Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-05-03
G5ifIQgIL.
CURIOUS SIGHTS TO BE SEEN IN A
SOUTH AMERICAN CITY.
The Public -writer-"The Gate to
Heaven"-Burial of the Dead
Chimboroza and Cotopaxi.


Special Correspondence of the REeoRD-UNIoS
GuAYAQUIL, Ecuador, 1890.
In this city the public grindstone and
the public letter-writer are both estab-
lished institutions. The latter sits in his
door, Or out on the sidewalk, beside little
table with pens, ink and paper, all ready
to indite legal documents or love-letters.
as the case may require, at moments
notice. The usefulness of this individual
can hardly be appreciated in the United
States; but here, where the vast majority
can neither read nor write, he is inyal-
liable.
To look at photograph of Guayaquirs
cathedral, one would imagine it to be a
more imposing structure than Notre Dame
or St. Peters; but the truth is that,
though certainly eloquent in architectural
design, 1t is merely shell of frail bam-
boo, plastered over with mud, succeed
and painted. A Latin inscription across
the facade assures US that its door is Ell
Puerto del Cielo-"The Gate to Heaven. 2
One would never mistrust it, however
from glimpse of its gloomy and pewless
interior, which is extremely bare ana
shabby, garnished-by few caricatures in
the way OF pictures and images, its uneven
floor of brick and cement like cellar
bottom at home, worn into hoilows in
front OF favorite saints, by the knees of
worshipers.
Mr.. William &. Curtis, the entertaining
author, tells of a singular but very common
ceremony, which he witnessed in Guaya-
gull, as follows: One of the churches had
been destroyed by an earthquake, and funds
were needed to repair it. So the priest
took an image of the Virgin from the al
tar, and the Holy Sacrament and carried
them about the street under canopy,
clad IN his sacerdotal yestments He was
preceded by
A BRASS BAND,
A number of boys carrying lighted candles
and swinging incense urns, and followed
by long procession of men, women and
children. The assemblage passed up and
down the principal streets, stopping in
front of each house. While the band
played, priests with contribution plates en-
tered the houses soliciting subscriptions.
and the people in the procession kneeled
in the dust and prayed that the same
might be given with hberality. Where
money was obtained blessing was be-
slowed; where none was offered, curse
was pronounced, with notice that contri-
button was expected at once, or the curse
would be daily repeated. A rather effect
i've way, one would think, of raising the
wind" though it might not work as well
In our Protestant communities.
There is very good hotel in Guayaquil,
as inns average in this country, though
some OF Its arrangements seem very funny
to the newly arrived traveller from North
America. If you are wise in your day and
generation, you viii order table out on
the yeranda, where the air is fresh and
the flies not so numerous, where you may
escape the abomination of revolving fans
which serve only to set your head in a
whirl, pump your nose and send the flies
up your sleeves and down into your plate;
and, more particularly, where you can see
Chimborazo in all his glory, and enjoy the
perfect blue of the sky, the gorgeousness of
tropic coloring, and the summer heat tenn
pered by ocean breezes.
However dilatory the servants NAV be.
your meal viii never be cold one. but made
red-hot by fiery peppers, and with decidedly
more lard and onion about it than the ay-
erage Northern stomach can well tolerate.
Should you desire boiled eggs, in the hope
that they, at least, may be free from grease
and garlic, it will be no manner of use to
order them "hard, or Soft or medium"
for there is neither watch nor clock any,
where about the premises, nor other method
of measuring old Tempus in his fighting.
The people depend entirely upon the Cathe-
drel bells and the great clock in the CITY
Hall tower by which to tell the passing
hours, but minutes do not enter into their
calculations. If you want the eggs
medium" tell the waiter to keep them
boiling while he says
THREE AVE MARIAs:
Or if ''hard," while he tells all the beads
on his rosary. Such an order he will I'M
derstand and obey to the letter
Whatever their shortcomings NAV be. il
can never be said that Guayaquilians lack
the virtue of hospitality. The graceful
pohteness and spontaneous generosity Of
the better classes is but an unconscious ex-
preston of their sincere good will toward
all mankind; and even the poorest, the
lower aoors of whose bamboo casas are oc-
cupied by pigs, donkeys and other domestic
animals, will bid you welcome with hearty
kindness, though they cannot speak your
language or you understand word of
theirs, and share with you all they possess.
The females of Ecuador are proverbial
for beauty, those among the aristocracy be-
ing said TO have the fairest compilations of
any in South America; while all possess
large. soft and expressive dark eyes, the
blacklist and most abundant hair, the
whitest teeth, well-rounded figures, aud
small hands and feet
Like all women in the tropics, they ma
ture early and fade quickly; but perhaps
their average span of forty years includes
more bankruptcies than comes to women
OF colder chimes in three score years and
ten, for these are harassed by no "carking
cares or high ambitions. Incidence, re-
ligious superstition, and faithfulness unto
death are their most prominent character
istics; their passionate natures are com.
pletely satisfied in the love Of home. hus-
band and children; and for them the whole
universe lies within the limits of vision.
What higher praise could be bestowed
upon the women Of any country?
To be sure, they are VIGOROUSLY untid,i
in dress and habits; but the manta, OF
paneulon, like the mantle of charity, COW
ers multitude of sins. As the poncho. for
men, is the universal and most useful gar
ment for the middle and lower classes, an
swering for coat by day, a coverlid by
night, an umbrella when it rains and bas-
ket when there is anything to carry, the
female manta is worn by all classes, and is
equally indispensable, since it hides I'M
kempt hair and all defects of toilette. In
all Ecuador there is not such thing as a
ladies going about the streets with their
glossy hair uncovered, or shaded only by a
parasol, lace mantlla, or the universal
manta, the latter being very large square
of black nuns yelling or other wooden
cloth of light texture drared so as To cover