sailed out, between the jetties, at two o'clock, and found the Gulf rough, and a high wind, which continued through mostof our voyage. The smell from the cattle was disagreeable, and betweenit and the roughness, all were seasick before the first afternoon wasover. 

Captain Irvine is the youngest captain of the Ward Line, being buttwenty-six years of age. He has followed the sea since he was thirteenyears old. A Nova Scotian by birth, he has sailed this coast for somelittle time, and is a competent official, doing his utmost for thepleasure and convenience of his passengers. The journey was uneventful. There was some excitement among the third-class passengers, many ofwhom were drunk and quarrelsome. The first evening, two of them werefighting, with the result that the head of one was split open and had tobe dressed by the captain. When we had been some forty-eight or fiftyhours at sea, we found ourselves off the Campeche banks, in quieterwater. Those who had suffered from sickness were again quite themselves. It was 4:30 Sunday morning, February 3, after we had been almost threedays and three nights at sea, and four days on the boat, that theProgreso light was sighted, and not long after we came to anchor. Wewaited from six o'clock until almost ten for lighters and the doctor. After he had made his inspection, we piled off with all our baggageonto a little steamer, which charged three dollars, each passenger, fortaking us to the pier, which was close by, and to which our own boatcould easily have run. This, however, was but the beginning of Yucatecantroubles. When we found ourselves on the wharf, the customs officialsinsisted upon our going to the general office for inspection, on accountof the character and amount of our luggage. Arrived there, we found thatwe had no clearing papers for our stuff, and forty dollars duty wasrequired for material which had already paid duty in entering Mexico, and which had only gone from one Mexican port to another, as baggage. Invain we argued and attempted to explain matters. The officials advisedus to bring the American consul and have him straighten matters; but hisoffice was shut, as it was Sunday. Meantime, we saw the train, which wehad expected to take at 11:30, leave for Mérida, and at twelve o'clockthe customs-house offices were closed, and we were forced to leave thebusiness for another day. Fortunately, there are two railroads fromProgreso to Mérida, and we were able to take an afternoon train over thenarrow-gauge line for the capital city. The station was an enormous, wooden, barn-like structure; the cars were weather-beaten anddilapidated to a degree--except the first-class car, which was in faircondition. Passengers were gathering, but no particular signs of thestarting of a train were evident. Boys at the station were selling slabsof pudding, squares of sponge cake soaked with red liquor, pieces of_papaya_, cups of sweetened boiled rice, and oranges. The oranges wereunexpectedly high in price, two selling for a _medio_; the seller paresoff the yellow skins and cuts them squarely in two before selling; thebuyer eats merely the pulp, throwing the white skin away. As train-timeneared, interesting incidents occurred. The ticket-agent was drunk andpicked a quarrel with a decent, harmless-looking indian; the conductordressed in the waiting-room, putting on a clean shirt and taking off hisold one, at the same time talking to us about our baggage-checks. A finehorse, frisky and active, was loaded into the same baggage-freight carwith our goods. The bells were rung as signals, and the station locked;the whole management--ticket-agent, conductor and baggagemen--then gotupon the train and we were off. At one of the stations the ticket-agenttook his horse out from the car, and riding off into the country, we sawno more of him. 

[Illustration: LOADING CATTLE; DOÑA CECILIA]

[Illustration: MAYAS, RETURNING FROM WORK; SANTA MARIA]

The country through which we were running was just as I had imagined it. Though it was supposed to be the cold season, the day was frightfullyhot, and everyone was suffering. The country was level and covered witha growth of scrub. There was, however, more color in the gray landscapethan I had expected. Besides the grays of many shades--dusty trees, foliage, bark and branches--there were greens and yellows, both offoliage and flowers, and here and there, a little red. But everywherethere was the flat land, the gray limestone, the low scrub, the dustand dryness, and the blazing sun. There were many palm trees--chieflycocoa-nut--on the country-places, and there were fields of hennequín, though neither so extensive nor well-kept as I had anticipated. Itresembles the maguéy, though the leaves are not so broad, nor dothey grow from the ground; the hennequín leaves are long, narrow, sharp-pointed, and rather thickly set upon a woody stalk that growsupright to a height of several feet. The leaves are trimmed off, fromseason to season, leaving the bare stalk, showing the leaf-scar. Theupper leaves continue to grow. In places we noticed a curious mode ofprotecting trees by rings of limestone rock built around them; many ofthese trees appear to grow from an elevated, circular earth mass. AtConkal, the great stone church magnificently represented the olden time, but it bore two lightning rods and was accompanied by two wind-mills ofAmerican manufacture. Everywhere, in fact, the American wind-mill isin evidence. One can but wish that the poor users of the old _cenotes_might come to life, and, for a little time, enjoy the work of the windsin their behalf. Everywhere we saw plenty of Maya indians and heardsomething of the old language. All travellers to Yucatan comment on theuniversal cleanness of the population; notable in the indians, thismarks equally well the _mestizos_, whites and negroes. They are notonly clean, but all are well dressed. Men wear low, round-crowned, broad-brimmed palm hats; trousers are rarely of the tight-fittingMexican kind; indians who work at heavy labor protect their clean whiteshirts and drawers with a strip of stuff, like ticking, wrapped aboutthem. Women wear two white garments, both ample, hanging from the neck, bordered with black or colored bands. They generally wear long necklacesor rosaries, the beads of which are spaced with gold coins, and a crossof gold or a medal of the same material hangs at the bottom. Women ofmiddle age are usually stout, and march with quite a stately tread. 

Mérida itself is much larger and better built than we had expected. Manyof the houses, especially on the outskirts, are elliptical in section, and have walls of small stones closely set in mud plaster. In the centerof the town the houses are covered with painted plaster and are in theusual Latin-American style. Great numbers of quaint little coaches, witha single horse, were waiting at the station. As we walked up to thecenter of the town, we found but few places open, practically nothingbut barber-shops and drug-stores. Of both of these, however, there werea surprising number. 

Having been directed to the Hotel Concordia, we were disappointed whenthe old lady in charge stated that she had no rooms, and directed usacross the way to the Hotel de Mexico. As we had arranged for thedelivery of our stuff, we did not care to look elsewhere, and thereforeinspected the rooms in this hotel. To reach them, we went through abarber-shop into a narrow _patio_, and, mounting some rickety stairs, found our quarters, which were filthy, vile-smelling, hot and uncaredfor. Yet for these choice quarters, with two beds in each of two rooms, leaving no space practically between, we were expected to pay fourdollars. Upon remonstrating with the proprietor at the price demanded, he cooly said, "Oh, yes, everything here costs high; but there is moneyto pay it with. " This really stated the fact. Conditions in Mérida arethe most abnormal of any place which I have visited. Owing to the war inthe Philippines, and interference with the trade in hemp, the fiberof the hennequín is in great demand, and money is plentiful. At goodrestaurants each plate costs thirty cents, instead of ten or twelve, asin the City of Mexico itself. No coach will cross the street for lessthan fifty cents; for a cooling drink, such as in the capital city wouldcost three cents, one here pays twelve. The shortest street-car linecharges ten cents; and everything else is in proportion. What thehotel-keeper said, about there being money to pay these frightfulprices, was equally true. We paid _cargadors_ four times, draymen threetimes, more than we have ever done in any other part of Mexico. In therestaurants we saw _cargadors_ calling for plates at thirty cents, boot-blacks eating ices at one _real_, newsboys riding in coaches, andother astonishing sights. In the plaza, good music is played on Sundaynights, and every one is out in all his finery; fruits, sweetmeats, refreshing drinks, are hawked everywhere, and are much indulged in;under the corridors are little tables, where ices, iced milk and drinksare served. At the hotel we passed a night of horror, suffering from theheat, dust, ill-placed lights, mosquitoes and other insects. Leaving mycompanions I went the following morning to Progreso to attend to theunlucky baggage. For variety, I took the broad-gauge road, but foundlittle difference in the country through which we passed. The number ofwind-mills was astonishing, and most of them were Chicago aeromotors. Atone station a great crowd of pure indians got off and on the train. TheAmerican consul at Progreso is too much interested in archaeology to befound at his office, but his Mexican vice-consul was present. To himour difficulty was explained, and on his advice we deposited the fortydollars demanded for duty, and signed various documents of remonstrance, upon which we paid almost four dollars more for stamps. We were thenpermitted to take out enough plates for immediate use, leaving thebalance in Progreso until we should be ready for our return journey. 

Acting on the advice of the vice-consul, we changed quarters in Méridafrom the Hotel de Mexico, to the Moromuzo, kept by an American who hadbeen many years in the country, and where, though we paid even more forrooms, we had some comfort. By industrious search, we found a Chineserestaurant, where prices were not high and service quite as good as inthe aristocratic place where we had dined before. The day before wecalled at the palace, hoping to see the governor, though it was Sunday. He was out of town, and we were asked to call the following day. Accordingly, in the afternoon, after returning from Progreso, I repeatedmy call but was told that the governor had gone out of town again andthat I should come the following day. The third day, again presentingmyself at the office, I learned that it was a holiday and that thegovernor would not be at the palace; the secretary recommended that Itry to see him at his house. To his house I went, and sending in my cardand my letters from the Federal authorities was surprised, after havingbeen kept waiting in the corridor, to be informed that the governorwould not see me, and that I should call at the palace, the next day, inthe afternoon, at two o'clock. Sending back a polite message that we hadwaited three whole days to see his excellency, and that our time waslimited, my surprise was still greater at receiving the tart reply thathe had stated when he would see me. We spent the balance of day and allthe morning of the next, looking about the town. 

Having failed in my visit to Governor Canton, I took a street-car toItzimna to see the bishop, to ask him for a letter to his clergy. Thewell-known Bishop Ancona had lately died, and the new incumbent wasa young man from the interior of Mexico, who had been here but a fewmonths. He had been ill through the whole period of his residence, andseemed frail and weak. He received me in the kindest way, and afterreading the letters I presented, asked whether I had not been in Pueblaat a certain time two years before; on my replying in the affirmative, he remarked that he had met me at the palace of the bishop of Puebla andhad then learned of my work and studies. He gave me an excellent letterto his clergy, and as I left, with much feeling, he urged me to becareful of my health and that of my companions while we were in thecountry. When he came from Puebla, only a few months before, he broughtthree companions with him, all of whom had died of yellow fever. He toldme that, though this was not the season for that dread disease, cases ofit had already broken out in the city; at the same time he stated thatmore than eight hundred cases of small-pox were reported in Mérida, and that many of them were of the most virulent. Sunday we had walkedthrough dust ankle-deep upon the roads; Tuesday and Wednesday it waswith difficulty that we could cross the streets, which were filled withmud, and, part of the time, with muddy water a foot and more in depth. This is a frequent occurrence, and foot-passengers who desire to crossthe street are often forced to hire a coach for that purpose. As onewalks the street, he runs constant risk of being splashed with mud andwater from passing vehicles and street-cars. During the four days wespent in Mérida we met several persons interested in literary lines, andvisited a number of institutions, among which the most interesting wasthe Museo Yucateco, of which Señor Gamboa Guzman is in charge. It is byno means what it should be, or what, with but small outlay, it might be. But it contains interesting things in archaeology, in local history, andin zoology. It is of special interest to Americans because Le Plongeonwas interested in its foundation and early development. 

An old gentleman, clerk in the diocesan offices, advised us to visitTekax and Peto for our study. The governor had set the hour of two forour reception. Merely to see when he would come, we seated ourselvesin the garden of the plaza, so that we could watch the entrance tothe palace. Two came, but no governor. At 2:30 several gentlemen werewaiting near the office door. At three no governor had arrived. At fiveminutes past three, we noticed that hum of excitement and expectationwhich usually heralds some great event, and looking down the street, sawthe governor pompously approaching. As he passed, hats were removed andprofound salutations given. Waiting until he had entered the office, wewalked up to the reception room, where we found ten or twelve gentlemenwaiting audience. The great man himself had disappeared into an officewhich opened onto this reception-room, but the door of which was notclosed. All waited patiently; from time to time the usher-secretarycrept noiselessly to the office door and peeked through the key-holeto see whether the executive was ready. Finally, at 3:35 the word wasgiven, and the privilege of the first audience was granted to myself. During these days of waiting--something which has never occurred withany of the many governors of states in Mexico upon whom I have called--Ihad expressed my surprise to a gentleman of wealth and prominence in thecity, at the governor's compelling me to wait for audience. With somefeeling, this gentleman replied, "But, sir, you are fortunate; you area stranger, and bring letters from cabinet officials; many of the bestgentlemen in this city have been kept waiting months in order to seeGovernor Canton in regard to business of the highest consequence tothemselves and to the public. " I will do the governor justice by sayingthat he listened with apparent interest to my statement, and that hegave orders that the letters which I wished, to local authorities, should be prepared without delay. Thanking him, I withdrew, and by fiveo'clock the secretary handed me the desired documents; we had lost fourdays. Early the following morning, as no _cargadors_ were at hand, ourlittle company resolved itself into a band of carriers and we took ourbaggage and equipment to the Peto station. The securing of tickets andthe checking of baggage was quite an undertaking, and if the train hadstarted at the time announced, we should have missed it; however, wewere in good season, and left something less than an hour late. Thecountry through which we passed was an improvement upon what we had seenbefore. The trees were greener, and many flowers were in bloom. From thetrain, we saw a group of pyramids at one point, and an isolated pyramidat another. Some of the indian towns through which we passed, withcurious Maya names, were interesting. So, too, were the vendors atthe station. Hot tamales, "_pura masa_" (pure dough), as Manuel said, slippery and soapy in feeling and consistency, done up in banana leavesand carefully tied, seemed to be the favorite goods; far better weresplit _tortillas_ with beans inside and cheese outside; beautiful redbananas and plump smooth yellow ones were offered in quantity. We lostan hour at the station where trains met, reaching Tekax at eleven. Wewalked up to the hot _plaza_, where we found the town offices closed, and had difficulty in even leaving our stuff with the police. At arestaurant we had a fair breakfast, for which we paid a peso eachperson. As there were no signs of the town officials, we dropped intothe _curato_ to see the priest, to whom we presented the bishop'sletter. He was a Spaniard, who had been in this country only a fewmonths, and despises it heartily. He was sitting at table with two youngmen, who had accompanied him from Spain, and who love Yucatan no betterthan he. He greeted us most heartily, and was interested in our plan ofwork. He sent at once for the judge of the _registro civil_, who couldtell us many curious things about the indians, and, as soon as the oldman came, the good priest ordered chocolate to be served. We chatted forsome time, when, seeing that the _jefe's_ office was open, I suggestedthat I had better go to present my letters. The _cura_ and the judge atonce began to abuse that official roundly for his sins of commission, and particularly for those of omission, and told me that I should havehim summoned; that it was much better than to trouble myself by goingto his office, where I had already been twice in vain; it was but rightthat he should attend to business; he ought to be in his office whenvisitors came to see him. Accordingly a messenger was sent and the_jefe_ summoned. 

He seemed a rather nice young fellow, and was much impressed by theletter from his governor; he expressed himself as ready and anxious toserve us in every way, and made arrangements for us to begin work inthe town-house, where, before dark, we had taken fifteen sets ofmeasurements. This was a capital beginning, but the next two days ourwork fell flat. It was necessary to keep constantly at the _jefe_, and it soon became plain that he was making no great effort to securesubjects for us, on the assumption that we had better wait until Sunday, when there would be plenty of people without trouble to the police. 

It was useless to urge effort, and we spent the time talking with theold judge in regard to the habits and superstitions of the indians andin walking with the judge of _primera instancia_ up to the ridge whichoverlooked the town, and which was crowned by a little _hermita_. Thepopulation of Yucatan is still, for the most part, pure indian of Mayablood and speech. The former importance of this people is well known;they had made the greatest progress of any North American population, and the ruins of their old towns have often been described. Theybuilt temples and public buildings of stone and with elaborate carveddecorations; they ornamented walls with stucco, often worked intoremarkable figures; they cast copper and gold; they hived bees, and usedboth wax and honey in religious ceremonial. They spun and wove cotton, which they dyed with brilliant colors; they had a system of writingwhich, while largely pictorial, contained some phonetic elements. Theyare still a vital people, more than holding their own in the presentpopulation, and forcing their native language upon the white invaders. Nominally good Catholics, a great deal of old superstition stillsurvives, and they have many interesting practices and beliefs. The curapresented me a _ke'esh_ of gold, which he took from the church, whereit had been left by a worshipper. It is a little votive figure crudelymade, commonly of silver; the word means "exchange, " and such figuresare given by the indians to their saint or to the Virgin in exchange forthemselves, after some sickness or danger. 

The ridge overlooking the town is of limestone, and is covered with ahandsome growth of trees and grass. The terrace on which the _hermita_is built is flat and cleared; it is reached by a gently graded ascent, with a flight of wide and easy steps, now much neglected. The littlebuilding is dismantled, though there is some talk of reconstructing it. Behind it is a well of vile and stagnant water, which is reputed to curedisease. From the ridge a pretty view of Tekax is to be had, bedded ina green sheet of trees. The town is regularly laid out, and presentslittle of interest, though the two-storied _portales_ and the oddthree-storied house of Señor Duarte attract attention. There are alsomany high, square, ventilated shafts, or towers, of distilleries. Fromthe terrace where we stood, in the days of the last great insurrection, the indians swept down upon the town and are said to have killed 2, 500of the people, including men, women and children. 

The school-teacher of the town is a man of varied attainments, beingalso a photographer, watch-maker, medical-adviser, chemist, and soforth. His house is full of scientific instruments--a really goodcamera, a fine aneroid barometer, several thermometers, includingself-registering maximum and minimum, etc. , etc. All seem excellent inquality, but I could not learn that he makes any use of them, exceptthe camera. The _cura_, and the judge deride his possession of theinstruments, doubting whether he knows how to use them. They assert thathe has an apparatus for projection, for which he paid 1, 000 pesos, whichhas never yet been unpacked. When we called on him he showed us, by hishygrometer, that the air was very humid, though the temperature was at86° Fahr. , and told us, what probably is true, that in this heavy, hotweather, every wound and bruise, however trifling, is likely to becomeserious. In illustration of this fact, the _cura_ mentioned that hisSpanish carpenter, who merely bruised his leg against the table, hassuffered frightfully for three months, having now an ugly sore severalinches across, that makes walking difficult. Great care is necessarywith any injury that breaks or bruises the skin. We ourselves hadalready experienced the fact that insect-bites became ugly open soresthat showed no signs of healing; as a fact, none of us succeeded incuring such for several weeks after leaving Yucatan. In the afternoon, the priest, the judge of _primera instancia_ and myself took a coachto ride out to a neighboring _hacienda_, where there was a greatsugar-mill, Louis accompanying us on horseback. Our road ran alongsidethe ridge and consisted of red limestone-clay. It was fairly good, though dry and dusty, and closely bordered with the usual Yucatecanscrub. The ridge, along which we were coursing, is the single elevationin the peninsula; beginning in northeastern Yucatan, it runs diagonallytoward the southwest, ending near Campeche. It is generally covered witha dense growth of forest, unless artificial clearings have been made. Covies of birds, like quail, were seen here and there, along the road, and at one point a handsome green snake, a yard or more in length, glided across the way. Snakes are said to be common, and among themseveral are venomous--the rattlesnake, the coral-snake, and most dreadedof all, a little dark serpent a foot or so in length, with an enormoushead, whose bite is said to be immediately fatal. There are also manytree-snakes, as thick as a man's arm. In the forest, mountain-lions arerare, but "tigers" are common. We found Santa Maria to be an extensive_hacienda_, and the sugar-mill was a large structure, well supplied withmodern machinery, and turning out a large amount of product. We sawa few of the indian hands, went through the factory, and were shownthrough the owner's house, which has beautiful running water and baths, though there is little furniture, and nothing of what we would considerdecoration. It was after dark before we started to town, and when we gotthere we found two wedding parties waiting for the padre's services. 

The promised crowd filled the market Sunday, and our work went finely. Between the town officials and the priest, subjects were constantlysupplied. Among the indians who presented themselves for measurement wasold Manuel, sacristan from Xaya; he is a _h'men_, and we had hoped thathe would show us the method of using the _sastun_, or divining crystal. He is a full-blood, and neither in face nor manner shows the leastemotion. Automatic in movement, he is quiet and phlegmatic in manner;having assumed the usual indian pose for rest, a squat position inwhich no part of the body except the feet rests upon the ground, or anysupport, he sat quietly, with the movement of scarcely a muscle, forhours at a time. He sang for us the invocation to the winds of the fourquarters, which they use in the ceremony of planting time. Though he isfrequently employed to say the "milpa mass" and to conjure, he claimsthat he never learned how to use the _sastun_, but told us that another_h'men_ in his village knew it well. 

One of the _padre's_ companions has been ill ever since he came toYucatan; Sunday he suffered so greatly that a doctor was sent forin haste. Nothing was told us as to what his trouble might be, butpersonally I suspected that he had the small-pox. In connection with hisillness, we learned for the first time that another companion of thepriest, brought from Spain, died in the room I was occupying, lessthan two weeks before, from yellow fever. We had known that one of hiscompanions had died of yellow fever, but supposed it was some monthsearlier. Toward evening the priest was sent for by a neighbor, whoneeded the last service. On the _padre's_ return, we learned that thisperson was believed to be dying from _vomito_. For a moment we were indoubt what was best to do, especially as the police had told us that the_padre_ had permitted no fumigation of his premises after his comrade'sdeath, simply sprinkling holy water about the place. That night theyoung man in the next room suffered greatly, and I could not help butwonder what ailed him. However, I decided that what danger there mightbe from the disease we had already risked, and as we expected to remainbut one or two more days, it seemed hardly worth while to make a change. Monday we planned a visit to San Juan and Xaya. The horses had beenordered for five o'clock, but mass had been said, chocolate taken, andall was ready, long before they appeared. Six, seven, eight all passed, and at last, at nine, only three animals appeared. This decided us toleave Ramon behind to pack the busts which we had made, while the othersof the party, with the _padre_, mounted on his own horse, should makethe journey. A foot _mozo_ carried the camera. The road was of the usualkind, and was marked at every quarter league with a little cross of woodset into a pile of stones and bearing the words, De Tekax----L. As wepassed La Trinidad we noticed great tanks of water for irrigation beforethe house, and tall trees with their bare, gray roots running over andenveloping the piles of stones on which they had been planted. Therewere no other plantations or villages until just before the ninthcross--two and a quarter leagues--we came to the hennequín plantation ofSan Juan. The mayor domo was delighted to see the _padre_ and greeted uswarmly, taking us at once to the great house. We rode between long linesof orange trees, loaded with sweet and juicy fruits, and were soonsitting in the cool and delightful hallway. It is impossible to say howmany dozens of those oranges four of us ate, but we were urged to makeaway with all we could, as the daily gathering is something more thanfive thousand. Soon an elaborate breakfast was ready for us, but beforewe ate we took a drink of fresh milk from cocoanuts cut expressly forus. We had salmon, eggs, meat-stew, beans, tortillas, and wine. But themayor domo expressed his regret that he did not know we were coming, ashe would gladly have killed a little pig for us. As dessert a great dishof fresh _papaya_ cut up into squares and soaking in its own juice, was served. Sitting in the cool corridor, after a good breakfast, and looking out over a beautiful country, with promises that all thesubjects necessary for measurement should be supplied, the idea ofriding on to Xaya lost attractiveness, and we sent a foot-messenger withan order to the town authorities to send the _h'men_ with his _sastuns_without delay to see us. 

[Illustration: MAYA DANCE; SAN JUAN]

[Illustration: THE H'MEN WITH HIS SASTUN; SAN JUAN]

This was our first opportunity to see the industry of hennequín, whichis the chief product of this _hacienda_. The leaves, after cutting, arebrought from the field tied up in bundles. These are opened, and theleaves are fed into a revolving, endless double chain, which carriesthem on iron arms upward and dumps them onto a table, where three menreceive them and feed them into the stripper. This consists of a roundtable, into the inner, excavated, circular face of which a round knifewith dull edge fits closely, though at only one place at once; theleaves, fed between the table and knife, are held firmly by them atabout one-third their length. The projecting two-thirds of the leaveshang downward; as the table revolves the leaves thus held are carried toa vertical revolving rasp which strips out the flesh, leaving the fibremasses hanging. These taken out from between the table and the knife arefed again to a second revolving table which holds the masses of fibre, leaving the unstripped portion of the leaves exposed to a second rasp, which strips it. The hanks of fibre are dropped from the second tableonto a horizontal wooden bar, where they are rapidly sorted over bya man who throws inferior and spotted bunches to one side. The wholeoperation is rapid and beautiful. The fresh fibre is then hung overbars, in the southern wind, to dry, after which it is baled in pressesfor shipment. 

[Illustration: MAYA HOUSE; SAN JUAN]

We had no trouble in completing the measurement of subjects from theindian hands on the place, and made portraits and photographs of nativedancers. In the afternoon the _h'men_ appeared. He was an extremelyclean and neat indian of forty-five, and carried at his side a littlesack, within which, carefully wrapped up in a handkerchief, were his_sastuns_. There were five in all; three were small round balls ofglass, broken from the stoppers of perfume bottles; one was somewhatbarrel-shaped and of bluish color, while the other, the largest of all, was rather long, fancifully formed, and with facets ground out upon it;it was yellowish in tint. The two latter were apparently from toiletbottles. Telling him that I was anxious to learn about something whichhad been stolen from me, I asked what was necessary in the way ofpreparation. He demanded a candle and _aguardiente_. A great taper ofyellow wax and a bottle of spirits were supplied. Taking these in hishand, he entered the little chapel of the _hacienda_, considering it agood place for conjuring. He piously kissed the altar tables and thebases of the crucifixes and saints; then picking out a dark corner heopened his cloth, took out his glasses, lighted the candle and squattedfor his operation. Taking one of the crystal balls between his fingers, he held it between the flame and his eye and looked intently into it, as if seeking something. One after another, the five crystals werecarefully examined. Finally, laying the last aside, he shook his head. He could see nothing, nothing whatever, that interested the gentleman, unless indeed sickness; this he pointed out in one of the little balls;redness, fever. Being urged to try again, after an interval he got downto real business; he took the _aguardiente_, dipped the crystals intothe liquor, repeating formulas as he did so, and again made the test, but with no better result. He could see nothing, absolutely nothing, ofstolen property; there was nothing in the crystal of interest to thegentleman, except fever; that there was, he was certain. This practiceof divining by means of crystals is a survival from the old pagan days. It is probable that there is no indian town of any size in Yucatan wheresome _h'men_ does not make use of it. 

