Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1886-10-29

bed and this is their home, andy
here they spend their nights in
smoking, singing, drinking pulque
and dancing the fandango. Like
their ancestors they are expert in
making palmetto hats, mats, feath-
er ornaments and bead work and
most of the men are very expert
knitters andthus all find employ
ment.
Their diet is very plain, usual
ly consisting of "tortillas" (corn
cakes) and "tola'', "a thin Cruel,
boiled in water without salt On |
this diet many can, and do live, on
less than it costs to keep horse
in the states. This class usually
60 bare footed all their lives and
many women never wear anything
on their heads. AS a class they
are polite, humble, praying lot
of creatures, yet very immodest,
untruthful and dishonest. The
dress of the women is a long mar
row striped blanket with a hole
cut in the middle. Through this
they put their heads. The edge of
the blanket is then sewed together
on either side and the garment is
finished and the woman clothed
in the popular garb of her class.
Men make sleeveless jackets in
the same same way, out of large
towel letting the fringes hang
down in front and rear, which they
think adds much to the beauty of
the garment. Men and women
often wear the same style straw
hat. 1t has wide brim and is
turned down in front and turned
up at the back and is not at all
handsome.
Both men and women are used
as beasts Of burden. The most of
the transfer in the city is done on
the backs of the cargadoes, men
who are licensed as common car
riers). The aquadores water men)
supply the city with water, which
they carry on their backs,
in large three handled jars, from
the various fountains in the city.
Women are seen at all hours
passing from house to house ped
ding fruit, vegetables, jars, pecu-
liar, fancy baskets, and sometimes
bags of charcoal, bundles of hay
and corn-shucks. The latter are
used as wrappers for cigarettes
and also to boil hash and females,
in. The latter is corn meal
boiled with red pepper and sau-
sage meat. Women may be seen
at all times passing in the streets
bare headed and shoe less while
she carries heavy burden upon
the top of which is baby, tied up
in a shawl. Thus the mother
trudges on all day while she sings
out at the top Of her voice in
whining way, the kind, quality and
price of all she has to sell. The
lower class still cling to many of
ancient Aztec superstitions, and
in all their habitations we found
sacred images, which too often,
receive the worship and homage
of the household. Many of these
are believed to have supernatural
power, and in the church there are
images to which prayers are offer
ed every day, and they are hung
round about with presents and
small paintings, with an account
of the great miracles which the
image has performed. The place
day and date and the name of the
persons in whose favor the miracle
was performed, are all given. So
you see there can be no doubt as
to the performance of it. Hence
Christianity and idol worship are
badly mixecl, and missionaries are
very much needed. There are
many here who believe that mans
inability to govern himself and
Gods infinite mercy through pray
er viii Remove almost every sin,
and as it is a pleasant doctrine to
believe it has many strong advo-
Gates among the more enlightened
part of the population. Among
the more illiterate, public penance
and self affection is much practic-
ed; for example: many go from the
city to the popular shrine at the
chapel of Guadalupe on their
knees, distance of three miles.
This people are Catholic by name,
yet they don't regard or keep the
fast on Friday. They honor the
Saints and reverence the cross, yet
they have dance around the lat
ter and set the image of the former
in the church beside the idol of
the Aztec. RAMBLER.