Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-12-14
PRETTY GIRLS OF PERU.
A GALAXY or BEAUTIES SUCH
as ONLY LIMA CAN BOAST.
The Wondrous Eject OF the Mantas
They Wear-The sh&Ilowness Of Their
Mental Accom- piIshmentE-sad Tate Of
She Poorer Ones.

LIMA, Nov. 2.-ThOss who have travel
ID everywhere say the women o. Lima,
Peru, are the most beautiful in the world.
There IL something about the climate Of a
country where the rain never falls, and
where decay T. almost unknown, that
gives thsm a brllllsncy Of con pleZion mat
women Of other lands DO not possess. Per
naps their national costume does much 10
neighten their beauty lDr any woman,
ROT positively ugly, would look WeA ~
the en- bToidelsd ''nanta that the la4ies
Of Lima always wear. This mania IL
shawl 81 BLACK China crepe, and the
amount n silk embroidery upon u lncl-
cafes TIE We4ita Of tae WeSrer. Some o.
them are extremely beautiful and cost 40
much a. sJJJ, but ordinary mantas, sucn
as the majority wear. can be bought for
BIS Or 80 Iu Peruvian mOHey, which ls
worth - per cent. less t1an American
gold. a very common article d dyed cot
ton is imported from England At cost Of
g. Or s. for the Use Of TIE negro aud In
dian women. But the msnta Is worn bY
every woman, regardless o. her raHk
or wealth. whenever she appears IN the
street, although 10 their homes, az the
opera, and when they 20 cut 70
afternoon receptions Or evening balls
the Partisan styles are adopted, and
tbe ladies dress with a great deal u
taste.
The manta is square in shape and about
two yards In size. II Is folded 50 as 10 be
triangular, and the the centre Ol toe fold
q placed upon the forehead, where there
IL usually bit 81 lace that hangs down y
me eyes. One end d the mauta hangs
down the front 81 the dress a. far as the
knees. while the other j. thrown around
The shoulders and fastened AZ the breast
with an ornamental pin. Thus only the
face j. Shown, usually, and when a mai
den or matron wishes u disguise herself
sne draws toe shawl up 50 a. % cover her
MOUTH and nose, and permits only her
great black, Toguish eyes 70 be seen. And
such eyesl Always large; age never
seems 70 dim them. and no degree d self
discipline car rob them o. or subdue their
cOqusttish instincts. The poet who
wrote
"Of that dark queen
For whose mere SMILE a WCT.d was battered"
described a Lima lady.
TIE manta is usually drawn 50 closely
about the figure as 70 show its outlines
with the most conspicuous dlstinctness,
and the women Of Lima are as famous for
their beauty Of form as their beauty Of
face. They are always slender, usually
short u stature. and az graceful as syIUhs.
But they lose their beauty Of figure with
maternity, and one seldom finds q mar
AAEA ~ AAAAE AA4AE LAAA ~ lE years 81
age, II SIZE i TIE mother u children, who
retains the statuesqUe grace Of maiden
hood. They ripen early, reach their
prime At 10 or II, and generally marry at
t1at age. At . they are fat. but they
never lose the glory Of their eyes or CON-
pleEIon. Their stOutness comes from
lack u exercise and the excessive use Of
s1eetmeats, for they spend their lives IN
rocking chairs munching 'dulces,v as
fFUW zaI farffflrrrHr
gone from Lima and adopted the customs
q other lands have retained their grace
3ulness. but usually At the sacrifice Of
their cOmpleXi0ns, for tr8nsplanted fOw-
ers seldom retain the brilliancy Of their
native hues.
There IS q romantic story about the
mants, which explains the reason that It
b always black. The Peruvian women
never wear cOioTs II the street, and this
custom Is observed BY the aristOcTacy as
well as the peasants; nor do they ever
wear D0nnets. except al the opera and
then very seldom. The same 10 true Of
Inc women Of Ecuador and Chill, although
In the city q Valparaiso, which is the
most modern in its customs aHd the style
OF living Of any place on the west coast
the use Of the manta Is gradually dying
out and II - worn only at church. No
woman VIII be admitted 70 any Catholic
church On the west coast with a bonnet
on; sometimes strangers wear them in,
but the sections and usbeFs invariably ask
that they be removed. Mrs. Admiral
DahlgreeD, Of Washington, IN her book
called south Sea Sketches" relates that
she was ordered out Of church because
she WAS wearing bonnet, and, nisun.
Outstanding what was said 70 her, took
no notice u the command until quite a
commotion was raised, and some lady
explained Its cause. A bonnet 10 called
begorra In Spanish, and Mrs. Dahlgreen
was very much amused AZ its similarity
20 the familiar Irish ejaculation.
II is said that the custom Of wearing
the manta originated among the Incas.
but that they wore cOlOrs until the assas-
eination Of Atahualpa, their King. by the
bpsniards, under PiZarrO. Then every
woman in the great empire, which stretch
ca rom the lsthmus Of Panama 20 the
Straits Of Magellan, abandoned colors and
put on black mantas, which have since
been worn az perpetual mourning for sfthe
last OF the lncas." There is probably
some truth In this story, for in the graves
OF the lncas that have been DESTROYED by
scientific resurrectionists, female mum
niles have been found with mantas Of bril-.
liant colors wrapped around them, and
fastened with pins very much like those
worn al the present day. IL is also true
mat the natives, the peons Of Peru and
Ecuador, the descendants OF the Ineas.
never wear anything except black, and
SUI celebrate with impressive and apprO-
pirate ceremonies the anniversary OF the
DAY on which AtahualpR was stranglcd.
Ia Chill the custom has died out, for the
Inca empire Was never able 10 sustain it,
self there against the savage Arucanian
tribes OF Indians who inhabited the south.
ern ranges Of the Andes.
The Inca women 10 Peru and Ecuador
are not At All pretty. They are dwardsn
70 stature, broad acrOcs the Shoulders,
Ina resemble In features the squaWs OF
me North American tribes, except that
Lhey nave TIE almOnd-shaped ewes Of the
h0ngolians; and il IL probably true, as
urged by the antiquarlans, that the Incas
were OF the same origin As tue Chinese.
Tor their customs, their adeptness at ali
sorts Of ingenious work, and their man.
her Of living bear a striking resemblance
70 those Of the interior provinces Of the
Chinese empire. The Incas have ha8
their blood diluted by Intermarriage with
the lower grades Of the Spanish race, and
u IL very dificultlto find pure natives now.
The people Of the mixed races are called
"ChOl0s."
il - the Spanish rose, the pure Castil.
Ian type, that blooms with the greatest
beauty ia the gardens of Peru. Tue eli.
mate has refined IL, and has clarified thf
aark olive tint that Is found In CASTLE.
Inc greatest beauties in Lima are the de-