We had now finished our work with Maya Indians, except the measurementof a few women and the making of a single bust. Upon rather strongrepresentation to the _jefe_, a desperate effort was made by thepolicemen and the women were secured. Among the village police-force, one man had attracted our particular attention, as representing atype of face, quite common among the Mayas, which we have called theserpent-face. It is round and broad, with retreating chin and recedingforehead, and with curious, widely-separated, expressionless eyes. Wehad already measured and photographed the subject, but, because he wasa policeman and had been useful, we thought we would not subject him tothe operation of bust-making. Seeing, however, that no other equallygood subject had presented itself, we decided to make his bust, and toldhim so. To our surprise he refused. The _jefe_, for once, acted promptlyand without hesitation issued an absolute order that the man's bustshould be made. The order had no effect. The officials scolded, threatened, but Modesto Kan was immovable. The _jefe_ ordered that heshould be thrown into jail, which order was promptly obeyed, but all tono purpose. Our subject said we might whip him, fine him, keep him injail, or kill him, but he would not have his bust made. Hours passed, and neither remonstrance nor threats on the part of the _jefe_ orourselves were of the least avail. On my last interview with him, Ifound him lying on a mat with so high a fever that I dared not urge thematter further, and we desisted from our efforts to secure him. It wasthe only subject among 3, 000 Indians, with whom we failed to carry outour work. 

A story which the old judge had told us had its influence in mypermitting this subject to escape. These Mayas often die for spite, orbecause they have made up their mind to do so. Don Manuel at one timewas summoned by a rich indian with whom he was well acquainted. The manwas not old, and had land, good houses, many head of cattle, much maize, and many fowls. He had three children, and owned the houses near his ownin which they lived. Everything was prospering with him. Yet the messageto the judge was that he should come at once to hear this indian's lastwords. With a companion he hastened to the house, and found the man inhis hammock, dressed in his best clothes, waiting for them. He seemedin perfect health. When they accosted him, he told them he was aboutto make his will, and say his last words. They told him that a man inhealth had a perfect right to make his will, but remonstrated with himfor saying that he was about to speak his last words. He insisted, however, that he was about to die. In vain they argued with him; he hadhad his dream. He gave to one child, house, animals, corn, poultry; tothe second, similar gifts; to the third, the same. Then, having biddenthem all farewell, he lay down in his hammock, took no food or drink, spoke to no one, and in six days was dead. Such cases are not uncommonamong Maya indians of pure blood. 

When we reached home that night we found Ramon unwell. Next day, thelast of our stay at Tekax he was suffering with fever. He had doneno work while we were absent the day before, and all the packing anddoing-up of plaster fell upon the others of the party. As for him, hecollapsed so completely that it scared me. The ordinary _mestizo_ hasno power of resistance; no matter how trifling the disease, he suffersfrightfully and looks for momentary dissolution. It was plain from thefirst moment that Ramon believed that he had the yellow fever; insteadof trying to keep at work or occupying himself with something whichwould distract his attention, he withdrew into the least-aired corner ofa hot room and threw himself onto heap of rugs and blankets, in whichhe almost smothered himself, cut off from every breath of fresh air. Invain we urged him to exert himself; in the middle of the afternoon wetook him to the doctor, who assured us that the case was in no wayserious--at the worst nothing more than a light attack of malaria. Inthe afternoon the _jefe_, neglecting the _padre_, invited the judge of_primera instancia_ and myself to accompany him upon a little expeditionto the neighboring Cave of the Fifth of May. We went in a coach, takingLouis, who sat with the driver, as photographer; on the way, we visitedthe town cemetery, which we found a dreary place, with no effort atadornment and with an air of general neglect. We passed a number ofplaces where they were boiling sugar, and at one we stopped to see themode of dipping calabashes for _dulces_; the fruits are gourd-like, buthave considerable soft pulp within the thin, hard crust; several holesare bored through the external shell and the calabashes, slung bystrings into groups at the end of a pole, are dipped into the boilingsap or syrup; the dipping is done two or even three times, and theclusters are removed and allowed to drip and dry between dips. The looseflesh is soaked through with the syrup, making a rich, sweet mass, muchused for desserts. Finally, we turned into another place where sugar wasbeing made, and found it the cleanest and neatest of its kind. Here wesampled little cakes of clean brown sugar, and were treated with similarcakes in which peanuts and squash-pips were embedded, making a deliciousconfection. We were here supplied with a clean, fresh _jícara_ cup, and, walking along the path a few rods, ascended slightly to the mouth of thecave, which was far handsomer than we had expected. The limestone ofYucatan abounds in caves and subterranean water-courses, especially nearthe base of the ridge already mentioned. The mouth of the cavern wasfringed with ferns and other vegetation. A flight of rustic steps leddown to the nearly level floor of red cave-earth. The light from outsideentered sufficiently to show the greater portion of the cave. The rockwalls, opposite the opening, were brilliantly green with some minutegrowth; from the floor rose a heap of stone upon the top of which wasset an _olla_ of large size to catch the water dripping from the roof;it was full of most beautifully clear, cool water, which we dipped outwith our _jícara_ and drank. At two or three other places on the floor, and on projections from the side walls of the cave, were other _ollas_, or broken water-troughs of stone, for catching water. Lighting ourcandles we went behind a pendant veil of thick stalagmite. At some spotshummocks of snow-white crystalline matter, with a reticulated surface, had been deposited by dripping water. A few great masses of stalagmiterose from the floor, and there were some columns of the same material. On returning from the cavern, nothing would do but we must breakfastwith the _jefe_, which we did, in state, though at our usualboarding-house. 

[Illustration: FRESHLY-DIPPED CALABASHES, NEAR TEKAX]

[Illustration: THE COACH THAT CARRIED US TO THE STATION; TEKAX]

The three great industries about Tekax are sugar, hennequín, and liquor. Father Juan insisted that we should visit one of the local distilleries, of which there are fourteen in Tekax. Sugar, ground with water into athick syrup, is drawn off from the mill into great vats, where it ispermitted to ferment; it is then taken into the still, where it isheated and vaporized, and the vapor carried up into high towersfor condensation. These three-storied, square, wooden towers, withventilator-shafts, are one of the characteristic features of the town. 

Padre Juan insisted on supplying a coach for our leaving, in themorning. This coach, like those at Mérida, was an extremely smallaffair, for a single horse. Under any circumstances it would scarcelycarry three persons, without luggage, besides the driver. When it isremembered that our party, (consisting of four), the stout _padre_, foursatchels, measuring-rod, tin pan and blankets, made up the load, it canbe easily appreciated that the little coach was full. We rode slowly, and the poor, creaking vehicle threatened to fall to pieces everymoment, but we reached the station safely. It was scarcely ten when wearrived at Mérida and took our old quarters at the Moromuzo. Our invalidat once lay down, and neither threats nor bribes would move him; helooked as if he suffered, but he insisted on doing so; going to thenearest drug store we described his symptoms to the apothecary, whoassured us that the case could not be serious, and supplied a remedywhich was rapid and energetic in its action, though our sick maninsisted that he was not improved. 

We were now but waiting for notice of a vessel sailing from Progreso forCoatzacoalcos. Writing, errands, visits, filled up the time, but it wasdreary waiting. The muddy streets, the heavy, moist, fetid air, theoutrageous prices, the mosquitoes--all combined to make a disagreeableexperience. We worried through three days, and still no announcement ofa boat. In a visit made to the bishop, to tell him of our kind receptionin Tekax and to make inquiry regarding books printed in the Maya, wewere again warned by the prelate to be most careful of our health; thatday, he told us, two of our countrymen, working at the electric-lightplant, had been stricken with yellow fever and would surely die. Thesecond day we were in town the boys met Don Poncio, one of the Spanishcomrades of the _padre_ at Tekax, who, with another of the household, had run away, leaving the good priest alone, as the young fellow who hadbeen ill in the room next ours developed a full case of yellow fever theday we left, and was dead before night. 

One day we went to a _cenote_ for a bath. Passing through a house into arather pretty garden, we came to a stairway, partly natural and partlycut in the solid rock, which we descended; we found ourselves in anatural cave, with a pool of blue, transparent water. A paved platformsurrounded one side of the cave, and near its rear edge was a bench ofmasonry, which was continued along the side of the pool by a similarbench, cut partly from the living rock. The water was so clear that wecould see, by the light coming from above, to its very bottom, andcould detect little black fishes, like bull-heads, against the sand andpebbles. The pool was irregular in shape, so that a portion of it wasout of sight behind the rock-wall, beyond which we found that there wasa paved floor and benching similar to that in the portion which we hadentered. We had a delightful and refreshing swim in this undergroundpool, but it was noticeable that, after we came out into the air, therewas no evaporation of water from the body, and towels were absolutelynecessary for drying. Such _cenotes_ are found in many parts of Yucatan, and form the regular bathing-places, and are often the only naturalsupplies of drinking-water. Of streams above ground there arepractically none in the whole peninsula. 

The last day of our stay in Mérida we saw the _xtoles_. These are bandsof indian dancers who go from house to house during the carnival season;they are dressed in costumes which reproduce some features of theancient indian dress. In the little company which we saw were fifteendancers, including the standard-bearer; all were males, but half of themwere dressed like females and took the part of such. The male dancerswore the usual white _camisa_ and drawers, but these had a red stripedown the side of the leg; jingling hawk-bells of tin or brass wereattached to various parts of their dress; a red belt encircled thewaist; all wore sandals. The "female" dancers wore white dresses of theusual sort, with decorated borders at the arm and neck; also necklacesof gold beads and gold chains with pendants. Two of the dancers werelittle children, but the rest appeared to be young men up to aboutthirty-five years of age. All wore crowns upon the head; theseconsisted of a circlet of tin, from which rose two curved strips, whichintersected over the middle of the head; from the circlet rose fourfeathers--either natural or made of tin. Two of the crowns of specialsize, with real feathers, marked the king and queen. Under the crowns, covering the top of the head and hanging down from the shoulders, weregay handkerchiefs of red or blue. All the dancers were masked. The menwore bandoliers of cotton, worked with bright designs representinganimals, birds and geometrical forms; the square ends of these were hungwith marine shells. In their hands, the dancers carried curious rattlesand fans, which they used in making graceful movements as they danced. The handle of the fan consisted of the leg and foot of a turkey, whilethe body was composed of the brilliant and beautifully spotted feathersof the ocellated turkey, a bird peculiar to Yucatan and the adjacentcountry. There were two musicians, one with a long _pito_, or fife, andthe other with a _huehuetl_ or drum, which he struck with his hand. Hanging to the side of the drum near the top was a turtle-shell, uponwhich the drummer beat, from time to time, with a deer's horn. Astandard was carried by the company, which bore a representation of thesun, with dancers and a serpent; the pole by which it was carried wassurmounted with a tin disk representing the sun's face. The music wasapparently of indian origin and the words of the song were Maya. Thedancing itself was graceful and accompanied by many curious movements. Mr. Thompson, our American consul to Yucatan, believes this dance isancient, and thinks he has found representations of it painted on thewalls of ancient ruins at Chichen Itza. 

[Illustration: THE XTOLES; Mérida]

[Illustration: THE XTOLES; Mérida]

Mérida prides itself upon its carnival, which, it claims, ranksthird, --Venice and New Orleans alone surpassing it. It was admitted thatthe celebration of this year was far below that of others. The cause ofthis dullness was generally stated to be the great amount of sicknessprevalent in the city. However that may be, it certainly was a tameaffair. On the 15th two processions took place, one in the morning, the other in the afternoon; these were arranged by two clubs of youngpeople, and each desired to surpass the other. We saw that of theafternoon, and found it not particularly interesting. A number ofprivate carriages, drawn up in line, passed through the streets; withinwere gentlemen, ladies and children, but few of them wore masks, orwere otherwise notable; besides these, in the procession, were fiveallegorical cars. One represented a gilded boat containing pretty girls;it was arranged to seem to rise and fall upon a billowy sea. A secondfloat represented the well-known ancient statue, the Chacmool; anindian, in the attitude of the figure mentioned, held an _olla_ upon hisbreast, while one or two others stood near him as guards or companions. The most attractive float was loaded with the products of Yucatan, anda group of figures symbolizing its industries and interests. Upon thefourth, a female figure stood erect in a chariot drawn by lions. Thefifth was comic, and represented marriage in public and private--avulgar couple indulging in affectionate display before a partition, and in a conjugal quarrel behind it. These floats were scattered atintervals through the procession, which was of no great length. 

By this time Ramon had suffered violent agonies, and had become so weakthat assistance was needed when he walked. The second day in Mérida wehad sent for a competent physician, who assured us that nothing was thematter excepting an unimportant attack of bilious fever, and that with aday or two of treatment he should be entirely recovered. On his secondvisit he was much irritated, as the young man had not made the promisedimprovement, and assured us that there was no cause for his collapse. During our first visit to Mérida, in hunting through the city forProtestants--a practice in which he invariably indulged whenever wereached a town of consequence--Ramon had happened on an interestinglittle man who represents the American Bible Society in this district. By name Fernandez, this gentleman was born in Argentina, educated inSpain, and has served as colporteur in the states of Chiapas, Tabascoand Yucatan for upwards of a dozen years. He was stout, active, andvivacious; he claimed to have been in every town in Chiapas, and gaveus much advice regarding our journey to that state; he called upon usseveral times during our stay, and shared the general disgust over oursick man, who, he assured us, had nothing serious the matter, and onlyneeded to arouse himself to throw off the bilious attack from which hesuffered. On the streets we met the baron who had been with us on ourvoyage from Tampico. He told us that after one day in Mérida, he andhis lady decided that they preferred Progreso, and were stopping there, going down upon the day-train when they wished to visit Mérida. He alsowarned us that we need never expect to see the forty dollars which wehad advanced through the vice-consul, as whatever disposition should bemade of our complaint regarding customs charges by the government, nosuch money was ever known to leave his hands. Following events entirelyconfirmed this gentleman's dire prophecy; neither Mr. Thompson nor SeñorSolis have paid the least attention to communications regarding thematter sent after our return to our own country. It is little likelythat the Mexican government refused to refund the payment; but we shallprobably never know. 

The remarks of the baron suggested a new line of action. Why longerwait in Mérida for our boat? Progreso is cleaner, cooler, enjoys a seabreeze, and gives as good living for less than half the price we werepaying. For comfort, for the benefit of our sick man, for the advantageof our pocket, we would be better off at Progreso than in Mérida. Whilethere were cases of small-pox in the little seaport, there were none ofyellow fever. In every way it looked attractive, and on Monday morningwe left, and found ourselves, before noon, comfortably located in thecurious little hotel, La Estrella de Oro, in Progreso. To be sure, our rooms were mere stalls, being separated from each other by boardpartitions scarcely eight feet in height, and without ceiling, so thatit was impossible to escape the conversation in neighboring rooms atnight. The table, however, was excellent, and the price, compared withwhat we had been paying, economy itself. Having seen my companionscomfortably located, I returned to Mérida, where there was still somebusiness demanding attention. This time I found a room in the HotelConcordia, which was the most comfortable I enjoyed in Mérida, althoughthe price of $4 for the mere room was high. The day before, we had seenthe Battle of Flowers of the carnival. No flowers figured in it; itconsisted of a long procession of carriages, mostly private and mostlygood; they were filled with well-dressed young people, of whom few weremasked; all were supplied with confetti, which was thrown in handfulsby those in the carriages upon those in carriages going in the otherdirection, for the procession was double. Usually, girls and ladiesthrew at men and boys, who reciprocated the compliment; the ladies hadtheir hair loose and flowing, and wore no hats; so that in a little timeit was filled with the brilliant bits of paper. Everyone, also, had longstrips of colored paper, rolled up like ribbons, which were now and thenlaunched, either with no direct aim or at some person; as these stripsunrolled they trailed prettily in the air, and everyone caught at thetrailing streamers. Crowds of poor children chased along, beside andbehind the carriages, catching at the showers of bits of paper, and atthe long streamers, which they kept, or, in turn, hurled at passers. Thebalconies of all the better houses were filled with people, as were theseats and raised platform fronting the town-house, and those inthe balconies and on the seats rained down paper upon those in thecarriages. Many children in the balconies were masked, and woregrotesque costumes, but few grown persons were so decked out. Whilepretty and characteristic, the Battle of Flowers disappointed us, lacking the life and "abandon" which one usually associates withthe idea of carnival. It was all reserved, and respectable, andunenthusiastic. The only persons who really seemed to enjoy it were thepoor children, with their loads of bright paper and long streamers. Monday afternoon, the most striking function of the carnival, so farseen, took place. This was an enormous procession of vehicles; privatecarriages, with elaborate equipment, were filled with finely-dressedgentlemen and ladies; common rented coaches were in line, and some ofthem were loaded to their full capacity with common people--four, five, or even six, in one; in one were four brawny, young _cargadors_; inanother an old grandmother, her two daughters, and some grandchildren, pure indians, rode complacently, enjoying the admiration which they knewtheir best clothes must attract; in some of the fine private coaches, noone but indian nurses or favored servants rode. Even here, few of theparties were really dashing, lively or beautiful. The whole thing wasconstrained, artificial and sedate. An occasional group seemed to reallyenjoy the occasion. One bony horse dragged an ancient buggy or cart, which might well be that of some country doctor, and in it was thegentleman himself, commonly dressed, but with a whole family of littlepeople, who were bubbling over with enjoyment. Another happy party wasthat of a common carter, who had his own dray in the line, with hischildren, neatly but commonly dressed, as its only occupants; in two orthree carriages were maskers, though none of them appeared funny;one drayman's cart had been hired by a crowd of loud and boisterousyoungsters, who performed all kinds of pranks and bawled nonsensicalremarks to the crowd. 

[Illustration: CARNIVAL AT PROGRESO]

[Illustration: CARNIVAL AT PROGRESO]

My chief errand was to see the leader of the _xtoles_, to purchase fromhim some of the objects which they had used in their dance. Just as Iwas starting, at evening, for the address he had given me, I met SeñorFernandez in the plaza, and he agreed to accompany me to the place. Wewent some little distance on the street-car, and, dismounting at thecorner of a narrow lane, were about to start through it, when someonetouched my companion on the arm, and greeted him. He recognized theowner of the little shop before which we stood. Heartily invited toenter the _tienda_, we did so and stated the object of our quest. Theshopkeeper at once said that we must have a lantern, as the road wasdark, and ordered his clerk to accompany us with one, for which we weretruly thankful. We came, finally, to the house where Don Gregorio, the leader of the dancers, lived. Fernandez was friendly and voluble, greeting every company of girls and women that we met, or who were atthe house, as "_lindas_, " and passing compliments. He was, however, uneasy, continually glancing around and asking repeatedly when DonGregorio would appear. The dancers were still absent, but expectedevery moment; in fact, we could hear their music in the distance. When, finally, they did appear, their leader, who was very drunk, insistedthat he could not treat in the matter until after the next day, whichwould be the culmination of the carnival, and their chief day fordancing. The instant that we received this answer, Fernandez seizedthe lantern, which the clerk had left, and, grasping me by the arm, westarted off at breakneck pace. As we almost rushed down the stony road, he looked furtively to right and left, and told me that there were, nodoubt, persons in the neighborhood who had recognized him, and saidthat, more than once, in this very neighborhood, he had been stonedwhen selling bibles, and that any moment we ran our chances of a nightattack. Apparently, however, people were too much excited over carnivalto waste their time in baiting Protestants, and we heard no whizzingmissiles, and soon, reaching the corner shop, left the lantern, and wenthome. There had been doubt as to whether trains would run the followingday, Tuesday, on account of carnival. I found, however, that the trainon which I had counted, leaving at seven in the morning, went as usual, though it was the only train of the day for Progreso. My companionswere delighted to see me, and I found our sick man sure that death wasimminent; to tell the truth, he was constantly spitting black blood, which oozed from his gums, and which gave me more concern than any ofhis previous symptoms. We found the carnival at Progreso more naturaland unpretentious, but also far more lively and amusing, than anythingin Mérida. To be sure, some of the performances bordered on theindecent, but on the whole, it was jolly, and scarcely gave cause forManuel's pious ejaculation that there were many _abusos_. Groups of menand boys went through the streets decked with ribbons and flowers, andwith their faces painted or daubed; many carried handfuls of flour, or of blue paint, which they dashed into the faces or over the cleanclothes of those they met; bands of maskers danced through the streets;companies of almost naked boys, daubed with colors, played _toro_ withone who was inside a frame of wood. One man, completely naked, paintedgrotesquely, pranced through the streets on all fours; young fellows, dressed in women's clothes, with faces masked or painted, wandered aboutsingly, addressing persons on the street in a high falsetto voice withall sorts of woeful stories or absurd questions. Very pretty was acompany of trained dancers, --with a standard, leader, music, and fancycostume, --each of whom carried two staves in his hands; these performeda variety of graceful movements, and sung a song in Spanish; this wasinterestingly like the song of the _xtoles_, and the movements werealmost precisely theirs. In the evening, we attended the _baile de losmestizos_--dance of the _mestizos_, where the elite of the little citywas gathered, and the place was crowded. Very little of it wasenough, for while the music and dancing were all right, the heat, thetobacco-smoke, and the perfume, were overpowering. 

To our joy, on Wednesday, the "Hidalgo" appeared, bound forCoatzacoalcos. All day Thursday we waited for it to unload its cargo, and on Friday morning, we loaded into a little sail-boat at the wharf, which we hired for a price far below what the regular steamer wouldhave charged to take us to our vessel. The luggage had been weighed andvalued, and an imposing bill of lading, and an official document, hadbeen made out, to prevent our paying duty a third time when we shouldreach our port. At 10:30 we were on the "Hidalgo, " ready for leaving. Itis the crankiest steamer on the Ward Line, and dirty in the extreme. The table is incomparably bad. The one redeeming feature is that thefirst-class cabins are good, and on the upper deck, where they receiveabundance of fresh air; there were plenty of seats for everyone to situpon the deck, a thing which was not true of the "Benito Juarez. "Of other first-class passengers, there were two harmless Yucatecangentlemen--one of whom was seasick all the voyage, --and two Americans, brothers, one from St. Louis, Mo. , and the other from Springfield, Ill. The captain of our vessel was a Norwegian, the first officer was aMexican, the chief engineer an American, the purser a low-German, thechief steward an Oaxaca indian, and the cook a Filipino. Never was I soglad to reach a resting-place, never so relieved, as when we got ourbaggage and our sick man safely on board. As to the latter, he at oncelay down, and, practically, was not on his feet during the voyage. Wehad expected to make the run in thirty hours, but were hindered by roughweather, catching portions of two northers; the second was so bad that, when almost in sight of our destination, we were forced to put to seaagain, and lost many hours of time and miles of distance. On the morningof the third day, however, we had dropped anchor, and on looking fromthe cabins at five, caught sight of Coatzacoalcos; but it was not theCoatzacoalcos of 1896. Prodigious changes had taken place. The PearsonCompany, having taken possession of the railroad, had made greatimprovements; their pretentious general-offices, located at the wharf, had recently been completed; the railroad station had been improved;the old shack, where we slept in 1896, had been torn down, and aconstruction track occupied its place; on the little rise behind, apretty and large hotel had been erected; on the higher land, tothe right, a line of well-built houses, making some pretension toarchitectural effect, had been constructed. It was only after landing, and walking through the older portions of the town, that any familiarscenes were recognized. Though we were ready to land at five, and wishedto catch the train at seven, we were forced to wait for the officialinspection, and saw the longed-for train--and there would be no otherfor two days--pull out before our eyes. Finally, at nine o'clock, wewere permitted to land. To my surprise, my shipping document was calledfor, but, being produced, we were subjected to no difficulty. Thebalance of the day was spent in wandering about the village, meetingformer acquaintances, attending to odds and ends of shipment, andstrolling on the familiar beach, which was still covered with scurryingcrabs and sprinkled with white "sand dollars. " During the night, aterrific norther blew, and the next day, cold, dull gray, rainy, kept usin-doors. By this time, the purser of the "Hidalgo, " who had himself hadyellow fever, and said he was familiar with it, had convinced us thatRamon really had had a slight touch of that dread disease, but havingpassed his tenth day of sickness, was destined to recover, and would beno serious menace to other people. 

CHAPTER XXIII

OX-CART EXPERIENCES

(1901)

On the following morning, at seven, we took the railroad train, and atfive at night had reached Tehuantepec, and were pleasantly located inour old hotel, the Europa. On February 28, we visited the market, calledat the house of the _jefe politico_ for a letter to the town authoritiesof Huilotepec, and visited Dr. Castle, whom we found much the same asever. We failed to find the _jefe_ at his office, though we went thereseveral times, but found him sitting in a _tienda_ much the worse fordrinking. He was charmed to see us, embraced us warmly, and told us thathis thoughts had frequently been with us since our former sojourn inhis district. New supplies of wine, and, on the appearance of certainladies, of champagne, were ordered in witness of his satisfaction. Inregard to our desires, he was delighted to learn that Louis was shootingbirds, declaring that we were just in time; that he had a damnable orderfrom Mexico to send on skins of all the birds of his district for theNational Museum, and that he had not known what to do in the matter;we must prepare them; if we did so, willingly, we should be handsomelypaid; but if not, he would be compelled to force us. The jail wasready, and men die easily in Southern Mexico. With this, he made somesuggestions that it was easy for a person to be officially reported asaccidentally killed, or dead from _vomito_. He insisted that we shouldnot go alone to Huilotepec, but that he himself would accompany us andmake sure that everything was done according to our wishes. All thesedire threats and great promises were completely forgotten on thefollowing day, when we sallied forth alone. 

[Illustration: MANUEL AND AN IGUANA; TEHUANTEPEC]

[Illustration: MARKET WOMEN; SAN BLAS]

In the _jefe's_ office we learned that during the past year not onlyCoatzacoalcos, but Tehuantepec, had suffered frightfully from yellowfever. Of course, the disease is no rarity on the Gulf coast, though itwas never worse than in the last season; but in Tehuantepec, and on thePacific coast, it is a thing so rare as to be almost unknown. So true isthis, that, when it was first reported from this district, the federalgovernment did not believe the story, and sent a commission toinvestigate. We learned that the commission arrived at evening, and, finding two persons dead in their black vomit on the street, made nofurther investigation, but started for Mexico on the following train. The spread of the disease to the west coast is generally attributed, andno doubt correctly, to the railroad. The disease was particularly fatal, in both places, to Americans and Englishmen, and it was whispered that90 per cent of the employes of the new railroad management succumbed. The chief clerk in the _jefe's_ office told us that, while many casesoccurred here, no pure indians were taken, and that none of the_mestizos_ who were affected died--the mortality being confined to theforeigners. 

