, 1886-05-14
THE FUNERAL OF THE POOR.
The Peculiarly Impressive Burial Cerc-
monies OF Mexlco-At n "Fanda."

monies OF Mexlco-At n Fanda."
You see two or three kinds of funerals
here. The first-class is grand, and is all
conducted from first to last with many
carriages. The second-class is the kind |
attempted to see by the street car route.
The third-class is the kind / now en-
countered-the funeral of the poor. The
collins Of these are red or blue, as n rule,
and have many figures or marks; much
like the signs and figures found on the
cases containing mummies. The wood
of these collins is very thin and light.
For wood is costly, and the poor here are
so pitifully poor.
| followed this mixed and stolid pro-
ccssion Through the great high gate and
on up a watened avenue of splendid eu-
%calyptus trees for fully half a mile. The
little barelegged Indian who bore his
neighbor on his back never ono at
tempted to rest or break his "dog-trot'
till he set the coffin down on end at a row
of graves.
Here, where the trees are small and
the ground is not in very good order. j
saw mt least 100 raves. The men-no
women were Immediately among the
mourners-ran along, looked down into
the graves. seemed to select one to please
them. came back. ordered the little bare
legged Indian to pack up, and in less
than a minute. busy as a lot OF ants, they
let down the red coffin into the neat
white grave. And they then hastily
covered it over; while a priest came from
n little chapel close by, book and candle
in hand. sprinkling some dust, saying a
few words softly, and h back to his
hermitage; while the barefooted men and
the little b~arelegSed lndlan-in TACT
they were all Indians, all barefooted, and
the poorest of the poor-went back down
the avenue OF tombs, flowers and splen-
did trees slowly II silently.
1t was then that the impressive part
OF the ceremony took place. a little
crowd Of women had come lowering IN
the distance after these men. Ihey o
came closer and lowered around the
grave. They cried some and moaned
and moaned, all the time placing flowers
on h grave. And when they n done
there was one more billow OF rod in the
cemetery Of Dolores.
knew not why, but this little group
of weeping women all the time kept re-
minding me OF Mary and her friends
when they came to the tomb of our
savior. They had brought their lower
IN an extra little blue collin, which they
carried back to the city with them. A
little stick was set up at the head, with
n small piece OF pewter or zinc about the
SIZE OF yo'r palm, with the name and
date and 9" That was ala little ?
cent tombstone. And there are miles
and miles VI thr,e here. You can see
by the holes in then. that some of them
hhve been tucked up many Tunes by
tender hands afterthe former sticks have
rotted down.
over some OF the graves Of the poo
here M+-t4H+He- covered VIII
long cypress moss These little houses
are nearly always full OF flowers. Or
one grave saw n PAIR oil little baby
shoes. And this moved me greatly.
Not entirely because OF the pathos OF IT.,
but partly because 1t IL a little like the
feeling of the Indians OF the western
states for their dead. where they place
all the property OF the departed on the
bi"'t
Once outside the somber shadows OF
the graveyard, the party OF men and
women united and entered a restaurant
or "fanda, at the roadside by the en-
trance to the cemetery. |, too, was very
hungry, n passed in with the Others.
They had their own provisions, however,
and while ate a bro1ed chicken, fried
eggs, ana peppers, II drank three little
pitchers OF puIqhe, watched them at
their simple meal at the other end OF the
little table; two other red and Inquired
collins on mems backs passing the door
meantime, we n and all
and IL heads, ms Is the Mexican
custom.
gone OF the women had a great heap OF
tortiilas, or corr cakes, which she
warmed upone by one inc seasoned with
grease n pepper and salt at the char
coal fire burning at a little red CRATE in
the corner OF the adobe shed which ]
have named n restaurant. II Is labeled
il best i'm my travels TO leave ont all nm.
familiar names. and so | never use local
words or names il | can avoid it. An.