Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-04-10
legs. making her deplorably pigeon toed, .

legs, making her deplorably pigeon toed.
while one hand was put on.up side down
Speaking of the feather-work of the an
clients, Prescott says: The art in which
they most delighted was their plumage,
with which they could produce all the effect
of beautiful mosaic. The gorgeous plu-
mage of the tropical birds, especially OF the
parrot tribe afforded every variety of color !;
and the fine down of the humming- bird,
which reyeled in swarms among the hon
eysuckle bowers of Mexico, supplied them
with soft, aerial tints that gave an exqui-
site finish to the picture. The feathers,
pasted on a fine cotton web, were wrought
into dresses for the wealthy hanglngs for
apartments and ornaments for the tenn
pies. No one of the American fabrics ex-
cited such admiration in Europe, whittier
numerous specimens were sent by the con-
querors. 1t is to be regretted that so grace
full an art should have been suffered to fall
into decay" Count Carl, in raptures
with specimen of feather painting which
be saw in Strasbourg, said Never did l
behold anything so exquisite for brilliancy
and nice graduation of coloring, and for
beauty of design. No European artist could
have made such thing ~ Sahaguan, in
his Historic de Nueva-Espana, adds
There is still one place, Patzcuaro, where,
according to Bustamante, they preserve
among the Indians some knowledge of this
interesting art though it is practiced ON a
very limited scale and at great cost.
THE PLUMAGE
Which is sold to-day on the streets and in
the shops of the City of Mexico, is poor
imitation of that in Montezumas time,
but yet is wonderful. both for beauty and
cheapness. Instead of being interviewer
with cotton web, as in the old days, the
feathers are put together in various forms,
generally those of birds, and attached to
card-boards. One may buy gorgeous and
perfect limitations of every specimen of the
feathered tribe, life-size or on reduced
scale, for from fifty cents to dollar, and
the tourist can take homo no more salts
factory souvenir of Mexico, both ancient
and modern, nor which will give more
pleasure afterwards when appropriately
framed and hung in the home parlor
The historian, writing on the golden age
of the Mexican, four centuries ago, thus de-
scribes the uniforms of the Aztec soldiers ::
The dress OF the higher warriors was
picturesque and often magnificent. Their
bodies were covered with a close vest of
quilted cotton, so thick as to be impenetra-
bic to the light missiles Of Indian warfare.
This garment was so light and seryiceable
that it was adopted by the Spaniards. The
weather. chiefs sometimes wore, instead of
this cotton mail, cuirass made of thin
plates of gold or silver. Over it was thrown
a surcoat of the gorgeous featherwork in
which they excelled. Their helmets were
sometimes of wood, fashioned like the
heads of wild animals, and sometimes of
silver. on the top of which waved panache
of variegated plumes, sprinkled with preci-
Gus stones and ornaments of gold. They
also wore collars, bracelets and earrings of
the same materials" The national Aztec
standard, which has been compared to the
ancient Roman, displayed in its embroid-
cry of gold and feather-work, the armorial
ensigns of the State. These were signifi-
cant of its name, which-as the names of
both persons and places were borrowed
from some material object-was easily ex-
pressed by hieroglyphical symbols. Their
armies were divided into bodies of eight
thousand men, and these again into COM
panies of four hundred each with its own
commander. The companies and the great
chiefs had also their appropriate banners
and devices, and the gaudy hues of their
many-colored plumes must have given a
dazzling splendor to the spectacle as they
marched, singing, to battle.
FANNIE B. WARD.