Dr. Castle had moved, but his place was as interesting as ever. Forpets, he had three hairless dogs, a _mapachtl_, two macaws, two parrots, and a lot of doves, one of which he had taught tricks. He was muchinterested in cactuses, and had established a garden in which he plannedto have all the species of the district. We had purchased some iguanasin the market, and Louis had been skinning them. The Doctor said thatthere were three species of iguanas in the district, the largest beinggreen, changing to orange or gray, and its flesh not being eaten, as itis too sweet; the second species is of medium size, and gray or black incolor; the third is rarer, smaller, and is striped lengthwise; it livesamong the rocks near the coast. The two last species are both eaten, and are often sold in market. Here we learned, by a casual remark whichManuel dropped on seeing the ugliest of the hairless dogs, that theseare believed, not only here, but in Puebla, and no doubt elsewherethrough the Republic, to cure rheumatism. In order to effect a cure, thedog must sleep for three nights with the patient, and the uglier the dogthe more certain the cure. Through Dr. Castle, we also learned that theZapotec Indians hereabouts, have many songs, of which the _sandunga_ isa great favorite. Questioning an indian friend of mine, we afterwardslearned that there are many of these pieces of music which are heldto be truly indian. The words are largely Zapotec; Spanish words arescattered through the song, and the sentiment is largely borrowed. Most of the songs are love-songs, and they abound in metaphoricalexpressions. Our little trip to Huilotepec was for the purpose ofphotographing the curious and interesting _mapa_ belonging to thevillage. We rode out over the hot and dusty river-bed road, arriving atnoon. Sending for the _agente_ and _secretario_, we ordered breakfastand made known our errand. Though it plainly was not to their taste, the_mapa_ was brought out for our inspection. It is painted on a piece ofcoarse cotton cloth, of native weaving, in three colors--blue, red andblack. The places around Huilotepec are indicated by their ancienthieroglyphs. Several personages of the ancient time are represented inthe conventional manner commonly used in Zapotec writings before theConquest. After eating, we placed the _mapa_ against the wall, wrote outa description of it, and photographed it. Dismay now filled the soul ofthe _agente_, and the one _principal_ whom he had summoned for advice. They talked long and earnestly with me about the _mapa_, and begged meto assure the _jefe_ that it was no good; that it was not _autorizado_;that it was _mudo_. To quiet their fears, I was compelled to write aletter to that effect to be delivered to the _jefe_; if it ever came tohand, he certainly found it incomprehensible. Mrs. Seler, in her book, describes the trouble that they had in seeing this _mapa_, and theinterest which their examination of it aroused. Dr. Castle told usthat, several years ago, he accompanied a Mr. Werner and a priest toHuilotepec to see the _mapa_, and, if possible, to secure a picture ofit. For a long time they were unable to secure a glimpse of the olddocument, and it was only when the priest assured the indians that thedoctor was an American engineer, who had been commissioned to surveythe line in dispute between the village and the Juaves, that they wereallowed to see it. Before permission was then given, a general meetingof the _principales_ was held, and none of the guests were permitted totouch the document. Mr. Werner made an exposure, which he sent to theStates for development; it was lost or destroyed. It is thus possiblethat ours is the only picture of it in existence. 

We had been told that a coach went regularly from San Geronimo to TuxtlaGutierrez, making the journey in two days. This seemed too good to betrue, and no one at Tehuantepec knew anything of such an arrangement, but we took the train the following morning for San Geronimo, hoping toget off without delay. All that the traveller sees upon descending fromthe train is the station, the place of Señor Espindola, and the littleHotel Europa. To our surprise, we found that our baggage had not yetcome from Coatzacoalcos, although we had seen it loaded on the trainourselves. Still worse, we were informed that frequently fifteen dayswere consumed in transportation of freight from that point hither, andthat we had no right to expect it so promptly. Inquiry regarding thecoach revealed the fact that no such vehicle existed. Six hard days ofhorseback riding would be necessary for the journey, and, thoughRamon admitted himself to be much better, he was too weak for such anundertaking. This had had its influence in determining us to go bycoach in the first place. When in doubt as to what we should do, SeñorEspindola suggested that the journey could be made by ox-cart in ten oreleven days. Though this seemed slow, it was better than to run riskswith our invalid, and we determined to journey in that fashion as soonas our luggage should appear. 

The station is situated on a somewhat elevated plain, constantly sweptby heavy winds. While we were there, this wind was hot, and loaded withdust. In the afternoon, we walked through the indian town, which extendsover a considerable area. The houses are rectangular, with adobe walls, mostly whitewashed, and with steep, pitched roofs. We met a funeralprocession in the road, with the usual band in front. The coffin open, so as to show the child, was carried on the shoulders of several men. The mother, in contortions of real or simulated grief, was supported bytwo women, and the mourners brought up the rear, wailing now and then. Among the mourners was a woman who suffered from black _pinto_, notablydeveloped. The principal industry of the town is pottery. The clay, which is of a greyish-black color, is stiff and hard, and is firstbroken up with a mallet. When worked into a stiff paste, it is builtby hand into great _ollas_ and plates, one and a half or two feet indiameter. These _ollas_ we saw at many houses, and sometimes they werelashed to carts, plainly for bringing water from the stream. A single_olla_ thus lashed, practically filled a fair-sized cart. 

[Illustration: DRYING POTTERY; SAN GERONIMO]

[Illustration: CART AND OLLA; SAN GERONIMO]

The little hotel at the station is a new venture, and deserves completesuccess. At few places in Mexico have we found meals so good and cheap. In the evening, more from curiosity than expectation, we watched thetrain come from the east, and to our surprise and satisfaction, foundour luggage. We had really made up our minds that we must spend somedays in waiting; on the whole, the quiet and comfort of the littletavern would not have been unpleasant; but we hastened at once to SeñorEspindola, and urged him to make instant arrangements for our leaving inthe morning. To this he replied that no _carretero_ would be likely tostart on Sunday, and that we would have to wait until the followingday. Matters turned out better than anticipated, and before nine, thefollowing morning, our arrangements had been made. Two _carretas_ werehired, at twenty-eight pesos each, to make the journey; our driveragreed that, without counting that day, he could get us to Tuxtla ineight days; in order to encourage him, we promised to pay five pesosextra for each _carreta_, in case we reached the city of Tuxtla onMonday the 11th. His name was Eustasio; he was a good-natured littleZapotec, from Juchitan originally, but living now at Guviño, UnionHidalgo. He warned us that, for the first day, we would have to put upwith some discomfort, but that, upon reaching his home, he would fit usout magnificently. He promised to start at four that afternoon, and wewere ready; of course, he was not, nor was he at five; so we went backto the hotel for a last good supper, and finally at 5:50 started. Therewere four teams and carts in the company, loaded with freight forHidalgo. The night was clear, with a fine moon. The road was over heavysand. Sometimes we walked in the moonlight, passing Ixtaltepec at 8:30, and reaching Espinal at ten, where we lost three-quarters of an hour inloading freight. From there all went well, until a-quarter-of-two inthe morning, when we were passing through a country covered with scrubtimber. Here we constantly met many carts heavily loaded; the road wasnarrow, and several times collisions, due to the falling asleep of oneor other of the _carreteros_, were narrowly escaped. Finally, one reallydid take place, between our second cart and a heavily loaded one goingin the other direction. The axle of our cart was broken, and the vehicletotally disabled. Two hours and a quarter were consumed in makingrepairs and in reloading. Here, for the first time, we were impressedwith two characteristics in our driver: first, his ability to swear, surpassing anything that we had ever heard; second, his astonishingskill and ingenuity in repairing any accident or break, which happenedon the road. Before our journey was over, we learned that both thesequalities are common to his profession. It was four o'clock in themorning before we were again upon our way. All hope of reaching UnionHidalgo at the promised hour disappeared. Before sunrise, we had turnedinto the hot, dusty, broad, straight high-road, which, after my journeyof 1896, I had devoutly hoped never to see again. Just as the sunrose, we took quite a walk, killing some parrots, _calandrias_, and_chacalaccas_ as we walked. They said that _javali_--peccaries, --werecommon there. The day was blisteringly hot, long before we reached UnionHidalgo; hot, hungry and sleepy, we reached our carter's home, a littlebefore ten in the morning. The _carreta_ in which we were travelling washere far ahead, and after we had rested half-an-hour or more, Manuel, hot and perspiring, appeared, and reported that the disabled cart hadbroken down again, and that the other two were delayed by a sick animal. All came straggling in later. We had planned to leave here towardevening, travelling all Monday night; but hardly had we rested a little, and eaten dinner, when Eustasio announced that we should spend the nighthere, and not leave until the following afternoon. He said the animalswere hot and tired from travelling in the daytime, and that to push onwould defeat our plans. He swore that, unless God decreed otherwise, weshould reach Tuxtla Gutierrez by the promised date. There was nothingfor it but submission, though we would gladly have chosen a moreinteresting town than Union Hidalgo for a stay of almost two days. Whenevening came, I took my bed of poles out into the open air, into thespace between two houses; Ramon lay down upon a loaded _carreta_, alsoout of doors, while Louis and Manuel took possession of hammocks in oneof the houses. It was a cloudless night, with brilliant moon. The airsoon grew cool. After midnight, I was aroused by the most frightfulyelling, and opening my eyes, I saw a barefooted, bareheaded Indianyelling out the most frightful imprecations and oaths. At first Ithought that he was insulting some one in the house, but both the houseswere fast closed. Ramon, completely wrapped in his blanket, couldattract no notice, and I did not believe that I had been observed, northat I was addressed. For quite ten minutes the crazy drunkard stoodthere in the moonlight, bawling out a frightful torrent of abuse, invective, and profanity, with an occasional "_Viva Mexico! MuereGuatemala_!" patriotically thrown in. 

[Illustration: THE DRUNKARD'S EXCHANGE; UNION HIDALGO]

[Illustration: BEFORE REACHING UNION HIDALGO]

At last he disappeared, but for a long time could be heard howling, as he went from house to house. Believing that it might be well to beprepared for intruders, I arose and pulled a stake from one of thecarts, and laid it at my side, upon the bed. But I was soon fast asleepagain. Awaking at five, I found myself so cold, and the dew so heavy, that I dressed, and wrapped my blanket around me, and sat up, waitingfor daylight. At 5:30 our drunken friend passed again, somewhat lessvoluble, but still vociferous. He was absolutely crazed with drink, andthrough the day several times made his appearance, and always with atorrent of abuse and profanity which made one's blood run cold. Beforethe day was well begun, a second person, almost as drunk, but far morequiet, a nice-looking old man, began making similar visits about thevillage. The two drunkards, differing in age and build, differed also indress, but on the occasion of one of their visits, they were taken withthe crazy notion of exchanging clothes, and proceeded to undress, makingthe exchange, and re-clothing themselves in garments ridiculouslynon-fitting--all with the utmost gravity and unsteadiness. Duringthe day, our _carretas_ were being prepared. Apologizing for theinconvenience of the preceding day, Eustasio proposed to fix our cart"as fine as a church. " He put a decent cover over it, and laid our sacksof plaster on the floor. Upon this, he spread a layer of corn-stalks, and over them, a new and clean _petate_. To be sure, the space leftabove was low for comfort, and we were horrified when we saw him loadingup the second one, not only with the balance of our luggage, but highwith maize, fodder, and great nets of ears of corn, to feed the animals. We had supposed that two persons and part of the luggage would go ineach of the carts, and never thought of carrying food enough to lastfour oxen eight days. Crowding four people into our _carreta_ made itimpossible to lie down in comfort. Still, such is the custom of thecountry, and we submitted. During the day we heard a woman crying ina house. Upon investigating, we found that she was the wife of a_carretero_ who had been injured on the road, and for whom a _carreta_had been sent. Shortly afterward, they brought the poor fellow intotown, amid weeping and lamenting. When they took him from the _carreta_in which he had been brought, he was supported by two men and helpedinto the house, where he was laid upon a hammock. He groaned with pain, and a crowd of curious villagers pressed into the room. 

It was easy to locate four broken ribs behind, and he complained ofgreat internal bleeding. It seemed that he had started to climb up ontohis moving cart in the usual way, and the stake which he had seizedbroke, letting him fall to the ground under the wheel of theheavily-loaded cart, which passed over his body. 

Finally, all was ready, and at about five in the evening we started. Packed like sardines in a box, we were most uncomfortable. Personally, Idid not try to sleep, neither lying down, nor closing my eyes. Shortlyafter leaving town, we crossed a running stream, and from the other sidewent over a piece of corduroy, upon which we jounced and jolted. Soonafter, we descended into a little gully, from which our team haddifficulty in drawing us. The baggage-cart had a more serious time; theteam made several attempts to drag it up the slope, but failed, eventhough our whole company, by pushing and bracing, encouraging andhowling, aided. There was a real element of danger in such help, theslipping animals and the back-sliding cart constantly threatening tofall upon the pushers. Finally, the cart was propped upon the slope, andits own team removed; our team, which was heavier and stronger, was thenhitched on, but it was only with a hard tug, and with heavy pushing, that success was gained, and the cart reached the summit of the slope. We crossed a fine marsh of salt water, quite like the lagoon at SanMateo del Mar, and were told that we were not far from the Juave townof San Dionisio. From here, the country, was, for a distance, an openplain. With the moonlight, the night was almost as bright as day; coldwinds swept sheets of sand and dust over us. At one o'clock, we happenedupon a cluster of six or eight carts, drawn up for rest, and the companyof travellers were warming themselves at little fires, or cooking a latesupper. We learned that this gypsy-like group was a _compania comica_, a comic theatre troupe, who had been playing at Tuxtla, and were now ontheir way to Juchitan. We never before realized that such travelling ofox-carts as we were now experiencing was a regular matter, and that thecarter's trade is a real business. At two o'clock, we stopped to repackour loads, but were shortly on the way again. After the sun rose, wewere in misery; the road was deep with dust, and we were grimy, hot, andchoking. When the cross that marks the beginning of the land belongingto Ixhuatlan was pointed out, we were delighted, but it was still a longride before we crossed the little stream and rode into the village. 

Ixhuatlan is like all the Zapotec towns of this district, but lessclean, on account of its lying in the midst of dust, instead of sand. Our carts drew up in a little grove, a regular resting-place for cartingcompanies, where more than fifteen were already taking their daytimerest. Having ordered breakfast, we hastened to the stream, where allenjoyed a bath and cleansing. Coffee, bread, _tortillas_, eggs, andbrandied peaches, made a good impression, and we ordered our buxom youngZapotec cook, who was a hustler, to have an equally good dinner ready at2:30. We set this hour, believing that she would be late, but she wasmore than prompt, and called us at two to a chicken dinner. It wasinteresting to watch the _carreteros_ in the grove. The scenes ofstarting and arriving, packing and unpacking, chaffing and quarreling, were all interesting. In the lagoons of Vera Cruz, our boatmen appliedthe term _jornada_ to a straight stretch across a lagoon made at onepoling; here among the _carreteros_, the word _jornada_ means the runmade from resting-place to resting-place. In neither case is strictattention paid to the original meaning of the word, a day's journey. Ixhuatlan is a made town; a paternal government, disturbed over the noprogress of the pure Juaves in their seaside towns, set aside the groundon which this town now rests, and moved a village of Juaves to thespot. High hopes were expressed for the success of the experiment; now, however, the town is not a Juave town. It is true, that a few familiesof that people still remain, but for the most part, the Juaves havedrifted back to the shore, and resumed their fishing, shrimp-catchingand salt-making, while the expansive Zapotecs have crowded in, andpractically make up the population of the place. Between dinner andour starting, we wandered about the village, dropping into the varioushouses in search of relics. As elsewhere, we were impressed with theindependent bearing and freeness of the Zapotec woman. She talks witheveryone, on any subject, shrewdly. She loves to chaff, and is willingto take sarcasm, as freely as she gives it. In one house we had aspecially interesting time, being shown a lot of things. The woman hadsome broken pottery figures of ancient times, but also produced someinteresting crude affairs of modern make from Juchitan. These werefigures of men and women--the latter generally carrying babies in indianfashion--of horses and other animals. As works of art, they make nopretension, but they are stained with native colors, and are used asgifts at New Year's by the common people. Here we saw the making ofbaked _tortillas_, and sampled some hot from the oven. Such _tortillas_are called _tortillas del horno_--oven _tortillas_. Flat _tortillas_, about the size of a fruit-plate, are fashioned in the usual way; a great_olla_ is sunk in the ground until its mouth is level with the surface. This is kept covered by a _comal_, or a smaller _olla_, and a good hotfire of coals is kept burning within. When the _tortillas_ have beenshaped, they are stuck on the hot _olla_, being pressed against thesides, to which they adhere, and are left to bake. In baking, the edgescurl up so that the cake, instead of being flat, is saucer-shaped. Theyare crisp and good. Leaving at four, we continued on the hot, deep, dusty road, but saw interesting plants and animals along the way. There were fine displays of the parasitic fig, from examples where theparasite was just beginning to embrace its victim, through cases whereit had surrounded the tree with a fine network of its own material, tothose where the original tree-trunk was entirely imbedded in the greatcontinuous gray investing trunk of the parasite, now larger than itshost. Some trees bore bunches of pale-purple flowers of tubular form, which fell easily from the calyx, and dotted the ground along theroadside. Other trees appeared as if covered with veils of littlepurplish-red flowers hung over them. Others were a mass of golden bloom, the flowers being about the size of cherry blossoms. A few trees, yetleafless, showed large, brilliant white flowers at the tips of ratherslender branches. At Ixhuatlan, we saw the first monkey's comb of thetrip. This orange-yellow flower, growing in clusters so curiously shapedas to suggest the name, is among the most characteristic, from thispoint on through Chiapas into Guatemala. There were but few birds, butamong them were macaws and toucans. Eustasio said that in the season, when certain berry-bearing trees are in full fruit, the latter may beseen by hundreds. 

When night had really fallen, I unwisely sat in front with the driver, to prevent his sleeping, and to keep the animals moving. Both drivershad a way of dozing off, utterly regardless of the movements of theanimals or the dangers of the road. Carts going in opposite directionsmust often depend absolutely upon the oxen for their chance of escapingcollisions or being thrown over precipices. Frequently the animalsthemselves stop, and the whole company is at a standstill until thedriver wakes up. In this _jornada_, we had planned to reach La Frontera, the border of the state of Chiapas, at which place we had been promisedwe should arrive at 8:30 in the morning. Everything had gone well, andwe were just about to reach the place, where it was planned to repackfor the last time; it was just daylight, and Eustasio was congratulatingus upon our prompt arrival; we drove to the brink of a dry stream, onthe other side of which was our resting-place; just at that instant, we heard the other driver cry out; we stopped, and found that thebaggage-cart was overturned. This dashed all hopes. There wasunhitching, unloading, the making of a new axle, and reloading. It wasplain that we could not reach La Frontera. While the men were puttingthings to rights, we strolled up the dry stream-bed to a shanty, whereEustasio told us we could breakfast. There was a well there, with freshwater, and the shanty, for the refreshment of travellers, consisted ofnothing but a little shelter of poles. Here, however, we found baked_tortillas, atole_, and hard meat; the breakfast for four persons, costtwenty-five centavos, equal to ten cents American money. Through theday, birds were hunted and skinned, reading and writing carried on, until at half-past-three in the afternoon we were again ready formovement. The road was now sandy, and not dusty, the sand being producedby the decomposition of crystalline rocks. Mounting to a high _llano_, we shot a pair of curious birds, which looked like water-birds, but wereliving in a dry place and were able to run with great speed. They wereof the size of a hen, and had a long beak, long legs and four flatthough not webbed toes. At the end of this high _llano_, we passed theHacienda of Agua Blanca, a property belonging to the _jefe_ of Juchitan. From here, we descended rapidly over a poor road, coming out at nineonto the straight road from Tapanatepec, at this point four leaguesbehind us. From here on, the whole road was familiar to me. La Fronterawas just ahead, and, arriving there at 10 o'clock, we spent an hour. Before us rose a massive mountain, the ascent of which seemed appalling. We could see a white line of road zigzagging up its side, and wellremembered Governor Leon's pride in having constructed a cart-roadagainst great natural difficulties. Thirty or forty ox-teams hadgathered here, either ready to make the ascent, or resting, after havingcome down the mountain. Having gotten breath and courage, we started atabout eleven. The road had suffered during the five years since I lastpassed over it, but was still an excellent work of engineering. As wemounted, zigzagging constantly, the magnificent view over the valleywidened; each new turn increased its beauty. My companions were asleep, and had had so little rest recently, that I hated to disturb them forthe view. When, however, we were two-thirds up the slope, they awakened, and were as delighted as myself. We all got out, and walked for aconsiderable distance. An astonishing number of little streams and poolsof fresh water burst forth from the rocks, and cut across the road orflowed along its sides. Finally, we reached the summit, and began thedescent. This had made no impression on me when I went over it onhorseback, but travelling in an ox-cart was a different matter, and Ishall never again forget it. It was less abrupt than the ascent--less ofvertical zigzag, and more of long steady windings. It also was excavatedin the solid rock. It was badly neglected, and the cart jolted, andthreatened every instant to upset us, or leap into the gulf. Comingout into a more level district, we passed Paraje and Dolores, reachingCarizal at five, where we stopped for the day. This is a regular restingplace for _carreteros_, and there were plenty of carts there for theday. 

As soon as the oxen were unyoked, I turned out my companions and laydown in the cart, trying to get an hour's sleep before the sun shouldrise, as I had not closed my eyes since leaving Union Hidalgo two daysbefore. I was asleep at once, but in less than an hour was awakenedby the assaults of swarms of minute black-flies, whose stings weredreadful. The rest of the company suffered in the same way, so we allgot up and went to work. A group of _carreteros_ breakfasting, invitedme to eat with them--hard _tortillas, atole_ and salted meat, formed amuch better breakfast than we got, a little later, at the house upon thehill where travellers eat their meals. At this house they had a littleparrot which was very tame, and also a _chacalacca_, which had beenhatched by a domestic hen from a captured egg. This bird is more slenderand graceful than a hen, but our landlord informed us that its eggs aremuch larger than those of the common fowl, and much used for food. Boththis bird and the little parrot regularly fly off with flocks of theirwild fellows, but always come back afterward to the house. This was amost interesting example of an intermediate stage between true wildnessand domestication. There was little doing throughout the day. Heat, black-flies, and sunlight all made it impossible to sleep; but we took abath in the running brook, and skinned some birds, and tasted _posole_for the first time. _Posole_ is a mixture of pounded or ground corn andsugar, of a yellow or brownish color, much like grape-nuts. It may beeaten dry, but is much more commonly mixed with water. The indian dipsup a _jícara_ full of clear spring water, and then, taking a handful of_posole_ from his pouch, kneads it up until a rather thick, light-yellowliquid results, which is drunk, and is refreshing and satisfying. 

Almost all the _carreteros_ at this camp were Juchitecos. They weregreat, strong fellows, and almost all of them wore the old-fashionedindian breech-clout of red cotton under their drawers or trousers. When they were working at their carts, greasing the wheels, or makingrepairs, they were apt to lay by all their clothing but this simplepiece of cloth, and their dark-brown bodies, finely muscled, hard andtough, presented handsome pictures. The little fellows who accompaniedthem, up to the age of twelve, usually ran about with no article ofclothing save their little breech-clouts and white cotton shirts. In theearly afternoon, serious work began, and everywhere we saw these menpatching coverings, greasing wheels, readjusting cargoes, feeding andwatering their animals, harnessing, and making other preparations forleaving. During the idle portion of the day, dice were in evidence, and Eustasio was fascinated with the game. The stakes, of course, weresmall, but he kept at it persistently until he had lost five pesos, when, with forcible words, he gave up. I am sure the dice were loaded, but I am equally sure, from all I know of Eustasio, that the next timehe makes that journey, he will have some loaded dice himself. Settingout at 3:30, we were at the head of a long line of cars, and were soonmaking another steady zigzag to ever greater heights than those beforeclimbed. According to the official _itinerario_, the distance fromDolores to San Miguel is five leagues; we had left Dolores a leaguebehind in arriving at Carizal, and we naturally assumed that fourleagues would bring us to San Miguel. Eustasio, however, who neverunder-estimated, claimed that it would take constant travelling untileight in the morning to reach Los Pinos, which is still this side of SanMiguel. This is a fair example of the inaccuracy of figures published bythe government. As I looked behind at the long line of carts, some ofwhich were empty, and able to journey at good speed, the desire tookpossession of me to hire one, at least for a short distance, in the hopeof getting a little sleep. Looking over the line, to make my choice, Ihad just selected one, and was about to broach my plan, when its driverran the vehicle into the branches of a tree, which projected overthe road, and tore away his awning. The idea was unaffected by thisaccident, however, and picking out a cart, which had a thick layer ofcorn-husks piled in it, promising a comfortable bed, I arranged mybargain with the owner, and deserted my party, betaking myself to myprivate car. Having no load, we pushed ahead and, stretching myself atfull length upon the heap of corn-husks, I was soon asleep. It was mypurpose to disembark at Los Pinos, but we had passed that place longbefore I awoke, and were in sight of San Miguel when I opened myeyes. It was too early for breakfast, so I concluded to ride along toMacuilapa, where my carter turned off into another road. It was justeight when we arrived, and I thought of my companions as probably justreaching Los Pinos. Starting from there at three in the afternoon, theyshould overtake me at seven. So I took possession of the great countryhouse, sitting in the corridor all day long. The house is a long, large, single-storied building, with heavy tiled-roof; the store-houses, shedsand other out-houses, with the adobe huts belonging to the workmen, surround a somewhat regular area. The view, however, in front of thehouse is uninterrupted, and looks off into a narrow valley, boundedprettily by hills. The house has a wide brick-paved corridor. Nearit was an interesting ancient stone carving. The rock was coarselycrystalline, and gray, or olive-gray in color. It had been battered intothe bold, simple outline of a frog, crouched for leaping; the head hadan almost human face, with a single central tooth projecting from thelower jaw. The work was in low relief, and looked as if the ancientworkman had taken a natural boulder, and beaten with his hammer-stoneonly sufficiently to bring out the details. The stone measured perhapsfour feet in length, three feet in breadth, and two feet in thickness. It was found in the mountains near, and, from the marks upon it, seemsto have been embedded in the soil half way up the legs. Probably, whenfirst made, it was placed so that the feet were even with the groundsurface, but the accumulation of vegetable soil since has beenconsiderable. The Hacienda of Macuilapa manufactures sugar and raisesindigo, quantities of the seed of which were being cleaned when I wasthere. The owner of the place is a man of means, but the meals servedwere of a mean and frugal kind. Everyone made dire prophecies about thetime of possible arrival of my companions, and the period necessaryfor our further journey to Tuxtla Gutierrez. I had not expected mycompanions before seven, and after these dismal forebodings, gave upthat expectation. To my surprise, they appeared, in good health andspirits, at five o'clock, though with exciting tales of peril andsuffering. After a meal together, we again mounted in the old fashion, and were on our way. The air was fresh and cool, and at 9:30 the moonrose, giving perfect light. The road was high and sandy, with occasionalsmall ascents and descents. At eleven we stopped to rest, I agreeingto wake them all at midnight; at one o'clock I was awakened by our_carretero_ raising the tongue of the wagon! We passed La Razon atthree. As one of the oxen, which had been somewhat lame, was now in badcondition, we all dismounted, half-a-league before we reached Zapote, and walked the rest of the way. The Hacienda of Zapote is really almosta town. There are two _fincas_, belonging to two brothers. Their finelarge houses, the out-buildings, and the clusters of adobe huts for theworkmen, make an imposing appearance. We stopped at the first group ofbuildings, which stands a little lower than the other. Arriving at six, we spent the whole day at this place; the meals at the great house wereexcellent and cheap. In the afternoon we heard marimba-playing; theinstrument was called _la golondrina_ and cost the owner forty-threepesos. 

