Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1879-04-19

PICTURESQUE COSTUME OF A MEX
| loan GENTLEMAN AND HIS
| HORSE.
! The Vera Cruz correspondent O
the New York Evening Post en-
tiers at some length into descrip-
tive matters in Mexico, and among
other things sketches the Mexica1
country cavalier and his horse fully
equipped and caparisoned.
l caught sight of haciendado
or farmer, riding briskly up, clad .
with his horse, in the full rig of the
typical country gentleman. A
short halt which he made near by
odorded me an excellent opportuni-
ty OF studying the costume in de-
tail. A rather sIenderly-buiIt
tawny-skinned man, mounted on a
SMALL and spirited horse, he pre-
sented a snowy and expensive if
not elegant figure. 1t was a pic
ture that could be seen no where
outside of Mexico, and one that. in
point of picturesqueness, is not ca
silly excelled anywhere. The lower
dress consisted of embroided breecb-
es of fawn colored leather, open at
the knees. and ornaS ented with
two rows of round silver buttons
and broad stripes of silver lace a
shirt with high collar, and
short jacket Of printed calico, on
which was gracefully thrown an ell |
'gant manga or circular cloak of
velvet, orramented !
With gold lace. On his feet be
wore soft Cordovan leather boots
IT buff color, over which were
srawn cherivalles, Or leggings, of a
lind peculiar to the country. These
eggings are open from the knee
own, AND are made generally OF |
innamon-colored leather, secured
y az ornamental garter. They
'rm a very expensive article Of {
ress, as the leather is cut in re- ,
evo IN great variety of elegant =
atterns work done by the In
ans of the interior provinces in a &
amer that would be exceedingly t
tticult to initiate. They range in a
ct from eight to fifty dollars a +
ir, and yield, even at that price
an tod, a scanty remuneration l.,
the makers. They form, how I!
er, an Indispensable article in the tt
int of the ordinary Mexican. Fl
10, in the arrangement of his tot ~
, seems to pay particular atten- -
n to his legs. Tho head of this d
iuresque person was cover ed W
n broad brimmed, low-crown. III
hat of grayish-white felt, COM pl
tely shading the shoulders, en-. br
lied by a broad roll or band of -,
er lace, with fringe of tho same r:
u its outer edges. His feet WI
Q. armed with tho enormous sal
IS of the Middle Ages, with TO- eq
) fully twelve inches in circum- col
nee. and bsving a small bell at dit
ed to the sides of each, whose ~
'c, joined to that of the accou ire o,a
is OF bis horse, seems to denote Sns
wealth and consequences of the wit
liero. 6n1
re decorations of the horse were Gov
more dashipg anG infinitely onc
costly than those of his rider. Guy
lall bride, heavily ernomented PIN
siyer, with a very large and ana
riul bit, by means of which the 9th
stubborn animal can be in lv t
aneously stopped when at full boa
=; stlrrups of solid or plated 49,
:; and an immense saddle with us
saddle-daps of skin dressed sup'
lie hair on, hanging down 10 cell;
to the horses knees, while a apa,
pettieoat like covering of resn
deliberately stamped brown NJ
r, called a Cortez Shield, en- 1,
the whole hind part we'll neal
TO the launches. At this negl
it terminated in a deep, heavy ever
of iron chain work, whose esne
g noise seems to constitute the fno,
appiness of the Mexican RI .sne'
All these accourrements- prov
idle, saddle, rains, etc. AMIN
ichly embroidered and decor wash
the gold, silver, and colored perm
hIch mako the complete har man,
no so exncnsjv ". T Ie1 Is@ cheal
'purs. coverings and feathers that
stirrups are all embroidered can
OF the former are so elabor, GERM