Morning journal and courier., 1881-12-01
Mrs. Mary HalIock Foote in the Century Ma

Mrs Mary Aallock Foote in the Century Magazine
 We drove into Maravatio at high noon on a iesta-the circumcision of our Lord-a day which might have been made on purpose for holiday, if all days of the season in Mexico were not perfect. It was 8 warmer, more southe1 looking town than Toluca, on the high table-lands, with more tropical fruits in it's markets and less clothing on its dark children. The. rancheros and country people in their best suits and rebozos had come in town to attend the bull-fght, and were sitting about on the stone benches of the sunny little plaza. in motionless content. A continuous procession of sandal-shod feet shuffied along the sidewalk under the arches of sthe portals; gaily dressed horsemen, in braided leather jackets and tig ht trouser-legs blazing with buttons, paced their bare-footed ponies through tEe streets, often with 8 friend accommodated bek!nd. We sat in the deep stone window-seat in the hotel, looking out on the bright yet strangely listless throng, and partook of ices handed in at the window by street vender who, having serv- ed us, passed on down the street, trailing be-. hind him the diminuendo repetitions of his long, musical cry, "Ni-e-yei'
 The returning stage from Morelia had not arrived; there were bad, very bad roads ahead, and no further effort was made to proceed that day. eff not to-day, to-mor- row, :" is a Mexican proverb Possibly the driver did not cere to turn his back on bull fight. A procession of toreros, in their bril- liant costumes, uplifting huge garland of banderillas and accompanied by Q band, paraded the streets. We could not see the figures distinctly; but we feard the music the thrilling dance music of the country. As an invitation to the toros, nothing co id have been better. Had it not perceptibly stirred the loungefs ol the stone benches,s they were already convinced but I, who abhcrred the thing, and would not go in the capital, fell suddenly under the spell of the senseless, in- toxicating music, and begged A--to take me to the bull fight with the rest of the town
 It seemed all the town did not go, for we were obliged, in reaching the entrance, to press through crowd (that 'Esmelled to heavenly of humble Maravatians, who re- mained outside because of their extreme pow erty, not from any lack of taste for the popu- lar amusement. We mounted perilous wooden ladder to the scaffolding surrounding the arena. The entire structure had been reared without aid of nails or saw; the tim bers showed the shaping blows of the axe, and were lashed together with ropes of mag uey It may not have been particularly safe, but was quite in keeping with the perfor- nance we had come to see, which resembled the scenes in a Roman arena as this rude amphitheatre did the Coliseum The city authorities sat in the place of the Caesars from the stall below the band played the national airs to accompany adance of clowns
 which was interrupted by cries of 'sToro toro !'' from the spectators. In the great blue arc of the sky above the densely packed seats the buzzards mounted, wheeled and sank. One mountain peak looked down at us dispassionately from 8 long way off It was very vulgar horror. Of all figures in the arena the bull seemed by far the noblest In the pauses of his charges he faced his throng ot prosecutors with a large-eyed bewilderment. paving the dust and taking quick breaths of excitement. The space was too small for anything but butchery; there was little skill shown in defence by the men not even very fine horsemanship. The spiritless, blindfelded horses were wantonIy acrifced-absolutely thrust upon the bulls horns. In less than ten minutes one was wounded to death. A-put his hand be- fore my eyes; and. indeed, could not have looked, for was seized with an uncontrolIa- ble fit of nervous crying. No nerves, not trained to it for generations, could have stood it-the cries, the music, the peril; for. wretched burlesque as it was, the simple fact of death was before our eyes. We went out ignominiously, with all the dark-eyed women around looking at us with fixed curiosity