[Illustration: A DAY REST; THE CARIZAL]

[Illustration: MARIMBA-PLAYING; HACIENDA DE ZAPOTE]

The players were carefully trained, being four brothers. The youngest ofthem was not more than fourteen years old, but he put much expressionand spirit into his playing. It was the first time that any of theparty, but myself, had heard this instrument, and all were delightedat its brilliant, quick, and pleasing music. We left at 3:45 in theafternoon, but our ailing animal was worse than ever, and Eustasio ranahead, trying to secure others at different ranches. He had had nosuccess when, after a rough ride of several hours, we drew up atJiquipilas, where we waited until the morning. We planned to secure newanimals, to leave at dawn, and to reach Tuxtla after a twenty-four hourride. We laid down and slept, waking at five, but finding no sign ofanimals. We breakfasted at seven, and a little later the new oxenappeared. There were two yokes of rather light animals. Leaving our sickbeast, and driving the other three along with us, the new animals wereput to the loads, and at eight o'clock we started. I failed to recognizeRancho Disengaño, but having passed it, we found ourselves at the bottomof the much-dreaded, last important climb of the journey. The littleteam dragging the passenger cart was inefficient and unruly; tiringof them, I dismounted and went ahead on foot. For a time I drove theunyoked cattle, but a stubborn one wandering into the brush, I gave upthe job, and left poor Louis, who had just overtaken me, to chase him. He had hard work, through tangled brush, here and there, up and down, until at last the animal was once more upon the road. The boy was hot, tired, and loaded with _pinolillos_. These insects had been in evidencefor a long time back. They are exceedingly small ticks, which fix theirclaws firmly in the flesh, and cause intolerable itching. Keeping in theroad, the traveller is little likely to be troubled by them; but walkingthrough grass, or among leafy plants, is dangerous. Having climbed aportion of our great ascent, we found ourselves at Agua Bendita. It wasnot as beautiful as on the occasion of my other visit; the projectingledge of rock had little water dripping, and in the round catch-basins, which formerly were filled with fresh, clear water, there was scarcelyany; on account of the unusual dryness, the ferns were wilted, and therewas little of that beauty and freshness which so delighted me before. Eustasio said that he had never seen the spot so dry in all his manyjourneys. Nor were there orchids blooming on the great tree near; norany of the little toucans which had been so attractive in 1896. As westood, seeking for these well-remembered things, we heard curious criesrising from the valley. At first, I thought it was indians wailing forthe dead; then, that it was a band of pilgrims singing. But it turnedout to be a company of cowboys, bringing cattle up for shipment toTabasco. Some rode ahead, and, with loud but not unmusical cries, invited and urged the animals and their drivers to follow. The beastswere divided into three bands, thirty or forty in a band, each of whichhad its mounted drivers. The animals were lively, and we were warnedthat they were _muy bravo_. Manuel had taken the task of driving ourloose cattle, and was fearful that he would be overtaken, asserting thatthe cowboys had said that he must keep on, as they could not pass himwith their animals. When he came up to where we were, we put a quickend to his folly, driving our three oxen to the outer edge of the road, where Louis and he stood guard over them, while I crept up on the cliffto avoid scaring the animals that were coming. It took much driving, urging, and coaxing on the part of the cowboys to get the first two orthree to pass us, but after they had led the way, the others followedwith a rush. 

[Illustration: AGUA BENDITA]

[Illustration: MOVING THE GREAT STONE; AGUA BENDITA]

Presently our passenger-cart came along, with both teams of oxen hitchedto it; the new animals had proved too light to drag their proper loads, so the freight-cart had been left behind, and the full force employed indragging the first cart up the hill. Just beyond this spot, we found agang of indians, under a superintendent, prying off an immense rock massthat had fallen from the cliff above onto the road, with the intentionof dumping it over the wall into the abyss. It would have been a sightto have seen it plunge, but we had no time to wait, so simply stoppeda few minutes to see the method of moving the immense mass with polepries. Our cart had gone ahead, so we finished the ascent on foot, andhaving gained the summit, walked a short distance on the high plateau toPetapa, where the cart and _carretero_, Manuel and Ramon, were waiting. Before we arrived, we met our men going back with the four oxen forthe freight-cart. We had supper at the ranch, and waited, until at sixo'clock everything was ready. Here we sent back the two yokes of animalswhich we had brought from Jiquipilas, and secured a fine, strong beastto make up our number, and started. We did not stop to grease thewheels, for lack of time. It was dark, and the first part of the journeywas uncertain and difficult; coming out on to the Llano Grande, we foundthings easy, though here and there were stony places, where we joltedfearfully. At 10:30, we had passed La Cienega, and our ungreased wheelswere not only an annoyance, but, Eustasio suggested, a source of danger, as they might take fire. So, at 11:30, we stopped to grease them. As theaxles and wheels were then too hot for grease to be safely applied, welay down while they should cool. Probably in less than five minutes, wewere all asleep, and no one moved until, waking with a start and lookingat my watch, I found it two in the morning. We hastily applied grease, without removing the wheels, and hurried onward, passing Sabino Perez, Yerba Santa, and Sabinal. Here, the errors in our _itinerario_, and inour driver's guessing at distances, were curiously emphasized. We had arather heavy descent, for some distance, over a limestone hill calledSanto Domingo. Nowhere do I know of any road which, under the bestof circumstances, seems as long as the last stretch before TuxtlaGutierrez. This we had noticed on our earlier journey, when we weremounted on horseback. Present conditions were not likely to diminish theimpression. At last, at 11:30 in the morning of March 12, we reached thecapital city of the State of Chiapas, and were taken by our _carretero_to the little old Hotel Mexico, kept by Paco, where we met a heartywelcome and, for several days, made up for the hardships of our journeyin the way of eating. 

CHAPTER XXIV

AT TUXTLA GUTIERREZ

(1901)

We knew that Governor Pimentel was not at home, having met him inCoalzacoalcos, where we had presented our official letters, and hadreceived from him a communication to his Lieutenant-Governor, Lopez. Having spent the afternoon in settling and cleaning, I called in theevening upon Governor Lopez and explained my needs. After chatting alittle time together, he inquired whether I had not made the steamboatjourney from Coalzacoalcos to Vera Cruz in March, 1896, and, upon myanswering in the affirmative, told me that we had been fellow-travellerson that occasion. He promised that there should be no delay, and madean appointment with me for the morning. I then called on Don ConradoPalacios, who lived directly opposite our little tavern, and who claimedthat he recognized me the moment I dismounted from our cart thismorning. He is still photographer, but for three years of the time sincelast we met has been living in the State of Vera Cruz, and but latelyreturned to Tuxtla. In the morning, Governor Lopez supplied the lettersfor my further journey, and summoned the _jefe politico_ and the_presidente_ of the city and gave them personal orders that they were toassist, in every way, my work at Tuxtla, among the Zoques. The _jefe_himself took charge of my arrangements, put his office at my dispositionfor a workshop, and the work began at once. Contrary to my usualexperience, we had less difficulty in securing female subjects herethan male. The male indians of Tuxtla are, in large part, employed incontract labor on _fincas_ at a distance from the town. According totheir contract, they are not subject to the order of local authorities, and may not be summoned without permission of their employers, or apecuniary settlement with them. The first day, more than half the womenwere measured, and the second day, the rest. As is well known the womenof Tehuantepec are famous for their beauty. It is not so well known thatrivalry exists between them and the women of Tuxtla in this matter. Thisrivalry had been called to our attention on our preceding visit, and wefound that it had in no wise abated. Personally, we saw no comparisonbetween the two sets of women, the Tehuantepecanas being far superior. Eustasio, however, ungallantly and unpatriotically declared that hethought the women of Tuxtla the handsomer; however, we suspect thatEustasio would find the women of any town he might be in, the championsin beauty for the time being. Their dress is picturesque. The _enagua_is made of two strips of dark blue cloth, sewed together, side by side, with a fancy stitching of colored silks. The free borders are alsodecorated with similar stitching, and the ends of the strip, which isusually more than two yards in length, sewn together with similarlydecorative needlework. In fastening this garment about the body, no beltis used. The open bag is gathered in about the waist, the surplus isfolded into pleats in front and the overlap, at the upper edge, is sotucked in as to hold the garment tightly in place, and at the same timeform a pouch, or pocket, in which small articles are carried. The little_huipíl_, worn upon the upper body, is of thin, white cotton cloth, native-woven, but a neat and pretty stuff; there are no sleeves, and theneck-opening and arm-slits are bordered with pleated strips of cotton, worked with black embroidery. A larger _huipíl_ is regularly carried, but we never saw it in use; practically, it never is worn. If put inplace, it would form a garment for the body, with the neck-opening andsleeves bordered with lace, and the lower edge reaching to the knees. The woman carries this garment with her, folding it into a sort of pad, which she places on her head, letting it hang down upon the back andshoulders. Upon this cushion, the woman carries a great bowl, made fromthe rind of a sort of squash or pumpkin, in which she brings her stuffto market. These vessels are a specialty of the neighborhood, being madeat Chiapa; they are richly decorated with a lacquer finish, of brightcolor. In carrying a baby, the child is placed against one side of thebody, with its little legs astride, one in front and one behind, andthen lashed in place by a strip of cloth, which is knotted over thewoman's opposite shoulder. Almost every Zoque woman is asymmetrical, from this mode of carrying babies, one shoulder being much higher thanthe other. Among the subjects measured, was a woman notable in severalways. She was the fattest indian woman we had ever seen; she was therichest of her kind, and not only were her garments beautiful in workand decoration, but she was gorgeous with necklaces, bristling with goldcoins and crosses; more than this, she was a capital case of purple_pinta_. The disease is common among the indians of the town, and, whileboth the red and white forms are found, purple seems to be the commontype. Sometimes the face looks as if powder-burned, the purple blotchappearing as if in scattered specks; at other times, the purple spotsare continuous, and the skin seems raised and pitted. 

[Illustration: ZOQUE MODE OF CARRYING BABIES; TUXTLA GUTIERREZ]

[Illustration: FAT, RICH, AND PIXTA; TUXTLA GUTIERREZ]

It appears that the adjusting of family quarrels and disputes betweenfriends are among the duties of the _jefe_. In the office that day, aquarrel was settled involving two young men related by blood and bycomradeship; a woman and a man of middle age were also interested;the quarrel had been a serious one, involving assaults, ambushes, andshootings. The _jefe_ first summoned each of the four persons singly, going over the whole matter with each one; the more intelligent of thetwo combatants was first to be reasoned with; then the woman was calledin and he and she were left together in the office. For a long time, they would not even speak to each other. Finding this condition, the_jefe_ reasoned with them, and warned them that they must come to someconclusion, after which he left them to themselves again. At firstthey would not speak, but finally held a conversation, and came to anunderstanding; the old man was then called in and made to talk thematter over with the two, who had already been in conference. Lastly, the more belligerent youth was summoned, the _jefe_ remaining in theroom with the whole party. At first he would not speak, but finally hispride and anger gave way, and he shook hands with his cousin, and thewhole party left, after promising the _jefe_ that the past should beforgotten. 

The first afternoon that we were working, a curious couple came to the_jefe's_ office. The woman was not unattractive, though rather boldand hard in bearing. She was dark, pretentiously made-up, and ratherelegantly dressed. The gentleman was a quiet, handsome fellow, dressedin sober black. When they sailed in, I supposed they were the _jefe's_personal friends. Sitting down, they showed interest in my work, and thelady in a rather strident voice, but with much composure, addressedus in English. Her knowledge of our language, however, proved to beextremely limited, being confined to such expressions as "How are you, sir?" "I am very well, " "Yes, sir, " "No, sir, " and "I know New York. "She was a mystery to the town, where she was commonly called "theTurkish lady. "

[Illustration: ZOQUE WOMEN; TUXTLA GUTIERREZ]

[Illustration: THE INDIAN ALCALDES; TUXTLA GUTIERREZ]

This nickname, her limited knowledge of English, and her boastedacquaintance with New York, aroused the question, in my mind, whethershe might not have been an oriental dancer. She, herself, told us thatshe was born in South America, and referred to Caracas, as if it were aplace with which she was familiar. The _jefe_ was extremely polite inhis dealings with these people, and, as soon as they were seated, ranghis bell for glasses, and we all drank the lady's health in cognac. Thefact was, that these two persons were prisoners; they had come herewithin a few days, and had the city for a prison; as they had made noeffort to leave the town, their movements were not interfered with, butif they had attempted to step outside the city limits, they would havebeen shot without a word of warning. The _jefe_ himself did not know whothey were, nor what crime they had committed; nor did he know how longthey would remain in his custody; they had come a weary journey, as heput it, "along the Cordillera;" they had been passed from hand to hand, from one _jefe_ to another; when the order came, he was to start them ontheir journey to the _jefe_ of the next district. Of the many storiestold regarding them, a few will serve as samples. She was said to be thewife of a wealthy merchant of Campeche, from whom she had eloped withher companion, carrying away $150, 000. According to another view, theywere connected with an important band of forgers and robbers, who hadbeen carrying on extensive operations. The most minutely detailed story, however, was that she had been the mistress and favorite of FranciscoCanton, Governor of the State of Yucatan; that, pleased with a youngerand handsomer man, she had stolen $7, 000 from His Excellency, andattempted an elopement; that, captured, they were being sent asprisoners, nominally to Mexico. Whether any of these stories had a basisof fact, we cannot say, but from remarks the prisoners themselves madeto us, we feel sure that the centre of their trouble was Mérida, andthat, in some way, they had offended the pompous governor. At allevents, it is likely that, long before these words are written, bothhave met their death upon the road. It is a common thing for prisoners, passing along the Cordillera, to be shot "while attempting to escapefrom their guard. "

The _jefe politico_ of this district is a man of education, andprofessional ability; he is a physician, trained in the City of Mexico;he is ingenious in mechanics, and has devised a number of instrumentsand inventions of a scientific kind. He had been but a short time inthis district, having come from Tonala, where he has a _finca_. Heentertained us at his house, while we were there, and showed us everyassistance. It is plain, however, that he found us a white elephant uponhis hands. Not that his willingness was lacking, but where shouldhe find one hundred indian men? We pestered him almost to death forsubjects, when at last his _secretario_ suggested the district jail. This was a veritable inspiration. There they were sure we would have nodifficulty in finding the remainder of our hundred. To the jail we went, but out of seventy-five prisoners fully half were Tzotzils from Chamulaand not Zoques. More than half of the remainder were not indian, but_mestizos_. In fact, out of the total number, only a baker's dozenserved our purpose. When we again presented ourselves, the followingmorning, for subjects, the poor man was in genuine desperation. Butagain his assistant made a shrewd suggestion. Yesterday we were at thejail; to-day we should go to the _cuartel_, and measure the soldiers. There were two hundred there, and this would more than see us through. The _jefe_ himself accompanied us to the barracks and introduced us tothe colonel, leaving orders that we should be supplied with every aid, and went off happy, in the sense of a bad job well done. But out of thetwo hundred soldiers in the barracks, just ten turned out to be Zoquesof pure blood. And long before the day was over, we were again clamoringat the _jefe's_ house for thirty-six more subjects. To tell the truth, we doubted his ability to secure them, and, in order to lose no time, started our goods and plaster by _carreta_ for San Cristobal. Still, while it was plain that he did not know where to look for help, the goodman assured us that we should have our thirty-six subjects the nextmorning. Meantime, he sent officials with us to visit certain indianhouses which we desired to examine, and arranged that we should see acertain characteristic indian dance at his house, at four o'clock thatafternoon. 

Tuxtla Gutierrez is a capital city. It is also a busy commercial centre. Of course, the population is for the most part _mestizo_, and notindian. We had been surprised at finding so many indians in the city asthere were. We were yet more surprised to find to what extent thehouses of the city, though admirably built, were truly indian in style, presenting many points of interest. The walls of the "god-house" wereheavy and substantial, smoothly daubed with mud, neatly plastered andoften adorned with colored decorations. The "cook-house, " slighter andless well-built, was made of poles daubed with mud, and rough with heavythatching. The granary was elevated above the ground, and sheltered withits own neat thatching. 

In the afternoon, at four o'clock, we betook ourselves to the _jefe's_house to see the dance. At Tuxtla, there are two town governments, that of the _mestizos_ and that of the indians. The indianofficials--"_alcaldes indios_"--are recognizable by their dress, whichis a survival of the ancient indian dress of the district. Their_camisa_, broad hat, and leather breeches, are characteristic. Aroundthe head, under the hat, they wear a red cloth, and those who haveserved as indian _alcaldes_ continue to wear this head-cloth after theirofficial service ends. These indian officials had been commissioned tobring together the dancers, and make all necessary arrangements. Thecolonel, the prisoners of state, and one or two other guests werepresent. The leader of the dance was gaily dressed, in a pair of widedrawers with lace about the legs below the knee, a pair of overdrawersmade of bright-colored handkerchiefs, and a helmet or cap of bright-redstuff from which rose a crest of macaw feathers, tipped with tufts ofcotton. On his back, he bore a kind of pouch, the upper edge of whichwas bordered with a line of macaw feathers. In his hand, he carried awooden war-axe. A pretty little girl, dressed in a Guatemaltec _enagua_, wore a fancy head-dress, and, in her hand, bore a _jícara_, which wasfilled with pink carnival flowers. These two dancers faced each otherand in dancing moved slowly back and forth, and from one foot to theother; the only other dancers were two men, one of whom was dressed as, and took the part of a woman. This couple danced in much the same way, but with greater freedom than the chief persons, and at times circledaround them. The music consisted of a violin and native _pito_ or pipe, and a drum of the _huehuetl_ type, --cut from a single cylindrical block, but with skin stretched over both ends instead of one. 

I was surprised the following morning when thirty-six subjects wereproduced; we knew that, for the moment, the building operations of thegovernment palace were discontinued, and we suspected that all the workdone by indians in Tuxtla was likewise temporarily ceased. When the lastone had passed under the instruments, the _jefe_ heaved a sigh, rang hisbell for glasses, and the event was celebrated by a final draught ofcognac. 

[Illustration: ZOQUE DANCERS; TUXTLA GUTIERREZ]

[Illustration: TZENDALS FROM TENEJAPA; COLD HANDS]

The man with whom we had expected to arrange for animals had promised tocome to the hotel at seven. He came not then, nor at half-past, nor ateight, nor at nine. When we sent an inquiry, he made the cool reply, that it was now too late to arrange matters; that he would see us ateight the following morning. Furious at his failure, we ourselves wentwith the boy from the hotel at ten o'clock to his house, but could notget him even to open the door. "To-morrow! To-morrow!" was his cry. Desperate, we went, although it was now almost midnight, to another_arriero_, who, after some dickering, agreed to leave at eight thefollowing morning, charging a price something more than fifty per centabove the usual rate. Of course he was behindhand, but we actually setout at nine. 

CHAPTER XXV

TZOTZILS AND TZENDALS

(1901)

We started out over the hot and dusty road, passing here and therethrough cuts of the white earth, which is used by the women of Chiapa intheir lacquer-work. We soon reached the river, and, leaving our animalsbehind, to cool before swimming them across, embarked with a dozen otherpassengers, and all our baggage, in one of the great canoes, which weby no means filled. Landing on the other side, with an hour to wait, wewalked down stream, and took a fine bath in the fresh cold, clear, deepwater. Just below where we were bathing, some indians had exploded adynamite cartridge, killing a quantity of fish, and the surface wasimmediately spotted with their white, upturned bellies. A canoe-load offour men put out to gather the fish, as soon as the shot was fired. Justas they reached the spot, and were leaning over the boat to catch them, the canoe overturned, and all the men were floundering in the water, upto their necks, and the canoe was rapidly drifting down the stream. Thefish they get here are quite large, and seem to be a kind of cat-fish. Strolling back to our landing-place, we were interested in the livelyscenes there being enacted. Under little arbors of leafy boughs, womenwere washing clothing; crowds of children, of both sexes, were playingon the sand or splashing in the water; half-a-dozen great canoes weredragged up on the bank, and amid these a group of little brown fellows, from ten to fourteen years of age, were swimming; here and there, a manor woman squatted in the shallow water, dipped water over their barebodies with _jícaras_. Now and then the great ferry-boat, loaded withpassengers and with animals swimming alongside, made its crossing. Presently our seven animals were swum across, and, after a moment'sdrying, were repacked and saddled, and we were ready for our forwardmovement. 

[Illustration: ZOQUE COMPADRES GREETING; TUXTLA GUTIERREZ]

[Illustration: OUR FERRY-BOAT; CHIAPA]

Chiapa was formerly the great town of the Chiapanecs, an Indian tribe towhom tradition assigns past splendor, but who, to-day, are representedin three villages, Chiapa, Suchiapa, and Acala. They are much mixed withSpanish blood, and have largely forgotten their ancient language. It is, however, from them, that the modern state, Chiapas, received its name. Chiapa, itself, is a city of some size, situated on a terrace a littleway from the river, with a ridge of hills rising behind it. The _plaza_is large, and in it stands a market-building. Near by is a picturesqueold gothic fountain, built of brick. Market was almost over, but we wereinterested in seeing the quantities of pineapples and cacao beans thereoffered. To lose no time waiting for dinner, we bought bread and one ortwo large pineapples, which we ate under the shade of the trees in the_plaza_. The pineapples were delicious, being tender and exceedinglysweet; our _arriero_ refused to eat any of them, asserting that theywere barely fit to eat, lacking sweetness, and being prickly to thetaste. The pineapples of Simojovel were to his liking; they aresugar-sweet, leaving no prickly sensation, and anyone can eat threewhole ones at a sitting. After luncheon, we looked about for examples oflacquer-work. In one house, we found some small objects and wooden traysof indifferent workmanship. An old crone, badly affected with _pinto_, the mother of the young woman artist, showed us the wares. With her wasthe older sister of the lady-worker, who, after we had bought two ofthe trays, asked whence we came. Upon our telling her that Manuel was anative of Cordoba, and that I had come from the United States, without aword of warning she raised her hands, turned her eyes upward, and gavevent to a torrent of shrill, impassioned, apostrophe to her absent, artistic sister: "_A dios, hermana mia_, Anastasia Torres, to think thatyour art-products should penetrate to those distant lands, to thoseremote portions of the world, to be the wonder and admiration of foreigneyes. _A dios, hermana mia_, Anastasia Torres!" This she repeatedseveral times, in a voice high enough to be heard a block or two away. Leaving her to continue her exclamations of joy and admiration over thefate of her sister's workmanship, we returned to the _plaza_, where, in a house near by, we found a considerable stock of better work, consisting of decorated bowls, cups, toy _jícaras_, gourd-rattles, etc. This brilliant work, characteristic of the town, is carried hundredsof miles into the States of Oaxaca, Tabasco, Vera Cruz, and into theRepublic of Guatemala. At two o'clock we hurried from the town in themidst of terrific heat. As we rode out, over the dry and sandy road, wewere impressed by the display of death; not only was there one cemetery, with its whitened walls and monuments, but at least three other burialplaces capped the little hillocks at the border of the town. One, particularly attracted attention, as it resembled an ancient terracedpyramid, with a flight of steps up one side. 

