The Republican journal., 1897-05-20

J
under straw mats stretched on poles, sell
all manner of provisions in infinites-
lmal lots, and the little booths which
fringe the outskirts, containing fabrics of
Indian manufacture and the gaudy i'm
ported articles which Indians buy. None
OF these traders ever have any paper with
which to wrap UP package-for paper is
so scarce and high in Guatemala that a
piece large enough to enclose a bundle
would propably be worth more than it's
contents. Instead there are Young mar
ket girls, with baskets on their heads.
whose sole business in life is to carry
home your purchases. There is no diff
Guilty in securing this sort of express, for
you are beseiged by host of girls, clam
orlng for job, the instant you enter the
market square. They will follow YOU
about all day, if you like, convert them
selves into city directories and cyclop-
edias OF general information, and finally
deliver the whole load Of your gleanings
at the hotel door and consider themselves
muniticently rewarded with a medic. five
cents. The bright costumes of the Indi-
ans make the market an immense kaeido-
scope. When sophisticated you can cas-
lily distinguish the various tribes. and
even to what village they belong. by some
slight peculiarly in their dress. Particu-
larly natty and neat are those from the
neighboring Pueblo of Mexico. which
sends thousands to town every dav with
vegetables, fruits and fowls for sale.
When market hours are over, they hurry
home at a queer jog-trot which carries
them fast and far, though burdened with
loads that often require the strength of
two people to lift to the bearers head or
back. 1t is noticeable that while the
women put everything, from big round
water melon to an empty bottle, basket of
eggs, wee bit of a baby. Or a folded
umbrella, on their heads, the men pack
everything on their backs, often carry
ing as much as five hundred pounds on a
long days journey, strap around the
forehead supporting the cargo. What
ever the load on the head, the women
have also the inevitable child or two
slung to the back, their arms free and
working like walking beams. The dwarf
ed little creatures seem absolutely tire
men cannot keep up with them on the
Jog-trot. With swaying, graceful mo-
ton, carrying their shoulders as erect as a
West Point Cadet, they travel up hill and
down without change of gait, at a pace
which in the long run will outstrip mule
both in speed and endurance 1t is a
common sight to see a woman coming to
town with a hundred pounds of meat on
her head, baby slung in reboso fasten-
ed around her hips, and half a dozen
children from SIX years up tagging after.
children are given loads to carry proper
toned to their strength; and the little
ones come many miles to market every
day, thinking nothing OF bearing weight
on their heads that would stagger a
North American man. One who has
lived long in this country says that when
he is going To buy wood or hay, he always
takes mans load. because he GETS more
than il he took the load of a mule. Some
OF the men are professional runners OF
messengers, and very fleet OF foot They
shout hot
and white cotton shirt, Chaps outside.
with home make sandals of COW hide.
The shirt, how never, is special conces-
sion to city style and is taken off as soon
as the road is reached. When Barrios
issued his decree that the peasants should
wear clothes when they came to town, the
country barely escaped revolution.
| Policemen were stationed on all the roads
leading to the city and contiscated the car
goes borne by those who had not complied
with the regulations and put on a shirt,
or guipi. The poems pleaded poverty,
when Barrios, who was as generous as
tyrannical, promptly furnished the cloth to
make the garments. Thenceforth no more
naked poems, but the groups going and
returning from market look as quaint and
picturesque as the peasants of Normandy
OF Switzerland. The Guatemala girl in
in her native costume makes as pleasant
picture as can be found anywhere. Her
complexion is nearly that of the mulatto
type but her face is bright and pretty,
her figure as nearly perfect as nature I'M
aided by art can be, and every move
ment shows supple grace not born
of corsets and other denominations OF
so-called civilized apparel. Her head is
usually bare, indoors and out, and her
black thick hair hangs in braids, often
reaching to her heels. Her garments are
only two, guipil and a sabana. The
first is a square piece of cotton, of coarse
texture but always clean, covered with
embroidery in different colors but simple
design There is slit in the center of
the guipil like that in the Gillian poncho,
through which the head goes, but in this
case the aperture is wide enough, when
worn, to expose the shoulders and form a