Daily national era., 1854-01-13
ABoRIGIHEs or MEXICO.


to translate for the Era passage from a
work entitled Trapeis in Merico, by Carl Hell
ler, finely educated young German, who
went ont to that country for scientific purpo-
ses While there, he made many curious OBJ
scryations ON the aborigines Of Mexico, to
whom the following passage rclatcs Il shows
the havoc wrought BY oppression among a
people once distinguished for their civilization
The religion taught them by the Spanlards
was SO accommodated to their Pagan ideas,
that they merely exchanged one form Of
idolatry for another The great object was
to break their spirit to submission and bond
ago, and this was effoctually done by the ma
chinery of Slavery. Oral instruction was al-
lowed to them as to slaves, but to teach them
to read and write was forbidden, on pain Of
death. But to the extract;
g In an excursion which he made from Mi
rador a German settlement some "a leagues
from Vera Cruz, he says, on reaching San Bar
tolo When REACHED there was not a little
astonished to see all the inhabitants Of the vii
lage gathered ut the church, OF whom q num-
ber were clad in fantastic dresses, and wore
black masks representing caricatares. Under
these parti-colored clothes they had fastened
little bells, on theh head was q straw hat richly
ornamented with feathers, and in their hand
they bore maehete, Tor knife about three
feet long common in Mexico, and which is
used for all sorts Of work J These persons were
engaged, he states, in celebrating the feast Of
the Purissima Conception de Nucstra Sonora,
(the Immaculate Conception Of Our Lady, He
adds, Immediately the masked persons arrang-
ed themselves to begin their dance; at the head
Of them was man who bore as a mark of dis
tinction an old black frock (where he got it
God knowsl and a wooden crown. The music
commenced, consisting Of guitar and violin,
with the usual fandango, on which all, with
horrible grimaces, swinging their knives, began
to spring about and run among each other like
madmen. 1t was more like wild war-dance
than church celebration, (it was the so-called
Bale de Montezuma Amid the constant
sound Of bells, they finally brought out on a
wooden litter figure, which was meant to rep
resent the Mother of the Saviour, but more re-
sembled an Indian idol. Scarcely was this
image brought ont of the church door, than the
dancers burst forth upon it as though they
would destroy all, but Immediately turned
about and formed tho advance of the process
sion. Behind them followed two men, who
burnt incense in clay bowls; after them, two
with rockets, which they knew how to make
tolerably, and which we're incessantly sent ur,
Though it was noon to these followed the lit
tor, and crowd cf people singing horrible
songs. After they had thus finished circuit
round the church once, there was a furious solo
executed by every dancer, and the holy cere-
mony was ended.
In this way, therefore, they celebrate one
Of kb. nft he thols
gion in Mexico, thought to myself, while in
astonishment observed these Indians in their
mad career. The first sight convinced me that
here was mixture of idulatry with the reli-
gious usages of our church, tho authors of which
were Spanish ecclesiastics who saw in ID o
means Of gradually attaching the Mexican
aborigines to themselves
~ have often since been convinced that the
Indians living in the remote villages, after 500
years, have as little correct idea Of the Chris
tian religion as they had before tho conquest
Of the country by the Spaniards.
"In general, there is only too much occasion
to observe Tho pitiable consequences Of the
early Spanish rule. With sorrow must say
it, we see how t.ey went systematically ~
work, gradually to stifie every germ of what Is
good and noble in the people Of Mexico, who
had capacity for all that belongs to docil-
ity and good nature, in order that they might
drag them down TO that condition in which
they would be fitted for bondage. Instead Of
the idol gods inherited from their fathers, the
Spaniards gave them new images Of saints,
carved out Of wood, without teaching them to
know the true God instead of an education OF
men, they refused to teach them to read and
write, on penalty OF DEATH and thrust them
into the deep caverns Of the mines, where they
..nI ,Goo tt,k kho
Of the Spaniards' rum Only in this way can
we explain il, that people who, before the
conquest Of Mexico stood at . high point Of
civilization, are now sunk down to a little heap
OF creatures, Of whom many might rather be
joined TO tho first Of beasts than the last OF
men. And yet we find again in remote places,
remains Of that powerful stock, whose bodily
structure, expression Of face, bearing, and con
slant behaviour, remind us of that long gone
period
aThe number Of the Indians, although melt
ed away frightfully by the aforementioned
circumstances, is yet far larger than is sup
posed in Europe. Most of them are distin.
tinguished by a middle stature, dark-brown
color, smooth hair, low forehead, and great
mouth, full Of the most beautiful teeth. The
muscles Of their bodies are outwardly far less
visible than with the Asiatic- European races
but an incredible power resides in them, which
is evinccd by the easy supply Of muscular fibrc
from the blood We have examples Of dread
ful wounds which have been healed by the sim
pie washing in brandy when nm European in
such case would have lost his life.
"The more susceptible, however, Is their
nervous system, as nervous disease OF no i'm.
portance with us almost always produces death
with them. They live peaceably among them
selves aro reserved with strangers, and, with
all our efforts, we could not obtain from them
the slightest historical tradition. Bnt the rev.
erence they ever pay the descendants Of their
Caciques clearly shows that they are acquaint-
cd with their sad history
Many Of them belong to tho swift runners
which caused so much astonishmcnt to the
first conquerors. | have myself scen Indian
with a burden of hundred weight keep for
day long with horse and thus loaded, they
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