From the foothills, we struck up the flank of the great mountain massitself. Mounting higher and higher, a great panorama presented itselfbehind and below us, including the Chiapa valley, with the hills beyondit. It was, however, merely extensive, and not particularly beautifulor picturesque. As we followed the slope towards the crest, into thenarrowing valley, the scene became bolder, until we were at the veryedge of a mighty chasm, which yawned sheer at our side. Following it, wesaw the gorge suddenly shallow hundreds of feet by a vast precipice oflimestone rock rising from its bottom. Having passed this, we journeyedon up the cañon, lessened in grandeur, but still presenting pretty bitsof scenery. Up to this point, limestone had prevailed, but from here on, we passed over various formations--heavy beds of sand or clay, lyingupon conglomerates and shales. The road wound astonishingly, and at onepoint, coming out upon a hog's-back ridge, we found that we had actuallymade a loop, and stood directly above where we had been some timebefore. Near sunset, we reached the summit, and looked down upon thelittle town of Ixtapa, upon a high _llano_ below, and seeming to be ahalf-hour's ride distant. Descending on to the _llano_, we found itintersected by deep and narrow gorges; following along the level, narrowridge, surrounded by ravines on every side, except the one from which wehad approached, we presently descended, along its flank, the bank of thedeepest of these _barrancas_. The sun had set long before we reachedthe bottom, and through the darkness, we had to climb up over the steepdugway in the sandy clay to the village, which we reached at seven. Thelittle room supplied us for a sleeping-place was clean and neat, thefloor was strewn with fresh and fragrant pine-needles, and the woodenbeds were supplied with _petates_. Leaving before eight, the followingmorning, we travelled through a beautiful cañon, with an abundant streamof whitish-blue water, tumbling in fine cascades among the rocks, anddashing now and then into deep pools of inky blackness. Having passedthrough it, our bridle-trail plunged abruptly downward. From it, welooked upon a neighboring slope, cut at three different levels, oneabove the other, for the cart-road. Passing next through a small cañonof little beauty, but where the air was heavy with an odor like vanilla, coming from sheets of pale-purple or violet flowers, on trees of eightor ten feet in height, we reached San Sebastian, where we found our_carretero_, whom we supposed to have reached San Cristobal the daybefore. Rating him soundly, and threatening dire consequences from hisdelay, we resumed our journey. We were also worried over our _mozo_, who started from Chiapa at noon, the day before, with our photographicinstruments, and whom we had not seen since, although there were severalplaces where we would gladly have taken views. From here, for a longdistance, the road was a hard, steep climb, over limestone in greatvariety--solid limestone, tufaceous stuff, concretionary coatings, satinspar, and calcite crystals. Having passed a small pueblo, or large_finca_, lying in a little plain below us, we looked down uponZinacantan. The descent was quickly made, and passing through thevillage, without stopping, we made a long, slow, ascent before catchingsight of our destination, San Cristobal. It made a fine appearance, lying on a little terrace at the base of hills, at the very end of thevalley. Its churches and public buildings are so situated as to makethe most impression; on account of its length and narrowness, the townappears much larger than it really is. We entered at one end, and then, practically, paralleled our trail through it to the centre, where westopped at the Hotel Progreso, at 3:30 in the afternoon. We went to thepalace, and made arrangements so promptly that we could have begun workimmediately, if the _carretero_ and _mozo_ had not been behind. As itwas, we waited until next day, and were warned by the _secretario_ atthe _jefatura_ that there would not be enough light for work before nineo'clock. In the evening, we called on Padre Sanchez, well known for hisstudy of the native languages, and the works he had written regardingthem. He is a large man, well-built, of attractive appearance, and ofgenial manner. He has been _cura_ in various indian towns among theChamulas, and he loves the indians, and is regarded as a friend by them. We were prepared for a cold night, and had it, though no heavy frostformed, as had done the night before. In one day's journey, thetraveller finds towns, in this neighborhood, with totally differentclimates. Here woolen garments are necessary, and in towns like Chamulaand Cancuc the indians find the heaviest ones comfortable. Our rating ofthe _carretero_ had an effect both prompt and dire; when we left him, he hastened to hire carriers to bring in the more important part of ourload; these, he insisted, should travel all night, and at eight o'clockwe found them at the hotel. In the darkness they had stumbled, and ourloads had fallen. Whole boxes of unused plates were wrecked, and, stillworse, many of our choicest negatives were broken. At nine o'clock themissing _mozo_ appeared with the instruments; it is customary for ourcarrier to keep up with the company, as we have frequent need of takingviews upon the journey; this was almost the only instance, in thehundreds of leagues that we have travelled on horseback, over mountainroads, where our carrier had failed to keep alongside of the animals, ormake the same time in journeying that we mounted travellers did. 

[Illustration: THE JAIL; SAN CRISTOBAL]

[Illustration: TZOTZIL MUSICIANS IN SAN CRISTOBAL JAIL]

Though there had been an early mist, there was no lack of sunshine, evenbefore seven. Still, we did not go to the palace until nine o'clock, thehour set. San Cristobal was formerly the capital of the state, and itspublic buildings are more pretentious than usual in _cabeceras_. Theplace in which we did our work was a building of two stories, fillingone side of the plaza. We worked in the broad corridor of the secondstory, outside of the _secretario's_ office, from which our subjects, mostly indians who had come to pay school-taxes, were sent to us formeasurement. The market-place of San Cristobal is characteristicallyindian. Not only do the two chief tribes which frequent it--Tzotzils andTzendals--differ in dress, but even the different villages of each wearcharacteristic garments. The Tzotzil of Chamula differs from his brotherof Huixtan and San Bartolome; the Tzendal women of Tenejapa, Cancuc andSan Andres may be quickly recognized by difference in dress. 

Most interesting are the Tzotzils of Chamula. Though looked upon by the_mestizos_ of San Cristobal as mere brutes and savages, they are notablyindustrious. They weave heavy, woolen blankets and _chamaras_; theyare skilled carpenters, making plain furniture of every kind; they aremusicians, and manufacture quantities of harps, guitars, andviolins; they braid straw, and make hats of palm; they are excellentleather-dressers, and give a black stain and polish to heavy leather, which is unequalled by the work of their white neighbors. Men wear lowergarments of cotton, and heavy black woolen over-garments, which aregathered at the waist with woolen girdles. They wear broad-brimmed, low-crowned hats, of their own braiding, which they adorn with long, streaming, red and green ribbons. Their sandals are supplied withheel-guards of black leather, the height of which indicates the wealthor consequence of the wearer. These indians of Chamula have a love ofliberty and desire for independence. The most serious outbreak of recenttimes was theirs in 1868, when, under the influence of the young woman, Checheb, they attempted to restore the native government, the indianlife, and the old-time religion. Temples were erected to the ancientgods, whose inspired priestess the young woman claimed to be; but threehundred years of Christianity had accustomed them to the idea of aChrist crucified; an indian Christ was necessary, not one from the hatedinvading race; accordingly, a little indian lad, the nephew of thepriestess, was crucified, to become a saviour for their race. Theirplans involved the killing of every white and _mestizo_ in all thecountry; in reality, more than one hundred men, women, and children, in the _fincas_ and little towns, were killed; San Cristobal, then thecapital city, suffered a veritable panic, and it took the entire forceof the whole state to restore order. 

[Illustration: TZOTZILS; HUIXTAN]

[Illustration: TZOTZIL WOMAN; CHAMULA]

The Tzendals of Tenejapa are picturesque in the extreme. Their darkskin, their long black hair, completely covering and concealing theears, their coarse features, and the black and white striped _chamaras_of wool--which they buy from the weavers of Chamula--form a strikingcombination. They do but little weaving, their chief industry being theraising and selling of fruits. Most of the men carry a little sack, netted from strong fibre, slung at one side. Among other triflingpossessions in it, is generally a little gourd filled with a greenpowder, which they call _mai_, or _pelico_. It consists chiefly oftobacco, with a mixture of lime and chili, and is chewed, no doubt, forstimulating properties--to remove the weariness of the road, and "tostrengthen the teeth, " as some say. 

When we had exhausted the stock of those who came to pay their taxes, it was suggested that we would find good subjects in the jail. Thisoccupied what was once a fine old convent, built around a largeopen court, and connected with the church, which, judging from itselaborately carved façade, must have been beautiful. On presenting ourcredentials to the officials, an order was given, and all the pure-bloodindians, one hundred at least, were lined up before us for inspection. There were Tzotzils from Chamula, and Tzendals from Tenejapa, and amongthem many excellent faces, showing the pure types, finely developed. Having made our inspection, and indicated those whom we should use, welooked about the prison. The prisoners were housed in the old rooms ofthe monastery, each of which was large enough for six or eight persons. In these rooms, each prisoner had his personal possessions--goodclothing, tools, cherished articles, instruments of music. Those whocared to do so, were permitted to work at such things as they could do, and the product of their labor was sold for their benefit. Some braidedpalm into long strips, to make up into hats; others plaited straw intoelaborate, decorative cords or bands for hats; some wove _pita_ intopouches; some dressed leather. Almost all were busily employed. Freedomof conversation and visiting was permitted, and there was no particularhardship in the matter of imprisonment, except the inability to gooutside. We were impressed with the fact that, in appearance and manner, few, if any, of these indian prisoners, particularly the Chamulas, showed any signs of criminal tendencies. In fact, they were as clean, as frank, as docile, as intelligent, as any persons we might find inMexico. A little curious to know the charges on which they had beencommitted, we inquired, and discovered that some had fifteen or twentypoints against them, among which were such trifling charges as murder, manslaughter, arson, rape, and highway robbery. We thought best not toinquire too closely, but it is doubtful, whether any of the subjectshere incarcerated under these long and dreadful lists of charges, areguilty of anything except insurrection--a final struggle for freedom. 

[Illustration: POSITION OF REST; TZENDALS, TENEJAPA]

[Illustration: TZOTZILS FROM HUIXTAN]

There were various signs of the approach of Holy Week, and the landladyat our hotel, and her various helpers, were busy manufacturing incensefor that occasion. This was made in sticks, as thick as the thumb, andsix or eight inches in length, of a black color. Besides copal, leavesand other materials from various kinds of odorous plants were employedin its fabrication; the incense thus made is really fragrant, and itwould be interesting to know whether it is, in part at least, of indianorigin. In three days we had completed our examination of the men, butnot a woman had been produced for examination. On the fourth day, wereiterated our demands to the authorities, and Don Murcio, the janitoror messenger, who had been put subject to our order, was almost frantic. He declared that to secure the women we needed would tax every power ofthe government; that they refused to come; that his mere appearance inthe market caused a scattering. Finally, we told him, that if he wouldprovide twenty-five Chamula women, we would get the Tzendals in theirvillages, as we passed through them. Encouraged, by having one-half ofour demand abated, he made another visit to the market. Soon we heardexcited voices, and a moment later Don Murcio came rushing up the stairswith both arms filled with black _chamaras_. It is the custom of theindian women, when they come to market, and settle down with wares tosell, to fold their heavier garments and lay them on the ground besidethem. Don Murcio had gathered up the first of these he came to, and fledwith them to the government palace, while the crowd of angry women, chasing along behind, expressed their feelings vigorously. Putting thegarments out of reach, the women were told by the officials, that eachwould receive back her property as soon as the strangers made theirdesired measurements. While we were dealing with the first cluster, DonMurcio sallied forth, and returned once more with garments and women. Inthis way, the work proceeded, until the final lot were in our hands. Not to unnecessarily increase their terrors, we had refrained fromphotographing, until the final company had been secured. We had told theofficials of our plan, and as these later ones were measured, they weretold that they must wait for their garments until the last one wasmeasured, and until the gentleman had done some other work. When all hadbeen measured, it was explained to the six of seven in the group, thatthey were to go down into the _patio_, where a picture would be taken ofthe company. That they might be properly prepared for the picture, theirgarments were returned. Suspecting no treachery, Don Murcio led theway, and one of two police officers accompanied the forward part of theprocession, while Louis brought up the rear, in expectation of makingthe portrait. All went well until the first two or three had entered the_patio_, when the rest suddenly balked, and started to run out onto thestreet. Hearing the confusion, I started down and caught one of thewomen as she neared the doorway, while Louis held another, and each ofthe police officers, and Don Murcio, seized a prisoner. So violent, however, were the struggles, and so loud the outcries of the woman whomI held, that I released her, which was the unintended signal for each ofthe other guards to do the same, and our group vanished and all thoughtof gathering a second was given up in desperation. 

[Illustration: TZOTZIL BROTHERS; CHAMULA]

[Illustration: TZENDAL FATHER AND SON; TENEJAPA]

The morning had thus passed; animals for the further journey had beenordered for ten o'clock, and were really ready a little before three. For once, however, _we_ were not prepared. It was our custom to pack thebusts in petroleum boxes; these boxes, each holding a five-gallon can ofoil, are of just the size to take a single bust, and they are so thinand light, yet at the same time, so well constructed, that they servedour purpose admirably. In small indian towns, they are frequentlyunobtainable, but in the places where _mestizos_ live, it had beenalways easy to procure them, at prices varying from ten to twenty-fivecents each. In a town the size of San Cristobal, it should be easy toget them; to our surprise, we found that they had been in such demand, for carrying purposes by public workmen, that the supply was small andthe price outrageous. We had left the securing of the boxes and thepacking of the busts to our plaster-worker, and, though we knew he hadhad difficulty, imagined that he had secured all needed, and that thebusts would be all ready. Diligent search, however, had secured but twoboxes, and ridiculous prices had been demanded for those. All of us tookto the streets, visiting stores and private houses, and at last fiveboxes were secured, though they were a dilapidated lot, with bad covers. For these we paid an average of sixty-two cents each. Realizing the timeand labor necessary for securing boxes, stuff for packing, and for thework of putting up the busts, we dismissed our horsemen, and arrangedfor leaving the next morning. In fact, night had fallen before our workwas done. Leaving a little before eight, we had a magnificent mountainride. For a league or more, we rose steadily over a cart-road; keepingat a high altitude, and, with but little of ups and downs, we journeyedthrough fine pine forests, with oaks mingled, here and there, among thepines. We met quantities of Chamula and Tenejapa indians on their way tomarket. The Chamulas carried chairs, loads of well-tanned skins, andsacks full of little, round wooden boxes, well and neatly made, whilethe Tenejapes were loaded with nets of oranges, _limas_, and_ahuacates_. We were sorry to leave the village of Chamula to one side, but lack of time forbade our visiting it. It was amusing to note theterror of our _arriero_ on the road. Until we passed Cancuc, he wasconstantly expecting attack from the dreadful indians of Chamula, Tenejapa, and Cancuc, telling us that such attacks might be expected atany time, but particularly in the early morning and in the dusk ofevening. What indians we met were most gentle, and answered oursalutations with apparent kindness. After a long journey on the high, smooth road, we finally began descending into a pretty valley, and soonsaw the great town of Tenejapa, below us, on a space almost as level asa floor, neatly laid out, and still decked with the arches erected for arecent fiesta. The _agente_ of the town had been warned of our coming, by telephone from the _jefatura_, and received us warmly, a littlebefore one o'clock, giving us a large and comfortable room in themunicipal building, supplied with chairs and benches, and a table, though without beds or mats. We were here delayed by the slowness of theold man, who had been furnished at San Cristobal for carrying ourinstruments. By three o'clock, all was ready, and the twenty-five womenwere summoned. They gave no kind of trouble, and by six o'clock the workwas done. Women here braid their hair in two braids, which are wrappedabout closely with cords, making them look like red ropes; these arethen wound around the head and picturesquely fastened. The _huipíls_ ofcotton are short, and decorated with scattered designs, worked in color, and loosely arranged in transverse bands. Belts are of wool, red incolor, and broad, but not long. Over their shoulders the women wear, particularly in cool weather, a red and blue striped cotton shawl orwrap. The red worn--whether in belts, wraps, or hair-strings--is all ofone shade, a dull crimson-red. As night fell, dozens of little bonfireswere lighted in the plaza, made from cobwork piles of fat-pine. Peoplewere already gathering from other pueblos for market, and many of themslept through the night in the open market-place. The band played amournful piece, repeatedly, during the evening, and some rockets werefired--no doubt, the tailing-off of the late fiesta. 

[Illustration: CLOSE OF MARKET, TENEJAPA]

Market had begun in the morning, as we prepared to leave, but thegreat plaza was not more than half-full, and there was little that wascharacteristic. Noteworthy, however, were the great loaves of salt madeat Ixtapa; about the size of old-fashioned sugar-loaves, they wereshaped in rush-mats, and showed the marks of the matting on theirsurface; saws were used to cut off pieces for purchasers. The _agente_said that it was not good, being mixed with earth or sand. He, himself, came from the neighborhood of Tapachula, where quantities of salt aremade from the lagoon water. The salt-water and the salt-soaked earthfrom the bottom of the lagoon are put into vats and leached, and theresulting saline is boiled in ovens, each of which contains an _olla_. The industry is conducted by _ladinos_, as well as indians, but the saltis poor. 

It was 8:45 when we started, and almost immediately we began a hardclimb over limestone, giving a severe test to our poor animals. At thesummit we found a group of indian carriers, who, as usual, stoppedat the pass to rest and look upon the landscape. The view was reallybeautiful, the little town lying in a curious, level valley, which wasencircled by an abrupt slope, and which had been excavated from analmost level plateau. For some time, we followed this high level, butfinally plunged down into a deep gully, where our road passed awayto the left in a dry gorge, while to the right, the valley deepenedabruptly by a great vertical wall. When we reached the point of suddendeepening, in the gorge below, we saw water, bursting in volume from thecliff's base. Dismounting from our horses, and climbing down, we founda magnificent arch of limestone over the emerging stream, the water ofwhich was fresh and cold, and clear as crystal. The shallow portion ofthe valley marks the ancient level of the stream. In some past time, thestream had sunk, cutting a subterranean channel under its old bed, whichwas left high and dry. The deep part of the valley may be due to thefalling of the roof of rock above the subterranean stream. Following upthe ancient valley, we presently turned into one of its old tributarygorges, coming out into a country well-wooded with pines and oaks. Thewhole country hereabouts is composed of monoclines, all the crestspresenting one long, gentle slope, with rocks dipping with the slope, and one abrupt short slope, cutting the strata. The roads, for the mostpart, follow along the edge of these monoclines, making them unusuallylong, though easy. The rocks over which we passed were an oliveshaly-sandstone, with notable concentric weathering, limestone, and hereand there, red sandstone, abundantly green-spotted. Indians, everywhere, were burning over fields, preparatory to planting, while the day wasclear, the smoke rose in clouds, and at many places we suffered fromthese field fires. Twice we passed a point just as the flames leapedfrom one side of the road to the other, and rode between two lines ofblaze. The fire, burning green branches and stalks, caused thousands ofloud explosions, like the rattle of musketry. 

Long before we were near it, we caught sight of Cancuc, the beautiful, perched upon its lofty crest. In San Cristobal, our journey hadbeen matter of conversation among the _mestizos_ and many and direpredictions had been made. "Ah, yes, it is easy for these gentlemen todo this work here in the _cabecera_, but let them get to Tenejapa, andCancuc--there it will be another matter; they will be killed upon thejourney; if they reach Cancuc, they will never leave the town alive. "The town is built on the edge of a ridge, which drops in bothdirections, leaving barely room for the placing of houses. From it, welooked out in every direction over a magnificent landscape. Cancuc isfamous for the insurrection of 1712. Curiously, like the outbreak atChamula in 1868, it was due to the visions and religious influence of agirl. Maria Candaleria was the centre and impulse of the whole movement. Dr. Brinton has thrown the incident, which abounded in picturesquedetails, and which caused the Spanish government great difficulty, intoa little drama, which bears the name of the inspired priestess. 

[Illustration: TZENDAL MAN AND WIFE; TENEJAPA]

[Illustration: TZENDALS; TENEJAPA]

We were now within the district of my friend Valencia. Two years ago, when we passed through the country of the Mixes, he was the _jefepolitico_ of the District of Yautepec; he had been transferred to thisstate and this district, with his _cabecera_ at Ocosingo. That town layfar from our course, and we had written Señor Valencia, that we plannedto pass through his district, but had not time to visit the _cabecera_. We named the towns through which we planned to pass, and begged him tosend orders directly to the local authorities, instead of trying tocommunicate with us. This he had done promptly, and during our stay inhis district, everything was done for us without delay. The _agente_at Cancuc is a new official, but a man of sense, and sympathy for theindians, among whom he lives. We arrived at half-past three and had our_mozo_ been on time, might have done some work. The _agente_ showedus the historic picture in the old church; it is the portrait of aclergyman, whose influence did much to quell the insurrection in 1713. More interesting to us than the old picture, were groups of indians, kneeling and praying. When they knelt, they touched their foreheads andfaces to the ground, which they saluted with a kiss. Having assumedthe attitude of prayer, they were oblivious to all around them, and, curiously, their prayers were in the native language. The town-house wasplaced at the disposition of our party, but the _agente's_ bed, in hisown house, was given to me. As I sat writing at the table in his room, the whole town government--a dozen or so in number--stalked in. Most ofthem wore the heavy black _chamaras_ made by the Chamula indians. Thesewere so long that they almost swept the ground. The faces of the menwere dark and wild, and their hair hung in great black shocks down upontheir shoulders and backs. In their hands they held their long officialstaves. Advancing to the table where I sat, in the order of their rank, they saluted me, kissing my hand; arranging themselves in a half-circlebefore my table, the _presidente_ placed before me a bowl filled witheggs, each wrapped in corn-husks, while the first _alcalde_ deposited acloth filled with a high pile of hot _tortillas_; a speech was made inTzendal, which was translated by the second official, in which they toldme that they appreciated our visit; it gave them pleasure that suchimportant persons should come from such a distance to investigate thelife and manners of their humble town; they trusted that our errandmight be entirely to our wishes, and that, in leaving, we might bearwith us a pleasant memory. They begged us to accept the poor presentsthey had brought, while they assured us that, in them, we had ourthousand most obedient servants. And this in Cancuc--the town wherewe were to have met our death! At night, the fires on a hundred hillsaround us made a magnificent display, forming all sorts of fantasticcombinations and outlines. In the evening, the son of the _agente_, whohad been to Tenango with a friend, came home in great excitement. He wasa lively young fellow of eighteen years. At the river-crossing, wherethey arrived at five in the evening, a black cow, standing in the river, scared their horses so that they could not make them cross; the boyemptied his revolver at the animal, but with no effect; it was clearlya _vaca bruja_--witch cow; an hour and a half was lost before theysucceeded in getting their horses past with a rush. 

[Illustration: THE TOWN GOVERNMENT; CANCUC]

The morning was spent in making pictures. While still in Yucatan, weheard about the music of Cancuc, and among our views was one of themusicians. These are three in number, and they head processions atfiestas; the drum, like that we saw at Tuxtla, is cylindrical, with twoheads; the _pito_ is the usual reed whistle; the _tortuga_, a largeturtle-shell, was brought from Palenque; it is hung by a belt to theplayer, and is beaten on the lower side with two leg-bones of a deer. The Cancuc dress is simple. Men wear the breech-clout, and, when theycarry burdens, little else; at other times, they wear short, cottontrousers which hardly reach the knees. The chief garment is a _camisa_, of native cotton, with a colored stitching at the neck and along theseam where the two edges join; this _camisa_ is of such length that, when girded, it hangs just to, or a little below, the lower edge of thetrouser leg. The belts are home-woven, but are made of cotton which isbought already dyed a brilliant red or yellow. Women wear woolen beltsmade by Chamulas; their _enaguas_ are plain, dull blue in color; their_huipíls_ are a dirty white, with a minimum of colored stitching. Thechief industry at Cancuc is raising pigs for market. 

At 1:15 we started from the town, and rode down the crest of long, gently-sloping ridges, which seemed interminable. The rock over which wepassed was red sandstone, mottled and streaked with green, red shale, and occasional patches of conglomerate. Crossing a little stream by apretty bridge, we made an abrupt ascent, and soon saw the little town, Cuaquitepec, at the base of the opposite hill. 

We met many indians carrying great ovoidal jars which were made atTenango, and which are chiefly used for carrying _chicha_. This is afermented drink, made from the sap of sugar-cane, and is much usedthroughout this state and the adjoining parts of Central America. Weinquired of a girl who carried such a vessel, what she had, and askedto try it. She gave us a sip in a wee gourd-vessel, holding less than awine-glass. Knowing nothing of the price of _chicha_, we gave her sixcentavos, with which she seemed well satisfied. A little later, decidingto test the drink again, we stopped a man, who had a vessel of it, andagain were given the little cup. On stating that we wished a centavo'sworth, we were much surprised to have him fill a great _jícara_ forthe price mentioned. It seems the little vessel is carried only forsampling, and that a sale is made only after the purchaser has approvedthe quality. 

Reaching Cuaquitepec at five, we rode up to the town-house, that theauthorities might know that we had passed. The place is small anddwindling; there are relatively many _ladinos_, and few indians. Theywere expecting us, and seemed disappointed at our refusal to stop. The shell of the old church, almost ready to fall, suggested pastmagnificence. The little modern structure, at its side, is suited to thepresent needs. We were vexed at the wanton sacrifice of a greattree, which had stood near the town-house, but whose giant trunk wasprostrate, and stripped of its branches. A man on foot showed us theroad beyond the town, and it was moonlight before we reached Citala, where we planned to sleep. Of the town itself, we know nothing. The oldchurch is decaying, but in its best days must have been magnificent. The_presidente_ was absent, but his wife, an active, bustling intelligent_ladino_, expected us, and did everything possible for our comfort. Eggs, beans, _tortillas_ and coffee made up the supper. A room, containing a bed for me, and _petates_ on the floor for my companions, was waiting. When a light was struck more than a dozen great cockroacheswere seen running over the wall, none of them less than two inches and ahalf in length, and of the most brilliant orange and dark brown. In themorning, a fine chicken breakfast was promptly ready, and the woman hadsummoned a _cargador_ to be ready for our starting. She said that inthis town there is a considerable indian population, and that theseTzendals are tall and strongly-built, in comparison with those ofCuaquitepec, and other neighboring towns. She regretted that we couldnot wait until her husband came, as she had sent him word of ourarrival, and was expecting him. We assured her that she had doneeverything which he could possibly have done, had he been present, andthat we should, with pleasure, report our satisfaction to the _jefe_. 

[Illustration: INDIAN CARRIERS RESTING]

[Illustration: DRIVING PIGS, NEAR CANCUC]

The _cargador_ whom she supplied, was a comfort, after the wretchedsluggards whom we had lately had. With our instruments upon hisshoulders, he trotted, like a faithful dog, directly at our side, fromstart to finish, never showing the least weariness or sense of burden. Both foot _mozos_ and _arrieros_ through this district carry a mass of_posole_ with them on a journey. Unlike that which Eustasio and hisZapotec companions carried, the mass here is pure corn, white and moist, being kept wrapped in fresh banana leaves; at every brook-side, a_jícara_ of fresh water is dipped, and a handful of _posole_ is squeezedup in it till thoroughly mixed, when it is drunk. It tastes a littlesour, and is refreshing. At 11:15, we passed the bridge over the streamon which Chilon is built, and a moment later drew up at the town-house. Here we regretted that our serious work with the Tzendals was done. We were received royally, and told that our house was ready. This wasreally so, a pretty little house of three good rooms having been cleanedand prepared for our use. We lay down and napped until the good dinner, which had been started when we had first been seen upon the road, andsome time before we reached the village, was ready. Sitting on the porchof our little house, and looking out over bushes, full of roses, in thegarden before us, we rested until the greatest heat of the day was past, when we started, and pushed on over the three leagues that lay betweenus and Yajalon, where we arrived at near sunset. The town is large, and, in great part, indian. The women dressed more gaily than in any otherTzendal town which we have seen; their _huipíls_ were decorated with amass of bright designs, worked in colored wools or silk. Here we saw ourfirst Chol, a carrier, passing through the village with his load; inorder to make a start upon our final tribe, we had him halted, to takehis measurements and picture. At this town, we stopped at a sort ofboarding-house, or traveller's-rest, close by the town-house, kept bya widow with several children. We impressed upon this good woman thenecessity of having breakfast without fail at five o'clock, as we wishedto make an early start, stopping at Hidalgo for work during the hotterportion of the day, and pressing on to Tumbala at night. The poorcreature kept me awake all night, making her preparations for the meal, which was to be a masterpiece of culinary art, and at four o'clockrouted us all out with the report that breakfast was waiting on thetable. It was a turkey-breakfast, too. 

