El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-02-18
A WE'LL KNOWN EXPLORER.
Prof LumhOltz Shows Some Interest
ing Views.

! A Mexico City photographer has just
| developed number of photographs OF
the Huichal Indians among wnom Prof.
Lumuoltz recently spent some ten
mouths.
These Indians number about 1. 900 and
are to be found near Saota Catarlna in
the mountain businesses of the Sierra
Mddre in northern Jali5co. This is one
of the nine tribes of Mexican Indians in
the Pacific slope among whom this in
trepid and eminent explorer and an
| thropologlst has spent the past i've
| years and concerning whose customs
and costumes, habits and habllments
he is preparing monumental publica-
ton with at least two hundred phOnO-
graphs.
Some of these photographs were
showed as just finished. One group
represented his ''body-guard" of three
men AID one woman, the latter the wife
of his cook, who, by the way, was also
rig ht-hand" man to Prof. Lum holtz.
The muleteer and the boss of the little
crew were about as scantIly clad as the
cook. But the exp Orer declares that
for fidelity of purpose and tireless sleep
less devotion to himself and his mission
these uucultured lHdians, only one of
whom knew a little Spanish, could not
be equalled These Huichals do not
carry guns rs do the Koras and some
other Mexican tribes. but they still
carry bows and arrows with which they
can do deadly, dangerous work. Going
over the hills and along the mountain
paths that we're bu5 marrow ribbons of
rock. these faithful Indians never failed
or falt red. And occasionally Prof
Lumh Jltz would sing to them in their
native language, the folklore of the
Indians, rude odyssey depicting the
adventures OF their gOdS. There We're
eight and sometimes d dozen pack
mules in the expedition, and the ex-
pro err trusted all TO his guides and at
PENDANTS and never regretted the con-
tiience.
The Hulchal Indians very jealousy
guard the approaches to their JalIscan
haunts and no white man had peDetrat-
ed until Lumoolbz succeeded in enter
ing those rock-rIb ed retreats. But
visited even the birth place of the
Hulchai gods. These are to be found
in great canyon of volcanic formation
and one of the twisted fragments of
Ok, a mOnollth standing twenty feet
heig nt'and nearlyGhirty in'lengJh, most
peculiar in shape, is the god of fire, a
parsonage, as IN Aztec and Persian
mythology, of pronounced Importance.
There are many gods in the HUichal
calendar, but this is one of the most
venerated. Some three years ago the
medicine men made n small copy of
the monolith-idol, carving it out of a
piece of sacred stone, for there had
been no rain for three years. To get
luck these medicine men have gi adual
ly scraped bits of stone out of the side
of the god of fire and have eaten it,
first grinding it into fine powder.
One of the best photographs in the
collection represents the sacred place.
Behind the thatch-rOOfed temple, that
holds the Huichal gods, rises cliff of
rosy sandstone, and the picture is quite
striking; the all swarthy Indians hud-
died among the PUSHES and the huts
with their sacred images clustered
about them, the rude misformed Lares
and Penates of these primitive Indians.
Prof. LumhOltz has also some excel
lent photOg raphs of the Huichal In
dams themselves, photographs at time
obtained at great personal risk. One
group showed the warriors, a dozen
Indians with their scanty raiment
topped with wide and snowy straw hat
ornamented with parrot and eagle