CHAPTER XXVI

CHOLS

(1901)

Of course, after such a start, we were delayed in getting the animalsready for the journey, and the sun had been up full half an hour when weleft. It was a short ride to Hidalgo, which lies prettily in a small, flat valley, on a good-sized stream. We were doubtful about ourreception, for Yajalon was the last town in Valencia's district, and wehad no documents to present to the town officials, until we should reachEl Salto, the _cabecera_, except our general letter from GovernorLopez. It is true that the _presidente_ of Yajalon, at our request, hadtelephoned Hidalgo that we came highly recommended, and that everythingpossible must be done for our assistance. The _agente_ was an old man, suffering from headache, who showed but listless interest in our work. In a general way, he gave us his endorsement, and we, therefore, tookthe management into our own hands. He had kept the people in town, so that we had subjects, though fewer than we had hoped. We measuredtwenty-seven men, and there were really no more in the town, the restbeing away on _fincas_. The men gave us no trouble, but the women wereanother matter. Several times we issued orders that they be brought tothe town-house for measurement, and each time, after an effort to obeyour orders, we were told that they would not come. "Very good, " said I, "if they will not come, it is plain that we must go and measure them intheir houses. " Accompanied by the town government, we started on ourrounds. The first house was tightly closed, and no reply was made to ourdemands for entrance. The second was the same; one might imagine thatit had been deserted for weeks. At the third, the door was opened, andwithin, an aged woman, ugly, bent, decrepit. Here we measured. The nexthouse, and the next, and the next, were shut. And then another openhouse contained another veritable hag. Passing several other houses, tightly closed, we found a third old woman, and I saw that we weredestined to secure nothing but decrepit hags, as representatives ofthe fair sex. At the next closed house, I stopped, and turning to anofficial, who spoke Spanish, said, "I am tired of these closed houses;who owns this house?" His name was given, and I wrote it down. "Verywell, " said I, "I shall recommend to the _jefe_ of the district, when Ireach El Salto, that he be made to pay a fine of five pesos. " At this, the town officials gasped, but we walked to the next house, which wasalso closed. "Who owns this house?" And down went a second name. Bythe time I had three names of owners of closed houses on my paper, theofficials held a hasty whispered consultation; then coming to me, they begged me to excuse them for a moment, as the _secretario_ wouldaccompany me upon my round, and they would soon rejoin us. With this, they disappeared, and we entered another old woman's house. When weemerged, a wonderful change had taken place; every house in the villagehad its door wide open, and in the doorway were to be seen anywhere fromone to three or four ladies of all ages. From this time on, there was nolack of women, and the twenty-five were promptly measured. 

We had picked out our subjects for modeling before we started on ourrounds to measure women; and had left Ramon in charge of that part ofour work, staying only long enough to see him make the mould of thefirst subject. This was an indian, named Juan, the first _alcalde_ ofthe village. We had carefully explained the operation to our subjects;we had described in detail the sensations and emotions connected withthe thing, and thought we had the subjects well prepared. When Juanbegan, he seemed to have good courage, but we told a young fellow, whosat near and understood Spanish, that he should tell the man certainencouraging things which we repeated to him. The translation waspromptly done, and we were therefore much surprised to see our subject'sconfidence gradually give way to terror. While we were applying thefirst mould, he began to sob and cry like a child; this was, however, nothing compared with the abject terror and sorrow which he displayedwhile we were making the face-mould. The tears flowed from his eyes; hesobbed, cried aloud, and we could see the thumping of his heart againsthis chest. We had never had a subject who took the matter so hardly. When the operation was completed, we learned the cause of all thistrouble. Our interpreter turned out to be a joker, and, while we weretelling him encouraging remarks, with which to soothe the subject, hewas saying, "Now you will die; pretty soon you will not be able tobreathe any more; you will be dead and buried before to-morrow; yourpoor widow will no doubt feel badly, but probably she will find anotherquite as good as you. " We had always realized the possibility of suchmisinterpretations, but, so far as we know, this was the only time thatour interpreter ever played us false. 

On our return from measuring the women, we found that Ramon had madeno progress. The three subjects, whom we had selected and left in hischarge, under strenuous orders, had taken fright at Juan's experienceand fled. We lost two hours in hunting them and bringing them in; and weshould not have succeeded then, had it not been for Juan's assistance. He seemed to feel that, having undergone the operation, it might easehis position, and decrease possible danger, if he had companions inmisery. Finally, at 4:30, long after the hour we had set, we left forTumbala. We secured six _cargadors_--one each for the four moulds, one for the instruments, and one for the remaining plaster, --as ourpack-animals had long since passed. Five of them were left to followat their leisure, on condition that they reach Tumbala early the nextmorning, but the sixth, a wee old man, who had helped us woman-hunting, went with us, by his own request, to carry the instruments. He was sosmall that we did not believe he could carry the burden, but he made nosort of trouble about it, trotting along most happily. We had been toldthat the road was _pura subida_--pure ascent--and so we found it. Wewere soon in the tropical forest of the Chinantla, and the land of theMixes, with begonias, tree-ferns, bromelias, and orchids. Here andthere, were bad bits of road, deep mud, slippery stones, irregularlimestone masses. It was dark before we reached Tumbala, and althoughthere was a moon, the mists were so dense that it did little good. Arriving at 6:45, we found the town a wretched place, with a worthlessand nerveless _agente_. This was once the largest of the Chol towns, and we had thought to do the bulk of our work there. It is fortunate, indeed, that we stopped at Hidalgo, because Tumbala is now completelyruined by the contract-labor system, which has sent its men all throughthe country onto _fincas_. The _agente_ would probably have done nothingfor us, but his little daughter, much impressed by our letter from thegovernor, took an active interest in our welfare, promised to prepare adinner, and decided him to give us sleeping-quarters in a store-roomin the building. He thawed a little after we had eaten, but spokediscouragingly regarding the possibility of working there. He said wewould do well to go to El Triunfo; that it would take two days to findindians and bring them to the town; that there were no animals, nothingto eat, no conveniences in Tumbala, in all of which he probably wasquite correct. Our _arrieros_ had contracted only to this point from SanCristobal. We urged them to make the further journey, and offered thema price much above the regular, but they wanted to be back in SanCristobal for Holy Week, and assured us that the roads ahead were theworst that could be imagined, and that they ran the risk of killing alltheir animals if they went with us. 

[Illustration: THE TORO; FRAME AND BEARER; EL TRIUNFO]

[Illustration: PLAYING TORO; EL TRIUNFO]

As we were on the road, a little before we reached Tumbala, we found acompany of indian boys making camp for the night. Calling to us, theysaid that Don Enrique had told them if they saw us on the road, to saythat we should keep straight on to El Triunfo, as he had a message forus. We had never heard of Don Enrique, and thought there was some error, but after supper, the _agente_ handed us a letter which had come thatafternoon from the gentleman in question. In it we read: "Sir: Mr. Ellsworth, of the Rio Michol Rubber Co. , Salto, asked me by telephone totell you that he will be waiting for you the 4th of April in La Cruzada, and hopes that you will kindly accompany Mrs. Ellsworth as far asMexico, and that, in case she would not find a steamer in Frontera, heis going to charter one. Hoping to see you here in Triunfo, and waitingfor an answer to La Cruzada, I remain, Yours truly, H. Rau. " This wasa gleam of light amid our dark affairs. There we were, with allour baggage and instruments, but without carriers, deserted by our_arrieros_, and with no opportunity in Tumbala to secure new animalsor helpers; it was like the voice of a friend, to receive this Englishletter from El Triunfo, and we felt that, if worst came to worst, DonEnrique might help us out. 

The room in which we slept was filled with stored stuff and two tables. On one of these I made my bed, while my companions spread a large_petate_ on the floor, and our little indian carrier put down a smallone for himself, as he declared he should not leave us until morning. Hehad a good supper, and in a fit of generosity, presented Louis with whatwas left of his package of _posole_. With much enthusiasm, he told us ofan "animal" which he had seen and tried to catch upon the road. From hisdescription, it appeared to be an armadillo. Before he lay down on his_petate_, he kissed my hand, wished me a good night's rest, and asked mygood-night blessing. He was happy in possession of a _real's_ worth of_aguardiente_, from which, at intervals during the night, he drank. Early in the morning, he opened the door, and, looking out, crossedhimself, and repeated his morning prayer. He then came to _Tatita_(little father) to receive his morning's blessing, and hoped that I hadpassed a good night in slumber. He then brought me a _jícara_ of cool, fresh water, after which he urged me to take a sip from his dear bottle. Going outside a little time, he returned with two roses, heavy with dewand very fragrant, and gave them to me as if they were a gift for kings. Very soon, however, his potations got the better of him, and bidding usa fond farewell, he started for Hidalgo. 

It was my day of fever, and I spent the greater portion of the morningon my hard bed, getting up from time to time to try to move the _agente_to procure an animal, on which I might make the journey to El Triunfo. Finally, in despair, after difficulty in securing a foot-messenger, Isent a letter to Don Enrique, asking him to send an animal for my use. During the afternoon, a fine mule and a letter came from El Triunfo. "Sir: The boy brought me your letter, and I send you a good mule foryourself, so we shall talk all the rest when you shall get here. If youneed more pack-mules I will send them afterwards, as soon as you tellme how many you need. Hoping to see you this afternoon, I remain, Yoursvery truly, Henry Rau. " The road was down hill, and there were but twoor three bad spots. I rode through tropical forests, the whole distance, with high trees, bound together with a mass of vines, and loaded withparasitic or aerial plants. Here and there, rose the largest tree-fernsI have ever seen. I was not in the best mood, however, for enjoying thejourney, and the hour-and-a-quarter seemed like much more. The greatcoffee _finca_ of El Triunfo occupied an irregular valley, the slopesof which were covered with thousands of coffee-trees, with theirmagnificent dark green leaves and sweet-scented, white flowers. Threehundred and fifty thousand trees made up the plantation, which was oneof two owned and managed by Señor Rau. The house was large, and ratherpretentious, two stories in height, with buildings for cleaning, packingand storing coffee on the same terrace, and with a veritable village ofhouses for the indian workmen down below. I received a warm receptionfrom the Señor and his household, who have established here a veritablebit of Germany in tropical America. Not only was I myself cared for, butI was urged to make no haste in going further, as no steamer would gofrom La Cruzada before the 4th, and it would be easy to reach thatplace in twenty-four hours. So, for several days the hospitableplantation-house was my home. Great lines of mules were constantly goingfrom here, through to El Salto and La Cruzada, with loads of coffee, and coming back with provisions, and the many supplies necessary for anestablishment of this importance. When the next _mulada_ should appear, animals would be sent to Tumbala for my companions and the luggage. Curiously, none came for two whole days--a very unusual occurrence--andthe boys remained prisoners in that dreary town for all that time. Formy own part, I was thankful to reach a place where a comfortable bed andcertain meals were to be counted on. My fever left me, but the followingmorning I found myself suffering from swollen jaws; every tooth wasloose and sore, and it was difficult to chew even the flesh of bananas;this difficulty I had lately suffered, whenever in the moist mountaindistrict of Pennsylvania, and I feared that there would be no reliefuntil I was permanently out of the district of forest-grown mountains. Nor was I mistaken, for ten days passed, and we had reached the drycentral table-land of Mexico, before my suffering ended. One day, whilewe were on the _finca_, considerable excitement was caused by one of theIndians working in the field being bitten by a poisonous serpent. Theman was brought at once to the house, and remedies were applied whichprevented serious results, although his leg swelled badly. The serpentwas killed, and measured about five feet in length, having much thegeneral appearance of a rattlesnake, but with no rattles. Don Enriquesays that the most dangerous snake in this district is a little creaturemore brightly colored, with a smaller head, which is less markedly flat, and with smaller fangs; he showed us one of these, not more than a footin length, from whose bite a man on the plantation, a year before, had died. In telling us of this event, he gave us a suggestion of theworking of the contract-labor system; the man who died owed one hundredand forty pesos of work--almost three years of labor; the _jefe_, indeed, had sent the son to work out the debt, but the young man soonran away, and the most diligent effort to recapture him had failed. 

[Illustration: CHOL WOMEN; LA TRINIDAD]

Perhaps two hundred persons lived as workmen on the _finca_ of ElTriunfo. They were, of course, all indians, and were about evenlydivided between Tzendals and Chols; it was impossible to gather them formeasurement till Sunday, when they all came to the house and the store. It was a day of amusement and recreation for the laborers, a day whenall of them--men, women, children--drank quantities of liquor. It wasinteresting to watch them as they came up to the store to make theirlittle purchases for the week. All were in their best clothing, andfamily groups presented many interesting scenes. On Sundays and fiestas, they play _toro_--one man creeping into a framework of light canescovered with leather, meant to represent a bull, while others play thepart of bull-fighters. The Chols present a well-marked type. They areshort, broad-headed and dark-skinned; their noses are among themost aquiline in Mexico. Men, especially those of Tumbala, have acharacteristic mode of cropping the hair; that on the back of the headis cut close, leaving the hair of the forward third of the head longer. The men are almost immediately recognized, wherever met, by thecharacteristic _camisa_, made of white cotton, vertically striped withnarrow lines of pink, which is woven in the Chol towns, and does notappear to be used by other Indians. 

The doors of the hospitable home at El Triunfo are ever open, and a dayrarely passes without some traveller seeking shelter and entertainment. Spaniards, Mexicans, Germans, Englishmen, Americans, all are welcome, and during the few days of our stay, the house was never free of othervisitors. Among these was Stanton Morrison, famous in Yale's footballteam in '92; he now lives in this district, and has a coffee _finca_four hours' ride away. 

Finally, at 10:10 Tuesday morning, April 2d, having completed all ourwork, we started from El Triunfo for our last ride of the season. Wecould easily have gone, starting in the early morning, to El Saltobefore night; as it was, Don Enrique planned a different method. We hadgood animals, which he had loaned us, or for which he had arranged forus with the muleteers. At two o'clock we reached La Trinidad, where hehad promised that we should eat the finest meal in the State of Chiapas. We found a complete surprise. Trinidad is little more than a _finca_, or _rancho_, but it has an _agente_, and quite a population of Cholindians. The _agente_ was a decent-looking fellow, active and ambitious;he talks a little English, and is something of an amateur photographer. His house of poles and mud presented no notable external features, butwithin, it was supplied with furniture so varied and abundant as is rarein any part of Mexico. Chairs, rockers, tables, cupboards, washstands, all were there; and beds, real beds, which for cleanness were marvels. As soon as we entered the house, fresh water and clean towels werebrought. On the tables were vases of fresh-gathered flowers, inquantities, and beautifully arranged. The visible service for all thiselegance, and for the meals, were two little indian girls not more thansix or eight years old, neatly dressed, and an indian boy of the samesize and cleanness. The invisible helpers were buxom indian girls, well-dressed and clean, but who never came into the room where we were, leaving all carrying, setting of tables, and serving, in the hands ofthese three little servants. There was, indeed, one other person in thehousehold--a beautiful girl, slender and refined, whose relation tothe master I do not know, but who was treated by him as if she werea veritable queen, or some lovely flower in the wilderness. Here werested, ate and slept in comfort, and here, when morning came, we paida bill which ordinarily would have seemed large; however, if one findsbeautiful flowers in the wilderness, he must expect to pay. It was worthwhile paying to enjoy the best sleep, in the best bed, that one had hadfor months. 

[Illustration: A CHOL FAMILY; LA TRINIDAD]

[Illustration: CHOLS; LA TRINIDAD]

The _agente_ rode with us in the morning quite a league upon our road, to a place which he was clearing for a _milpa_. We had heard so muchof the horrors of the road to El Salto, that we were prepared for theworst. It was not an abrupt descent, as we had expected, but for themost part level, over black mud. There were a few ups and downs, andthere was one limestone hill with tree-ferns and begonias, and all thatthat implies. Much of the way we had a drizzling rain, and everywherethe air was hot and heavy. After four hours' riding, we stopped at tento eat a breakfast which we had brought with us, and then rode throughto El Salto, where we arrived at 12:30. This is the _cabecera_ of thedistrict, and the _jefe_ could not understand why we should continue onour journey, as the steamer would not leave until the following day. Don Enrique, however, had urged us not to stop at El Salto, where heinsisted the risk from yellow fever was great. He advised us to go on toLa Cruzada, where he had a house and an agent, and where, he told us, we could arrange for sleeping and eating as comfortably, and far moresafely, than in the town. The distance was short, but the place, intruth, was dreary. The landing was at the bottom of a little slope, atthe upper edge of which stood Don Enrique's place, the store-house ofthe steamship company, the house and barnyard of the manager of the muletrains, and one or two unattractive huts. When we arrived, we found thatthe mayor domo had that day resigned, and left the place, going to ElSalto; before he left, he quarreled with the cook, and she had gone offin high dudgeon. Two young employes, left behind, advised us to returnto El Salto until the time of embarkation. We, however, had left ElSalto behind us, and had our luggage with us, and were little inclinedto retrace our steps. After some grumbling, we were supplied with beds, but told that the food problem was impossible. After much wheedling, coaxing, bribing, and threatening, a woman in one of the huts promisedto cook something for us, and we had nothing more to do but wait, untilthe steamer should be ready. The chief excitement of the day was whenthe mule trains were driven in, towards evening. With them came a swarmof mosquitoes, which absolutely darkened the air. Fortunately they didnot stay, but after an hour and a half of troubling, disappeared assuddenly as they arrived. The river had fallen to that degree that itwas impossible for our steamer, the Mariscal, to come up to La Cruzada, and we learned that it was anchored about a league down the river. Aflatboat, poled by indians, came up to the landing, ready to receivecargo and passengers, and to transfer them to the steamer. In themorning, the loading of the flatboat and the getting ready fordeparture, took all our thought. At ten o'clock Mr. And Mrs. Ellsworth, with their baby and two servants, appeared in small canoes, which hadbeen poled by indians from the plantation, several hours' journey up theMichol River. At the last moment, Mr. Ellsworth had decided to accompanyhis party to the city. When everything was loaded, quite promptly, at twelve o'clock, the flatboat pushed out from its moorings. Mr. Ellsworth's little launch was standing at the landing, and he invited meto ride in it, with him and Mrs. Ellsworth and the baby, to the steamer. We started off right proudly in the Miriam, but, alas, pride goes beforedestruction, and we had hardly left the heavy flatboat a little behindus, when our machinery broke down, and we had to wait until the clumsyscow overtook us, when we became common passengers again, and drifteddown the stream to the Mariscal, passing the Lumeha plantation, anAmerican enterprise. 

[Illustration: CHOLS RESTING, LA TRINIDAD]

The Mariscal itself was a little steamer, too small for the passengersand freight it had to carry. It had no beds nor cabin; it was dirty andcrowded; it had not food enough to feed the first-class passengers, whopaid twenty-five pesos each for their short journey. There was, indeed, no other class of passengers, only one grade of tickets being sold. When complaints were made of the accommodations, or lack of allaccommodations, the _agente_, who was on the vessel with us, expressedsurprise, and seemed profoundly hurt. The stream is full of curves andbends, is broad, and notably uniform in breadth; it has considerablecurrent, and is bordered closely by the tropical forest, except wherelittle clearings have been made for _fincas_. Formerly, caimans, oralligators, were common, but they have become rare, through the diligenthunting to which they have been subjected for supplying skins. Two daysare usually taken in the journey to Frontera, though it is not a fifteenhours' run. Mr. Ellsworth arranged for our going directly through, sothat, except one stop at a midway station, we made a continuous journey, and drew up at Frontera at 9:50 in the morning. 

It is a mean little town, but far cleaner than Coatzacoalcos. Real grassgrows there, and the little plaza is almost a lawn. Last year, whenyellow fever was so terrible at Coatzacoalcos, and when, even at ElSalto, there were forty cases, there were none here. The town is hot, and during the two days we spent there, our chief effort was to keepcool. The steamer, Mexico, appeared upon the 6th, planning to leave thesame day. A norther came, however, and rendered the bar impassable. Inthe morning, Easter Sunday, the wind had fallen somewhat. We saw thelittle celebration at the church, and, learning that the boat was likelyto leave at noon, went aboard. At one we started. Sailing down theriver, we soon found ourselves between the piers, and the moment oftest had come. At the first thump of the keel upon the sand, we doubtedwhether we should pass the bar; still we kept along with steam full onand the bow headed seaward; nine times we struck the sandy bottom, butthen found ourselves in deeper water, and were again upon the Gulf. TheMexico was just as dirty, the food was just as bad, and the crew just asunaccommodating, as in 1896, when we had our first experience of her. Rather than lie in the stuffy cabin, I took my blanket out on deck, androlled up there for the night. Room was plenty, as there were only ascore of passengers. When we woke, the boat was standing in the harborof Coatzacoalcos, and we landed to eat a breakfast at the hotel. Throughthe day, we wandered about town, but were again upon the vessel at fouro'clock. We now numbered about a hundred passengers, and everything wascrowded. In the company was a comic theatre troupe. The day before, a number of the passengers had been seasick; on this occasion, three-fourths were suffering, and the decks were a disgusting spectacle. Still, fresh air was there, and again I made my bed on deck. In themiddle of the night, having moved slightly, I felt a sharp and suddenpain in my right temple, exactly as if I had rolled upon a sharp, hottack. I had my jacket for a pillow, and thought at first that therereally was a tack in one of the pockets, and sought, but in vain, tofind it. Lying down to sleep again, I presently moved my hand over theblanket on the deck, and suddenly, again, I felt the sharp, burningprick, this time in my thumb. Certain that it could not be a tack thistime, I brought my hand down forcibly, and, rising, saw by the moonlightthat I had killed a large, black scorpion. For two hours the stings feltlike fire, but by morning had ceased to pain me; then I found two orthree of the other passengers suffering from similar stings, and reachedthe conclusion that the Mexico was swarming with the creatures. At dawn, we sighted Vera Cruz, and were soon in the harbor, standing at anchor;at eight o'clock, we stood upon the wharf, and our journeys in IndianMexico were ended. 

[Illustration: INDIAN HUT; SANTA ANITA]

[Illustration: GUADALUPE; DECEMBER 12]

CHAPTER XXVII

CONCLUSION

But it was not necessary to go to distant Oaxaca and Chiapas to findMexican indians. On the border of the capital city lie Santa Anita, Iztacalco, Mexicalcingo, Ixtapalapa, and a quantity of other villagesand towns, where one may still find Aztec indians of pure blood, sometimes speaking the old language, sometimes wearing characteristicdress, and maintaining, to the present, many ancient practices andcustoms. At Santa Anita, for example, one may eat _juiles_ and_tamales_, catch a glimpse of indian weddings, and delight his eyes withthe fresh beauty of the _chinampas_, --wonderful spots of verdure andflowers--the floating gardens of the ancient Aztecs. Half an hour, orless, in the tram-car takes the traveller to Guadalupe, which may becalled the heart of Indian Mexico. There, on the rock of Tepeyac, theVirgin appeared to Juan Diego; there, in the churches, dedicated inhonor of that apparition, thousands of indians, from leagues around, gather yearly. On December 12, in the crowded streets of Guadalupe, groups, fantastically garbed as indians, dance in the Virgin's honor, and in their songs and dances, modern though they be, can be foundsuggestions of the olden time. Now and then, one may witness, what Isaw in December, 1895--a group of indian pilgrims from a distant town, singing and dancing to the Virgin, within the great church itself. Andnear the high altar, where thick glass plates are set into the floor, letting a dim light into the crypts below, one may see crowds of indiansrubbing the smooth surface with their diseased parts to effect a cure. On the streets of the capital city, one daily sees bands of pure Otomisin rags and filth, bringing their loads of charcoal and of corn tomarket. Their ugly dark faces, their strange native dress, their harshlanguage, make on the stranger an impression not easily forgotten. 

Reliable figures are wanting as to the number of pure Mexican Indians. If the population of the Republic be estimated at fifteen millions, itshould be safe to say that five millions of this number are indiansof pure blood, speaking their old language, keeping alive much of theancient life and thought. In some parts of Mexico, it almost seems as ifwhat white-blood once existed is now breeding out. The indian of Mexicois conservative; he does not want contact with a larger world; hisvillage suffices for his needs; he is ready to pay taxes for the sake ofbeing let alone, to live in peace, after the way his fathers lived. Inhis bosom there is still hatred of the white man and the _mestizo_, anddistrust of every stranger. The Chamula outbreak in 1868, and the Mayawar just ended, are examples of this smouldering hatred. Mexico has aserious problem in its Indians; the solution of the problem has beenattempted in various ways, according to whether the population dealtwith was Totonac, Yaqui, Maya: it is no small task, to build a nationout of an indian population. 

Soon after the publication of my "Indians of Southern Mexico, " I hadthe pleasure of presenting a copy of the book to President Diaz, and oflooking through its pictures with him. When we came to the general viewof Yodocono, and its little lake, tears stood in the old man's eyes ashe said, "Sir, that was my mother's birthplace, and in her honor I haveestablished, at my own expense, two schools, one for boys, and one forgirls. " Looking at the round huts of Chicahuastla, he shivered, andremarked: "Ah, sir, but it is cold in Chicahuastla. " I replied, "YourExcellency, I see that you have been in Chicahuastla. " When he saw theZapotec types, from the District of Tehuantepec, he said: "They are finelarge fellows; they make good soldiers; when I was Governor of Oaxaca, Ihad a body-guard of them. " He then told me of the six orphan boys who, in memory of his body-guard, he had adopted and educated; he told mewith pride of the success which the five who still live had made, andof the positions they were filling. When he reached the portrait of thelittle Mixtec, carrying a sack of corn, who, with pride, had told me, inanswer to my question, that his name was Porfirio Diaz, the Presidentof the Republic looked long and earnestly at the picture, and I noticedthat, when we turned the pages, his finger marked the spot where thelikeness of his name-sake was, and, when the book was finished, beforeclosing it, he turned back again, and looked at the little fellow'sface. At the first Otomi portrait, he had said: "Ah, sir, but my schoolswill change the Otomis. "

It would be pleasant to have faith in President Diaz' solution of theOtomi problem, but to me it seems doubtful. Of course, I recall withpleasure my visit to the boys' school at San Nicolas Panotla. It wasinteresting to see those little Tlaxcalan fellows solve problems inalligation and percentage, in bonds and mortgages; but it is doubtfulwhether any of them, in actual life, will have to deal with blendingcoffees, or with selling bonds, and cutting coupons. Still, from suchindian towns great men have come in the past, and great men will come inthe future. Benito Juarez, who laid the foundations on which Diaz hasso magnificently built, was a pure-blood Zapotec. From the Aztecs, theTlaxcalans, Mixtecs, Zapotecs and Mayas, we may hope much in the future. They were races of achievement in the past, and the monuments of theirachievement still remain. But that the Otomi, the Triqui, or the Mixe, should be made over by the schools is doubtful. Personally, I feel thatthe prosperity of Mexico rests more upon the indian blood than on anyother element of national power. That schools will do much to train themore gifted tribes perhaps is true. But there are indians, and indians, in Mexico. 

 GLOSSARY OF SPANISH AND INDIAN WORDS

 abusos. Abuses, disturbances. Adios. Adieu, good-bye. Agente. Agent. Agua. Water. Agua bendita. Blessed water. Agua miel. Lit. Honey water, the unfermented juice of the maguéy. Aguardiente. A spirituous liquor. Aguas frescas. Refreshing drinks. Ahuacate. A fruit, the alligator pear. Aje, or axe. An insect; a greasy mass, yielding a lacquer-like lustre. Alcalde. A town judge. Arbol. Tree. Arriero. A convoyer of loaded mules or horses. Atole. A corn gruel. Autorizada. Authorized, having authority. Axolotl. A water salamander, with peculiar life-history. Ayatl, or ayate. A carry-cloth. Barranca. A gorge, or gully. Bruja. Witch. Brujería. Witchcraft. Burro. Ass. Cabecera. The head-town of a district. Cafe. Coffee. Caiman. A reptile much like an alligator. Camarón. Shrimp. Camisa. Shirt. Cantera, cantero. A water-jar, or pitcher. Cargador. Carrier. Carreta. Cart. Carretero. A carter. Cascarón. An eggshell filled with bits of cut paper. Catalán. A wine, named from a Spanish town. Cenote. A cave with water. Centavo. A coin, the one-hundredth part of a peso; a cent. Chac mool. A stone figure, found at Chichen Itza, Yucatan. Chalupa. A boat-shaped crust with meat or vegetables in it. Chamara. A blanket for wearing. Champurrado. A mixture, as of atole and chocolate. Chapapote. Chewing-gum. Chicha. An intoxicant made from sugar-cane. Chicle. Chewing-gum. Chinampa. "floating garden, " a garden patch. Chirimiya. A shrill musical instrument, somewhat like a fife or flageolet. Chirimoya. The custard-apple. Cigarro. Cigarette. Cincalótl, cincalote. Granary. Clarín. A bird, with clear note. Cochero. Coachman. Colorín. A tree. Comiteco. A spirits made at Comitan. Conquista. Conquest. Copal. A gum, much used as incense. Coro. Loft. Corral. An enclosure for animals. Costumbre. Custom. Cotón, cotones. A man's upper garment, a sort of poncho. Cuartel. Barracks. Cuezcomátl, cuezcomate. Granary. Cura. Parish priest. Curato. Parish house. Danza. Dance. Doctrina. Doctrine, catechism. Don. Mr. , used only when the Christian name of a person is spoken. Dulce. Sweet, sweetmeat. Dulcero. Maker or seller of sweets. Dulceria. Sweetmeat factory. Enagua. Woman's skirt. Enchilada. A fried tortilla with chili and cheese. Feria. Fair. Fiesta. Festival. Finca. Farm, plantation. Firma. Signature. Fiscal. Fiscal officer, frijol, frijoles. Bean, beans, golondrina. Swallow, gramatica. Grammar. Gringo. Somewhat derisive term applied to foreigners, especially Americans. Guardia. Guard. Hacienda. A country-place. Haciendado, haciendero. The owner of an hacienda. Hennequín. A plant producing fibre, sisal hemp. Hermita. A retired shrine. Herrería. Smithy, forge, ironworks. H'men. Conjuror. Huehuetes. The old ones. Huehuetl, huehuete. The ancient upright drum. Huerfano. Orphan. Huipíl, huipili. A woman's waist garment. Huipilili. A woman's waist garment, worn under the huipíl. Idioma. Idiom, language. Incomunicado. Solitary, not allowed communication. Itinerario. Itinerary. Itztli. Obsidian. Ixtli. Fibre from the maguéy and cactus. Jacál. A hut. Jarabe. A popular dance. Jícara. A gourd-cup, or vessel. Jonote. A tree. Jornada. A day's march. Juez. Judge. Ke'esh. A votive figure. Ladino. A mestizo, a person not Indian. Ladrón, ladrones. Thief, thieves. Liana. Vine. Licenciado. Lawyer. Lima. A fruit, somewhat like an insipid orange. Lindas. Pretty (girls). Llano. A grassy plain. Machete. A large knife. Maestro. Teacher, a master in any trade. Maguéy. A plant, the century plant or agave, yielding pulque. Mai, pelico. Tobacco, mixed with chili and lime. Malacátl, malacate. Spindle-whorl. Malinche. Malinche. Maméy. A fruit, orange flesh and brown exterior. Manta. Cotton-cloth, a woman's dress. Mañana. To-morrow. Mapachtl. A small animal, perhaps the raccoon or badger. Mapaho. Beating-sticks, for cleaning cotton. Mayores. Chiefs, village elders, police. Medio. Six centavos. Meson. A house for travellers. Mescal. A spirits, made from an agave. Mestizo. A person of mixed blood. Metate. Stone upon which corn is ground. Milagro. Miracle. Milpa. Cornfield. Mogote. A mound or tumulus. Mole. A stew, highly seasoned with chili. Mole prieto. Black mole. Moral. A tree, mulberry. Mozo. A young man, a servant. Mudo. Mute, dumb. Mulada. A mule train. Muñeco. Doll, figure. Municipio. Town, town-government, town-house. Nacimiento. An arrangement of figures and grotto-work, made at Christmastide. Nada. Nothing. Naguál. Conjuror. Negrito. (diminutive) negro. Nublina. Mist, fog. Ocote. Pine-tree, splinter of pine. Otro. Other. Padre. Father, priest. Padrecito. Priest. País. Country, esp. One's native town. Panela. Sugar in cake or loaf. Papaya. A fruit. Pastorela. A drama relative to the Nativity. Pastores. Shepherds. Patio. Inside court of house. Pelico, mai. Tobacco, with chili and lime. Peso. A money denomination, one hundred centavos, one dollar. Petate. Mat. Pinolillo. A species of tick. Pinto. A disease, spotted skin. Pita. A fibre. Pitero. A fifer. Pito. Fife. Plaza. Town square. Portales. A building with corridor in front. Posol, posole. Corn prepared to carry on journey, for mixing withwater. Prefecto. Prefect. Presidente. President. Principales. Principal men, councillors. Pueblito. Small pueblo, village. Pulque. An intoxicant, made from maguéy sap. Quichiquemil. A woman's upper garment. Rancho. A country-place. Ranchito. A small ranch. Rebozo. A woman's garment, a wrap or light shawl. Regidor. Alderman. Remedio. Remedy. Sangre. Blood. Santo, santito. Saint. Señor. Sir, gentleman. Señora. Madam, lady. Señorita. Miss, young woman. Serape. A blanket, for wearing. Sindico. Recorder. Soltero. An unmarried man. Sombrero. Hat. Subida. Ascent. Tabla. Board. Tamales. Dumplings of corn-meal. Tambour. Drum. Tatita. Papa. Tepache. A fermented drink. Teponastl, teponaste. The ancient horizontal drum. Tienda. Store, shop. Tierra caliente. Hot country. Tigre. Tiger, jaguar. Tinaja. Water-jar. Topil. A messenger or police. Toro. Bull. Tortillas. Corn-cakes, cooked on a griddle. Tortuga. Turtle. Tsupakwa. Dart-thrower. Ule. Rubber. Vaca. Cow. Vámonos. Come on, we are going. Viejos. Old. Vomito. Yellow fever. Xalama. A tree. Xtól, xtoles. A dancer, or dancers (see Mérida, narrative). Zacate, sacate. Hay, fodder. 

ITINERARY

The expedition of 1896 was preliminary. We went by rail from the Cityof Mexico to Oaxaca, capital of the state of the same name. Thence, wejourneyed by horse through the states of Oaxaca and Chiapas, to the cityof Guatemala, entering the Republic of Guatemala at Nenton. The returnjourney was made by rail to the Pacific port of San Jose, steamer toSalina Cruz, rail to Coatzacoalcos, steamer to Vera Cruz, and rail tothe City of Mexico. Only the portion of this journey between Oaxaca andNenton is here described, the rest not lying in Indian Mexico. The Cityof Mexico was headquarters for the work in 1897-98. A trip was made byrail from there to Dos Rios, to measure and photograph the Otomis ofHuixquilucan, in the state of Mexico. Thence we went to Patzcuaro byrail, and studied the Tarascans in the villages about Lake Patzcuaro, visiting these by canoe-trips. We then made a trip on horseback toUruapan (then without rail connection), returning by some importantindian towns. After returning to Mexico, we visited the states ofTlaxcala and Puebla. In and around the City of Tlaxcala, we securedour Tlaxcalan subjects. At Cuauhtlantzinco, we worked upon Aztecs. Ourexperiences at this large town of Puebla are not described, as Bandelierhas already rendered the place familiar, and we ourselves have writtenof it elsewhere. With these two peoples, we made our first essaysat bust-making. After returning to Mexico, we went by rail, on theGuadalajara branch of the Mexican Central, to Negrete. From there, bycoach (there being then no railroad) to Zamora. Thence, we struck, onhorseback, through the Tarascan territory, across to Patzcuaro. On theway, we secured our full series of Tarascan busts, at the Once Pueblos. By rail, we went from Patzcuaro to Dos Rios, to secure our lacking bustsof Otomis at Huixquilucan. In the second field expedition, January toMarch 1899, we worked entirely in the state of Oaxaca. At first a tripwas made, by horse, from Oaxaca into the Mixteca Alta, where Mixtecs andTriquis were studied. Again starting from Oaxaca, we traveled over ourold trails of 1896, through the mountains to Tehuantepec, returningby the high-road in common use. Zapotecs were studied at Mitla andTehuantepec, and the Mixes, Juaves, and Chontals in various towns andvillages. The season's work closed by our study, at and near Cuicatlan, of the Cuicatecs. At this town, too, we began to work upon Chinantecs. In the third field expedition, during the early months of 1900, wevisited seven populations, making our regular study upon six of them. Tofill a week that would otherwise have been lost, we made a pedestriantrip through the interesting indian towns on the slopes of Malintzi. Then, from Cuicatlan as a center, we made two journeys--one to San JuanZautla and San Pedro Soochiapan, to examine Chinantecs; the other toCoixtlahuaca, for seeing Chochos. From Cuicatlan, we struck north byrail to San Antonio, and, by coach to Teotitlan del Camino and by horsebeyond, penetrated to the great Mazatec town of Huauhtla. Chinantecs, Chochos, and Mazatecs are tribes of Oaxaca. Leaving that state, wetraveled by rail to Tulancingo. From there, by coach and on horseback, we visited Otomi, Aztec, Tepehua and Totonac towns in the states ofPuebla and Hidalgo. With the field season of 1901, our work in IndianMexico ended. It was pursued in three separated areas. From the City ofMexico, we went by rail to Tampico. From that point, a journey by canoeand horse enabled us to see the Huaxtecs of the state of Vera Cruz. Returning to Tampico, a trip by steamer across the gulf brought us toYucatan. Progreso and Mérida were visited, and our work was done uponthe Mayas living near the town of Tekax. A second trip on the gulfbrought us to Coatzacoalcos, whence the railroad was used to Tehuantepecand San Geronimo. From the latter point, an ox-cart journey of tennights, across the states of Oaxaca and Chiapas, brought us to TuxtlaGutierrez. By horse we continued through Chiapas to El Salto, where wetook steamer for Frontera. From there, by steamer to Vera Cruz and thenby rail, we traveled to the City of Mexico. Zoques, Tzotzils, Tzendals, and Chols were studied in this portion of the journey. 

APPENDIX

STARR IN OLD MEXICO

Oaxaca, Mexico, March 1. --Prof. Frederick Starr, of the Universityof Chicago, is deep in the midst of his savages. He is manipulatingprimitive town governments, wielding the authority of federal and stategovernments, county police, and that of the clergy as well. He isthreatening, cajoling, clapping in jail, when necessary, and in generalconquering his series of strange nations. I found him doing all this, and more, in a little native village fifty miles from the city ofOaxaca, Feb. 2nd. The fat little man was complete master of the Zapotectown of Mitla, far distant from the end of the last of the railroads, a town famous for its ruins. He bustled about like a captain in a warhaste, dressed in a massive Indian sombrero, from which a white stringfloated picturesquely behind, a necktie of slim, dusty black, whichseemed not to have been unknotted for many a day, a shirt lessimmaculate than the one he may wear at the entertainment shortly tobe given him in London, and no coat. The professor's trousers are notIndian. They are farm trousers, of an original type, with double seatfor the saddle. 

The professor's blood was up. A grand native feast--in which drunkendances, bull-fights, and a state of accumulated irresponsibility are therule--had delayed him three days. The Indians could no more be measuredand "busted"--as the professor calls the making of plaster casts--thancould the liquor they had drunk. After three days of pleading, threatening, and berating, in which orders from every government andchurch official in the country, from lowest to highest, had failed, Prof. Starr seized the black-bearded and wiry president of the towncouncil, the chief potentate of the reeling set, called him a drunkenscoundrel, threatened in deep seriousness to imprison every man in thetown, and finally won his point--but not until the feast was done. Whenfeasts are over, the people are kindly, suave, gracious. 

Then the professor corralled those he wanted. He was to measure forscientific purposes 100 of the Indians, in the order in which theychanced to present themselves. After such wheedling as it must havetaken infinite practice to acquire--pattings of the Zapotecback, hugging of the men, chucking the children, with elaborateexplanations--the thing "took" and the people fell into the spirit ofit. The jail was the only accessible building, and was strangely empty. It was of adobe, a jail of one room, with a dirt floor. There were nowindows, only the single barred door. 

From every cane-walled, thatched, tropical hut that helps to make theirregular cluster around the central plaza and its adjoining bull ringthey came, if not to be measured, to see. They were driven by thehighest of the town authorities--for every element of the populationwaited on the bidding of the little sugar-tongued professor from thenorth--one by one into the jail, and the rest curiously watched. Themeasuring was done without undressing, but the "busting" was the pointof chief interest. Five representative specimens had been carefullyselected for this purpose. They were won slowly, by the glitter of 75cents of Mexican silver. In some towns, only 50 cents was required, andin others, $1. The smirking Indian, with his wildness hidden away, oronly peeping from his eye, entered. He disrobed with no shame. He wasput flat on the floor, face down, on a little piece of matting. Atthis stage some objected. Then the Anglo-Saxon was down on the floor, wheedling, talking such sweetness as can be spoken without sillinessonly in the Spanish tongue. 

The victim finally consents. Then the Mexican plaster worker, who hasfollowed the caravan from its start, goes to work. He makes a cast ofthe back of the head and shoulders, and the Indian is turned over, face up. Another cast of the breast and neck and chin is made, and yetanother of the front half of the head and the face, with little tubesfor breathing sticking through it. The Indian has grunted, snorted, laughed and squirmed, but he has been made to understand that he mustbe still. That great 75 cents is held always over him, and the thing isaccomplished. 

During all the process, the crowd of Indians about and in the jail waseager-eyed and astonished. The women wear odd woolen, blanket-likeskirts of red or black, folded in two great plaits down the front. Thedress does not reach the ankles, and the feet are bare. They carry thebaby on the back, wound in the rebozo, with its bare legs straddlingher and sticking out. The men wear a sandal quite different from theordinary Mexican footgear. 

Of the 100 that were to be measured, Jose was one. Jose was of a betterfamily, a character in the town, and proud. He rebelled. This breach ofthe professor's authority could not be allowed. Jose was summoned by thepresident of the town, the honeyed, affable "Señor Presidente, " the samewho had been called the drunken scoundrel, now accommodating, a true andemotional friend. Jose sent a thousand excuses, and finally defiance. 

"That man, " cried the professor, showing his writ of authority from the_jefe politico_ of the district, "I order to be arrested. "

Jose did not flee. He was found next morning in the bull ring riding abull. He was arrested by the Chicagoan's orders, and taken to jail. Hewas peremptorily ordered by the professor to appear for the measurement. He escaped, and again defied the powers. He was again caught, and it wasexplained to him by the president that this man of might from the beyondhad sworn to drag Jose with him all the way across this wild countryslowly to Tehuantepec, thence back to the city of Oaxaca, where thestate authorities would deal most painfully with him. And this, indeed, in mighty manner and impressively, had the "man from the beyond" swornto do. Jose came and was measured, and I afterward saw him calling tothe professor to come and take a jolly drink out of the gourd he wasshaking at him, in the manner of a comrade. 

In the afternoon, the work being done, the civilities and sugaredconduct must be continued, with a view to future visits. The professorwanted to enter the church, which, though modern, stands in themiddle of one of the mysterious ruins. The church was locked, and themayor-domo not to be found. 

"But I must photograph a strange picture you have in there. "

"The mayor-domo is drunk, at your service, my most excellent friend, "replied the president, sympathetically. "I am sorry, but he got underthe influence three days ago at the beginning of the feast, and he hasslept ever since. Ah, the mayor-domo is sleeping now, my excellentfriend, and he has the keys. "

"You shall send a boy into the tower to ring the bell and wake themayor-domo, " cried the professor. 

The crowd sat on the stone steps, the bell was pealed, and at last thechurch was opened, and the picture photographed. 

The procession then moved to the top of an ancient pyramid, in whichtombs have been opened, and bones and gold ornaments found. Theprofessor dashed through all the tunnels, with the government afterhim, before mounting to the top. On top a strange conversation was heldbetween the professor and the president and secretary. They appealed tothis northern man, who seemed to have all earthly authority back of him, to grant them one longed-for boon. Would he not please speak, when hereturned to the capital, to the minister of encouragement, that he sendthem a brass band! They wanted to welcome northern visitors to the ruinswith modern music. 

"You have great power. You need but to ask of those in Mexico and theband will come. Most beloved friend, oh, most excellent professor fromthe far north, give to us a brass band!" And the professor promised tospeak to Minister Leal about it. Then, too, the beastly state governmentwas dragging some of their precious ruins away to put in a museum. Wouldthe professor please have the kindness to stop this? The professorpromised to do what he could, and he was hugged and blessed and pattedby the simple people. 

Prof. Starr began his ethnological studies to westward of Oaxaca. Mitlais eastward. In the west, he visited two tribes--the Mixtecas and theTriquis. The latter are a branch of the former, but much different, living in round bamboo huts, surprisingly like those of some Africantribes. He secured two excellent casts of the Triquis, and three of theMixtecas. He intended to take five of each tribe he visited, but hisplaster failed to arrive. He studies the languages, also, as he goes, and finds many varying dialects, from each of which he secures atest vocabulary of 200 words. He is now approaching the Mixes, the"cannibals. " All the City of Mexico papers laugh at the idea of hisencountering the slightest danger, and the professor himself scoffs atit. He believes some of the Mixes have, within forty years, eaten humanflesh, but he says he is certain they are harmless now. 

CHARLES F. EMBREE. [From _The Chicago Record_: March 24, 1899. ]

THE PURPLE SPOT ON MAYA BABIES

When I was in Yucatan in 1901 the parish priest of Texax told me that itwas said that every pure blood Maya Indian has a violet or purple spoton his back, in the sacral region. He stated that this spot was calledby the native name, uits, "bread, " and that it was vulgar or insultingto make reference to it. I at once examined three Mayas of pure blood--aboy of ten years and two adult males--but found no trace of such aspot. I concluded that the presence of the spot might be an infantilecharacter, as it is among the Japanese, but at that time I had noopportunity to examine Maya babies. 

Dr. Baelz, a German physician, who has spent many years in Japan, longago called attention to the existence of such spots on Japanese infants. The spots described by him were of a blue or purple color, were locatedupon the back (especially in the sacral region), and were variable inform and size. They were temporary, disappearing at from two to eightyears of age. The occurrence of these infantile color blotches was socommon in Japan as to be almost characteristic of the race. 

In time, other students reported similar spots on other Asiatic babies, and on non-Asiatic babies of Mongolian or Mongoloid peoples. Chinese, Annamese, Coreans, Greenland Eskimos, and some Malays are now known tohave such spots. Sacral spots have also been reported among Samoans andHawaiians. 

Practically, all these people belong to the great yellow race, asdefined by De Quatrefages, and are, if not pure representatives of thatrace, mixed bloods, in part, of it. Baelz and some other writers have, therefore, gone so far as to consider the purple sacral spot a markpeculiar to that race, and to believe its occurrence proof of Mongolianorigin. They have asked whether the spot occurs among American Indians, and would consider its occurrence evidence of an Asiatic origin forour native tribes. Satisfactory observations had not been made. Baelzhimself found two cases among Vancouver Island Indians. 

In my recent trip to Mexico I planned to look for this spot amongseveral Indian tribes. Out of six populations that I expected to visit Ireally saw but two--the Aztecs and the Mayas. I do not believe thatthe sacral spot exists among Aztecs. I made no search, becauseAztec friends, who would be sure to know, all agreed in denying itsoccurrence. Among the Mayas, the case is different. In the little Mayatown of Palenque I examined all the pure blood babies. The back of thefirst little creature bared for my inspection bore a clearly defined, dark blue-purple spot, just where it might be expected. The spot wasalmost two inches wide and nearly three-fourths of an inch high. Thechild was a boy of eight months. A brother, two years old, showed notrace of the spot, but the mother says it was formerly well defined. 

Every one of the seven pure Maya babies, below ten months old, in thetown was purple-spotted. A pair of boy twins, two months old, weremarked in precisely the same place with pale blue-purple spots, of thesame size and form. In one boy of ten months the spot seemed to bedisappearing and was represented by three ill-defined and separatedblotches. In the village, there were three babies of suitable age, butof mixed--Spanish-Maya--blood; no one of these showed any trace of thecolored spot. We may say, then, that in Palenque every Maya baby belowten months of age was sacral spotted, and that no Mestizo baby was. 

Does this prove that the Mayas are Asiatics by ancestry? The daily pressasserts that I make that claim; it is mistaken. I am free to say I don'tknow what to do with my spotted Maya babies. I presume that Baelz willcousin them with his little Japanese. 

FREDERICK STARR. From _The Chicago Tribune_: January 11, 1903. 

 INDEX

 abandoned river course, 374. Acacia, 97, 216. Acala, 48, 361. Agua Bendita (Chiapa), 44, 348. Agua Bendita (Mex. ), 64. Agua miel, 61. Aguardiente, 255. Aguazotepec, 240. Aje, 45: insect, 46; 79. Ajuno, 76, 84, 107. Akxotla, 191. Alcaldes indios, 357. Alligators, 277, 290. Ancona, Bishop, 300. Antiquities, 116, 223, 230, 239, 288, 345. Ant--foraging, 289; --honey, 190. Apparition of the Virgin, 395. Aranza, 82. Arbol huerfano, 196. Arriero--tardy, 271; --unreliable, 358; --abandons us, 385. Arroyo--Jefe, 247. Atla, 245; carry-sacks, 256; costume, 256; witchcraft, 256. Atlihuitzia--Santa Maria, 195. Axolotl, 64. Ayate, 58, 267, 271. Ayutla, 23, 149. Aztec, 242, 279, 281, 283, 285, 397; breakfast, 196. 

 babies--carrying, 267; --care of, 57. Bamboo, 289. Band--Huauhtla, 237; --honors us, 124. Bandolier, 318. Barela, Sr. And Sra. , 189. Bark-paper, 245, 246, 268. Baron, 293, 320. Barranca, 190, 191, 214, 280, 363. Barrios--Pedro, 230. Basalt, 196, 249. Battle of flowers, 321. Begonia, 246. Belen, 194. Bells--pottery, 112. Benito Juarez--steamer, 293. Bernal Diaz, 91. Bishop--Mérida, 300. Blackflies, 343. Blanco--Juan, 303, 316. Blessing--a mother's, 111. Bloom--trees, 340, 364. Boca del Rio--rancho, 168. Books--Mixe, 155; --Mixtec, 141; Zapotec, 165. Bowls--calabash, 353. Boxes--scarce, 370. Boy--work of, 35, 37; --and iguana, 54. Breech-clout, 344. Bridge--covered, 77; --of vines, 32, 207. Brinton, 374. Bromelias, 22, 27, 126, 154, 199, 207, 219, 232. Bruhería, 246, 256, 376. Bull met, 214. Burning fields, 374, 376. Bust-making, 65, 99, 104, 146, 234, 382. De Butrie--M. And Mme. , 235, 236, 237. 

 cactus, 8, 11, 181, 182, 217, 329; --pitahaya, 96. Cahuantzi--Gov. Prospero, 85, 94, 193. Caimans, 290. Cairn, 218. Calabashes, 314. Caladium, 201, 249. Calandria, 334. Calistro--Antonio, 61. Camalpa, 191. Camarón, 276. Camotlan, 32, 155. Camp--traveller's, 178. Campeche, 306, 355; --banks, 295. Canal, 291. Cancuc, 365, 366, 371, 374; --outbreak, 374; --reception, 375; --music, 376; --dress, 377. Candaleria--Maria, 374. Canoes, 275, 289, 360; --Tarascan, 68; --travel, 277; --empty, 292. Canton--Gov. Francisco, 300, 301, 355. Capacuaro, 78, 80. Carapan, 104. Carizal, 342. Carnival, 239, 317, 318, 321, 324. Carrera, 52. Carretero, 333, 334, 342, 343; --camping, 338. Carriers, 53, 54. --small, but devoted, 384, 386; --trouble, 206. Carry-frame, 243. Carts, 95, 333. Cart-road, 45, 48, 139, 342. Carvajal, 179. Cascades, 262. Cascarones, 239. Castle, Dr. , 164, 165, 170, 328, 329. Castolo--Zapotec boy, 35, 159. Cattle, among Juaves, 168; --loading, 294; driving, 348. Cave, near Comitan, 50; --witch's, near Atla, 256; --near Pantepec, 269; near Tekax, 313, 314. Cave formations, 315. Cave--hat-makers, 224. Celebration--St. Martin's eve, 62. Cemetery--visits to, 165. Cempoalteca--family, 92. Cempoalxochil, 257. Cenotes, 297, 316. Chacalacca, 334, 343. Chacmool, 319. Chalcedony, 38, 139. Chamara, 366, 367. Champurado, 196. Chamula, 45, 365, 366, 367, 371; --outbreak, 366, 396. Chapapote, 288, 291, 292. Chavacanes, 287. Checheb, 366. Cheran, 78, 82, 106. Chert, 129. Chiapa, 45, 353, 360, 361, 364; --lacquer, 45. Chiapanecs, 361. Chiapas, 293, 340; --Indians, 44. Chicago Record, 405; --Tribune, 411. Chicahuastla, 131, 396; --an afternoon in, 133. Chicha, 377. Chichen-Itza, 318. Chila, 7, 10. Chilchota, 98. Child--deserted, 136; --grateful, 164. Chilon, 379. Chinampas, 395. Chinantecs, 210; --land of, 212. Chirimiya--Mitla, 18; --Los Reyes, 91. Chochos, 218, 226; hats, 224. Chols, 380, 389; --dress, 389; --laborers, 384; --type, 389. Cholula, 108. Chontals, 173; --type, 175. Christmas celebration, 71. Church of the thieves, 63. La Cienega, 349. Cincalote, 60. Circus, 42. Citala, 378. Citlaltepec, 277, 279. Clays, 128. Cleanliness of person, 297. Climate--results, 306. Cloud-effects, 196; --lake, 26; --cataract, 28. Coach--unreliable, 228, 229; --well-loaded, 315; --fictitious, 331. Coatlan, 34, 157. Coatzacoalcos, 293, 325, 326, 331, 351, 393. Cochero--troublesome, 242. Cockroaches, 378. Cocoa palms, 169, 181. Cocoles, 287. Coffee, 155; --plantation, 387; --essence, 204. Coixtlahuaca, 220, 224, 226; --hat-making, 224; --celebration, 224. Color-massing of flowers, 212. Colorín tree, 268. Comales, 127. Comitan, 51. Comiteco, 51. Condolence--visit, 174. Conglomerate, 181, 182, 377. Conkal, 297. Contract-labor system, 384, 388. Convent-church, 140. Cook-house, 88. Cooking, 339. Copal, 252. Cordoba woman, 217, 227. Cordova--Javier, 128, 135. Corpse rejected, 189. Cortez' trail, 196. Cosmopolitan group, 325. Costumbre-annual, --Otomi, 250; --Totonac, 252. Costume, 242; --Juave, 169; --Mazateco, 221; --Mixtec, 127; --Otomi, 58, 258; --Totonac, 252; --Tzotzil, 49; --Zapotec, 40, 177. Cotones--see costume. Cotton--beating, 202. Counterfeiters in Tlaxcala, 94. Couple--mysterious, 354. Coyotepec, 113. Crabs, 326. Cristobal martyr boy, 195. Crosses, 269. Crucified child, 366. La Cruzada, 387, 391; --unsettled conditions, 391. Cuaquitepec, 377, 378. Cuauhtepec, 251. Cuezcomate, 88, 190. Cuezcomate--the, 189. Cuicatlan, 181, 198, 215, 227. Culin--Mr. , 263, 269. Cuquila, 129, 137. Customs-house, 295. Cycle superstition, 139. Cypress, 139. 

 dance wands, 257. Dancers, 317, 325. Danza, 265, 268; --de la Conquista, 30; --de los Negros, 287; --de los mestizos, 325. Date palm, 126. Deaf-mutism, 48, 49, 79, 205. December, 12, 395. Deer, 43. Deformity, 155. Diaz--President Porfirio, ix, 396, 397. Diego--Juan, 395. Disaster to plates, 365. Distance marks, 309. Distilleries, 51, 315. Disturbance--village, 202. Doña Cecilia, 293. Dos Rios, 56. Doves, 219, 288. Dragon-tree, 246. Drinking, 207. Drunken officials, 24, 25, 29, 71, 72, 80, 144, 201; --visitor, 335. Ducks, 278. Dulces, 314. Dynamiting streams, 251, 360. 

 eagle, 166, 219. Earthquake, 137, 138; --Tehuantepec, 161; Papalo, 183. Echo, 90. Eggs, 159. Ellsworth Mr. , 385, 392. Embree Mr. , 410. Enagua, see costume. Enchiladas, 286. Esperanza mule-line, 7. Espindola, Sr. , 331, 332, 333. Espinola--Macario, 120. Etla, 116. Expeditions, vii. Eurosa--Sr. , 246. Eustasio, our carretero, 333, 334, 336, 340, 341, 344, 347, 348, 349, 352, 379. Excitement--political, 191, 193. Exorbitant charges, 8, 9; --Ixcuintepec, 33; --Xalapa, 174; --Tequixistlan, 175; --Tulancingo, etc. , 241; --Huachinango, 243; --Huehuetla, 271. 

 faja--see costume. Fans used in dance, 318. Feather-work, 82. Feb. 5, celebration, 224. Female beauty, 352. Feria at Comitan, 51. Ferns, 23, 27, 44, 154, 199, 207, 249. Fernandez--Leandro, x. Fernandez--Sr. , 320, 323. Fever, 151, 387. Fiesta--San Marcos, 31. Fishes, 317. Fishing--night, 265; --handnets, 266; dynamite, 360. Flight of the Virgin, 196. Floats in procession, 319. Flora, 201, 249, 262, 296; --contrast on two slopes, 23, 154, 199, 232; --curious assemblage, 118; --land of Mixes, 22; --tropical, 387. Flowering shrubs, 22. Fog, 27, 126, 132. Forest fire, 34. Frank, 189, 192, 200, 209, 213, 216. Frontera, 393. Frost, 245, 251. Fugitive Jefe, 136. Funeral--an interrupted, 125; --timely, 180; --procession, 199, 332. 

 Gillow--Archbishop Eulogio, 3, 6 glossary, 399. God-house, 88. Godinez--Ramon, viii, 200, 209, 272, 273, 276, 308, 313, 319, 324, 332, 335, 349, 382, 383. Goitre, 48, 49, 79, 155. Gold coins worn, 40, 52, 353. Gonzales--Manuel, viii, 108-111, 115, 156, 166, 171, 184, 189, 194, 198, 200, 209, 210, 241, 273, 276, 289, 290, 324, 330, 334, 348, 349. Gonzales--Gov. Martin, vii, 114. Grabic--Louis, viii, 189, 192, 198, 200, 209, 210, 241, 273, 276, 306, 313, 318, 329, 348. Granary, 60, 88, 190. Granite, 38. Greetings--New Year, 114. Grippe, 186. Guadalupe, 395. Guadalupe, our cook at Tancoco, 284, 286. Guamara, 280. Guatemala, 43, 52, 340; --money, 51. Gutierrez Zamora, 281. Guviño, 41, 333. Guzman--Gamboa, 301. 

 hairless dog, 330. Hares, 171. Hats, 127, 224, 284. Hauling timber, 95. Hennequín, 296; --treatment, 309. Herman, 1, 5, 9. Herons, 278, 291. Hidalgo--steamer, 325. High-road, 40, 173. H'men, 307, 310. Honey-wine, 191. Horse falls, 218; --ill, 115, 178, 179. Hot springs, 96. Houses--Aztec, 283; --Huaxtec, 284; --Tarascan, 97; --Totonac, 268. Hrdlicka--his work, v. Huachinango, 242. Huaclilla, 119. Huancito, 99. Huauhtla--view, 232; --town, 233; --trade, 235; --labor ideas, 235. Huautla, 218. Huaxteca verucruzana, 274; --potosina, 274. Huaxtecs, 261, 274, 279, 281; --character, 285; --type, 286. Huehuetes=los viejos, 243. Huehuetl, 91; --(wrongly so-called), 287, 318, 358, 376. Huehuetla, 247, 261, 263. Huejutla, 283. Huilotepec, 166, 328, 330, 331. Huipíl, huipili, see costume. Huitzatl, 191. Huixquilucan, 56, 59, 245; --thieves, 63. Huixtan, 366. Humboldt--Alexander, at Tule, 16. Husband--devoted, 186. Husk-stacks, 60. Hyde, Dr. George B. , 15. 

 idols, 253. Ignacio--boy at Chilchota, 102. Iguana, 54, 327. Imbecility, 48, 205. Incense, 368. Indian government, 49, 357. Indian Mexico, v. 396. Injured carter, 336. Interpreter--false, 383. Irrigation, 96. Irvine, Captain, 294. Isidro--uncle, 193. Itztlis, 240. Ixcotla, 193. Ixcoyotla (bark paper), 268. Ixcuintepec, 33, 156, 157. Ixhuatlan, 338, 340. Ixtaltepec, 333. Ixtapa, 363, 373. Ixtli, 58, 59. Ixtacalco, 395. Ixtapalapa, 395. 

 Jacona, 98. Jail--San Cristobal, 367. Janicho, 74. Japanese, 41. Javali, 334. Jefe politico--drunk, 328; --inefficient, 182, 185, 198, 216; --his relation to his people, vii; --as peacemaker, 353; --of Tuxtla Gutierrez, 356; --of Tulancingo--natural son of, 247. Jiquipilas, 43, 349. Jonote, 246, 269. Jornada, 338. Juanico, 179. Juarez--President Benito, 397. Juaves, 164, 165, 168, 331, 337, 338; --type, 169; --night-watch, 170; --singing, 171. Juchitan, 41, 161, 333, 338, 343; --trader, 170. Juiles, 395. Juquila (Mixe), 29, 151. Juxtlahuaca--Jefe of, 136. 

 Kan--Modesto, 312. Ke'esh, 305. Kingfisher, 291. 

 labor congress, 45. Laborers for Yucatan, 294. Lacquer--Chiapa, 45, 361; --Uruapang. Lagoons, 276, 277, 290, 336. Lake Chapala, 68; --Patzcuaro, 68, 76. Landslide, 181. Lang, --Charles B. , viii, 115, 179, 184. Leaf-water, 193. Leal--Manuel, Fernandez, ix. Leandro, secretario Tamalin, 287. Leon--Governor Francisco, 45, 342. Leyra--Pablo, 246, 260, 263, 271. Libation, 255. Lightning, 183. Limestone, 18, 44, 50, 52, 126, 217, 249, 262, 296, 306, 314, 363, 364, 373; --erosion, 118; --hills, 219. Llano, 278, 281, 341, 363. La Llave, 277, 278. Lopez--Lieut. -Governor, 351, 381. Lost at night, 167. Lumholtz--Charles, v. , 79, 80, 83. Lux--Ernst, vii, 3, 10, 14, 159. Lycopods, 154, 199. 

 macaws, 4, 340. Macuilapa, 345. Magdalena de los comales, 127. Maguéy, 60, 119. Mai, 367. Malacates, 59. Malintzi, 188, 189. Mangroves, 290. Mantas, 128, 148. Manuel, our arriero, 218, 219. Mapa, 236, 330. Mapachtli, 329. Mapaho, 202, 207. Marcelo--Alejandro, 279. Maria as a female name, 56. Marimba, 42, 346. Mariano, our mozo, 115, 119, 156. Market--Tehuantepec, 162; --Oaxaca, 112. Martinez--Quirino, 249. Martinez--Silvano, 78, 80, 83. Maskers, 71, 240, 243. Mayas, 297, 304, 396, 397; --stubbornness, 312. Mazatecs--costume, 234; --houses, 233. Measuring--Mitla, 146; --Ayutla, 149. Medellin, 14. Medical practice, 36. Mendieta, 195. Mercado--Governor Aristeo, 78. Mérida, 295, 297, 301, 315, 355; --expensive living, 298; --carnival, 318, 321. Mesquite, 97. Mexicalcingo, 395. Mexico--steamer, 393, 394. Miraculous cross, 6. Mist, 22, 27. Mitla--ruins, 4; --Mixes seen at, 13; --festival, 17; --fiesta, 142; --work at, 144; --ruins, 148. Mixes, 112, 398; --first veiw of, 13; --tragedy, 18; --land of, 22; --life, 23; --roads, 31. Mixtec, 115, 139; --boy, 397; --language, 140; --planter, 204. Mogote, 78, 81. Mole, 222. Money--Guatemalan, 51. Monkey's comb, 340. Montezuma, 250, 260. Moon influences young, 217. Moonstone, 64. Mora--Señora, 278. Moral=mulberry, 246, 259. Morrison--Stanton, 389. Mosquitoes, 289. Moss, 273; --crimson, 214; --gray, 232, 277; yellow, 199, 214. Mounds, 116. Moving stone, 349. Mulada, 387. Mule--purchase, 15; --accident, 33; --trouble by, 44; --trouble with, 52; --gives out, 53; --reported dead, 117. Muleteer--affectionate, 179. Muñecos, 246, 250, 258, 261, 268, 269. Murcio--Don, 369. Murcio--Guillermo, 129, 131, 136. Museo Yucateco, 301. Music--of the Candelaria, 24; --at Los Reyes, 91. 

 Nabor--Don, 98. Nacimiento, 195. Naguál, 166. Names of one river, 251. Negrete, 95. Los negritos, 82. Nehuatzen, 84. Nenton, 49, 52. New Year--celebration, 82; --gifts, 339. Night-blindness, 164. Night-travel, 172. Night-watch, 170. Nochixtlan, 120. Norther, 21, 22, 33, 158, 294, 326, 327, 393. Nublina, 232, 233, 261, 272. 

 Oaxaca, 4, 6, 15, 112. Obsidian, 240. Ocellated turkey, 318. Ocosingo, 375. Ocotopec (Mixe), 153, 154, --(Mixtec), 112. Oleander, 174. 

 Once Pueblos, 98; --ride through, 102. Operation proposed, 136. Orchids, 23, 27, 44, 126, 154, 199, 201, 207, 212, 232, 248. Organo cactus, 18. Orozco y Berra, 131, 245, 264. Otomis, 56, 242, 261, 397, 398; --female type, 57: --costume, 58; --male types, 62. Ox-cart--travel, 334, 336, 337, 338, 340; --accident, 341. Ox played out, 347. Ozuluama, 274, 278; --Jefe, of 276. 

 Pacheco--Anselmo, viii, 115, 168, 184. Pacific, 37, 43, 112, 132, 160, 165; --coast--yellow fever, 329. Padre--the, his story, 1; --at Chila, 10; --at Medellin, 14. Paganism surviving, 254, 269, 305, 307. Pahuatl, 245. Pahuatlan, 242, 244. Pahuatlan River, 242. Palacios--Conrado, 351. Palenque, 377. Palms, 277, 278, 296. Pantepec, 247, 265; costume, 267; --houses, 268; --women, 267. Panuco, 283. Panuco River, 274. Papalo, 182, 198, 214. Papaya, 309. Parasitic fig, 340. El Parian, 118. Parracho, 81. Parrots, 41, 166, 262, 334. Paso Real, 288, 289. Pastores, 72. Patzcuaro, 84, 107. Pea-flower, 201. Pearson Company, 326. Pebbles wedged by torrent, 266. Pelico, 367. Pemol, 287. Peonage, 45. Peru tree--belief, 194. Piano, 208. Pichataro, 84, 106. Pigeons, 219. Pigs, 377. Pilgrimage, 48. Pimentel--Governor, 351. Pineapples, 361. Pines, 128, 182, 371. Pinguicula, 154. Pinolillos, 347. Los Pinos, 344, 345. Pinto, 47, 332, 353, 361. Pitahaya (cactus), 96, 216. Pito, 287, 358, 377. Plaster prepared, 135. Le Plongeon--Dr. A. , 301. Polydactyly, 205. Ponce; Padre, 70, 71, 72, 73. Population of Mexico, v. Porfiria, Aztec cook, 286. Posole, 343, 379. Pottery, 102, 112, 127, 137, 332, 339. Pouch--netted, 367. Powell--William D. , viii, 56. Predictions dire, 374. Presidente--sleepy, 267; --Zautla, 201. Priest--drunken, 145; --ignorant, 4; active, 234; --gifts to, 123; --reception of, 124. Priestess--pagan, 254. Prisoners, 368; --of state, 354. Private cart, 345. Progress, 295, 299, 320, 324. Puebla, 283, 300, 330. Pueblo Viejo, 274, 275. Pulque, 61, 119; --country, 240. Puma, 41. Pumice, 128. Pygmy statue, 57. Pyramid, 303, 362. 

 quail, 306. Quarrel adjusted, 354. Quartz, 18. Quechol--Romualdo, 188, 189, 191, 192, 194, 196. Quezaltepec, 31, 155 quichiquemil, see costume. Quiero--Señor, 13, 17. Quiroga, 69, 70. 

 railroad--Yucatecan, 296, 303. Rain ceremonials, 271. Rain-god, 6. Rattle, 318. Rau--Enrique, 385, 386, 390. Rebozos (Parracho), 81. Regidor perplexed, 162. Resting at summit, 373. Los Reyes, 90. Rheumatism cure, 330. Rhododendron, 22. Ridge in Yucatan, 306. La Riviera, 291. Road ("rio blanca"), 219; --dilapidated, 241. Roads--mixe, 156; Zapotec, 177. Robinson, A. A. , ix. Robbery, 63. Rock-impressions, 196. Rodriguez; Governor Pedro L. , 247. Round houses, 131. Ruins (Tecomavaca), 186. 

 Sabina, 84, 106. Sacrifice, 252, 254. Salt, 373. El Salto, 381, 389, 391. San Antonio, 49. San Antonio, 228; --excitement at, 231. San Bartolo (Hacienda), 19. San Bartolo (Hidalgo), 261, 271; --market, 262. San Bartolo (Mixtec), 126. San Bartolo (Zapotec), 176; --costume, 177. San Bartolome (Tzotzil), 49, 366. San Bernardino, 232. San Blas, 164. San Carlos, 152, 177. San Cristobal (Chiapas), 364, 365, 385. San Estevan, 88. San Francisco, 191. San Geronimo (Mazatec), 232. San Geronimo (Huaxtec), 288. San Geronimo (Zapotec), 331, 332. San Gregorio, 245, 268. San Juan (Yucatan), 308, 309. San Lorenzo; 14, 18. San Lucas, 232, 235. San Mateo del Mar, 168, 334. San Miguel, 34, 157. San Miguel (Chiapas), 344, 345. San Nicolas, 260. San Nicolas Panotla, 92, 397. San Pablito, 246, 259; --witchcraft, 257; --paper, 259. San Pablo el grande, 258, 261. San Pedrito, 119. San Pedro, 190. San Pedro Soochiapan, 207; --town-house, 208; --public service, 209; houses, 212. San Sebastian, 364. Sanchez--Padre, 364. Sandstone, 374, 377. Sand dollars, 327. Sandunga (song), 330. Santa Ana, 188. Santa Anita, 395. Santa Fe de la Laguna, 69. Santa Maria, 38, 160. Santa Maria (Totonac), 250. Santa Maria (Yucatan), 307. Santa Maria Albarradas, 20. Santa Maria Atlihuitzia, 195. Santiago Guevea, 37, 158. Santocalli, 254. Santo Domingo (Chiapas), 350. Santo Domingo (Mixtec), 127. Sastun, 307, 310. Sawapa, 89, 194. Schistose rock, 182. School-teachers, 224. Scientific results of work, viii. School at San Nicolas Panotla, 93. Scorpion, 394. Sea gulls, 290. Las Sedas, 116. Segundo of Zautla, 203, 204. Selaginella, 154. Seler--Mrs. , 331. Semi-domestication, 343. Sensitive plants, 201. September 16, San Miguel's Day, 271. Shales, 377. Shaly-sandstone, 374. Silk, 235. Singing, 171, 192. Sister--loyal, 361. Slate, 20. Small-pox, 119, 194, 301, 321. Smith--Lucius, 4, 15. Smuggling, 51. Snakes, 277, 307, 358. Snipe, 290. Soldiers, 43. Songs--Aztec, 192; --Zapotec, 330. Spear-thrower, 75. Spinning, 58, 202. Spot-sacral--on Maya babies, 411. Stalagmite, 315. Starr in Old Mexico, 405. Stations--railroad, 303. Stream-beds dry, 41. Stubbornness, 312. Subterranean streams, 373. Suchiapa, 361. Sugar-making, 244, 249, 314, --mill, 307 sunset, 192. Surviving paganism, 6, 395. Syenite, 43. Syrian peddlers, 7. 

 Tamalin, 279, 281. Tampico, 274. Tanaquillo=Tanaco, 104, 105. Tanatepec, 42. Tanchitla, 251. Tancoco, 281, 284; --hats, 284; --houses, 284. Tangancicuaro, 98. Tantima, 280, 282; houses, 283, 286. Tapachula, 373. Tarascans, 68; --trading, 85. Tatarian--Bedros, viii. Tecomavaca, 185. Tecomavaca Viejo, 186. Tehuacan, 8. Tehuantepec, 39, 161, 328; --name story, 165; --yellow fever, 329. Tehuantepec River, 173. Tehuantepec women, 112; --beauty, 39; --versus Tuxtla Gutierrez, 352; --dress, 40. Tekax, 303, 305; --hermita, 304; --Jefe of, 304. Temascal, 191, 192, 283. Tenango (Chiapas), 376; --pottery, 377. Tenango del Doria, 247, 260, 271. Tenejapa, 366, 367, 371; market, 372. Teotitlan del Camino, 228, 229. Tepache, 148, 217. Tepanapa, 200, 213. Tepehuas, 247, 267; --costume, 264. Tepeyac, 395. Teponastl, 265. Teposcolula, 139. Tequixistlan, 174. Thatching, 41. Theatre, 103. Tiger=jaguar, or ocelotl, 307. Tiger-cat, 279. Thompson--Edward, 318, 320. Three-part house, 88. Tilantongo, 121. Tinajas, 119. Titian--the, 73, 74. Titulo, 236. Tlacolula, 142, 180. Tlacotepec, 38, 160. Tlacuilotepec, 246, 248, 249. Tlaxcala, 85, 188, 192, 283. Tlaxcalans, 397. Tlaxcalteca (song), 192. Tlaxco, 245. Tlaxiaco, 128. Toro play, 324, 384. Toros, 142. Torrent-wash, 82. Torres--Anastasia, 362. Torres--Padre, 72. Tortillas, 339. Tortuga, 318, 377. Las Tortugas, 272. Totolapa, 179. Totonacs, 242, 247, 251, 265, 396; --fishing, 266. Toucan, 44, 340, 348. Trade, 170, 235, 236. Tramp--American, 50, 52. Tree-ferns, 22, 54, 199, 273, 387. Trees protected, 297, 309. La Trinidad, 390. Triquis, 131, 398. El Triunfo, 385, 386, 387, 388, 389. Tropical forest, 22, 37, 387. Troupe--comedy, 337. Tsupakwa, 75. Tufa, 50. Tufaceous deposits, 119, 139, 263. Tulancingo, 239. Tule, 17, 142; --great tree at, 16. Tumbala, 380, 384, 385, 389; --boys delayed at, 388. Tuxtla Gutierrez, 44, 331, 333, 335, 338, 346, 347, 350, 351 et, 357, 376. Tzendals, 366, 367, 378; --dress, 372, 380; --hair-dressing, 372. Tzintzuntzan, 69, 73. Tzotzils, 45, 366, 367; --dress, 366; --industrious, 366. 

 ucuares, 102. Ule, 269. Union Hidalgo=Guviño, 333, 334, 335, 343. United States--ideas regarding, 42. Uruapan, 78; --lacquer, 79; --goitre, 79. 

 Valencia--Jefe, 178, 375. Valley hot, 181. Van Antwerp--A. L. , ix. Venta Colorado, 241. Vera Cruz, 394. Vice-consul (Solis), 299, 320. Los Viejos, 71. View-extended, 362. Village crying, 65, 153. 

 wasp nests, 156. Watch-houses in fields, 120. Water birds, 277; --doubtful, 341. Wayside selling, 76, 242. Wayside shrine, 28. Weaving, 50, 127, 138, 202, 211, 366. Wedding, 221, 236. Weighing, 170. Werner, Mr. , 331. Wheels--hot, 349. Whistles--pottery, 112. Wilson, David A. , viii. Wind-mills, 297. Witchcraft, 246, 256, 376; --cave, 256. Women difficult subjects, 89, 132, 157, 162, 185, 268, 369, 381; --easy subjects, 235, 265, 285; --of Tuxtla Gutierrez beautiful, 352; --Zapotec, 339. Wool, 138. Work--nature of, vi; --views regarding, 235; --methods and difficulties, 61, 86, 122, 132, 144, 149, 183, 234, 312, 356. Wry-necks, 278. 

 xalama, 259. Xalapa, 173. Xaya, 307, 308, 309. Xochihua, Sr. , 245, 260. Xtoles, 317, 323. Yajalon, 379, 381. Yaqui, 396. Yautepec, 375. Yellow fever, 301, 308, 316, 327, 328, 329, 393. Yodocono, 120, 396. Yucatan, 293, 294; --aspect of, 296; --dress, 297. 

 Zamora, 97. Zanatepec, 42. El Zapato, 219. Zapote (hacienda), 346. Zapotecs, 112, 338, 379, 397; --wounded, 19; --woman's dress, 34; --family, 34; --traders, 170; --cook, 171; --family, 176; --songs, 330; --painting, 330; --expansion, 339. Zautla--San Juan, 201. Zinacantan, 364. Ziracuaretaro, 77. Zoques, 45, 351; --beauty of women, 352; --dress, 352; --baby-carrying, 353; --houses, 357.