The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-05


in their best finery. Their costume is
usually a fully gathered skirt of light-col-
ored muslin or calico, with lace and ruffies,
worn over stiffly-starched petticoats that
rustic and crachle as they march along.
Then there is a white sack. and over
the head is thrown rebozo. or long scarf,
blue or brown in color with the creases
made by the folds still in it, as evidence
that il is gala rebozo brought out only
on festal occasions. At other times, the
rebozo is kept in a little wooden trunk
where the Indian girl guards her treas
ures. The finishing touch TO the costume
is given by the fine silver and gold laced
sombreros the girls wear on their heads,
altogether a most picturesque and strik-
ing costume.
Our Lady i'm SombrerO.
Even the image of Our Lady must wear
a magnificent sombrero on this high occa-
sion, despite the protests of the parish
priest. The Indians say; You tell us that
We must reverence the sacred images fo>
what they represent: how then are we
to take the Mother of God out in the hot
sun without a sombrero?" Argument I'M
answerable.
The procession, the platform borne by
the six girls whose costume had been de-
scribed, the Virgin calamity wearing her
splendid sombrero, moves solemnly around
the churchyard. the men on one side. the
women on the other, the people chanting
the litany.
After the procession is ended the i'm
age is placed on the fower-decked altar
and the worshipers betake themselves TO
the corridor Of the adjoining parsonage
and proceed to breakfast. This repast is
composed of quart bowls of ''atole" por-
ridge OF ground Indian corn boiled in water
three big "pambazos' for each person,
these being kind of coarse bread made in
oval form AS many as twenty women are
busily engaged in preparing the atole;
some are grinding corn on stone meta
ties" while others stand by the huge cop
per caldrons. stirring and straining the
boiling porridge.
1t is strict etiquette to eat the big
'pambaZos" to the ultimate morsel. and
one must. under pain of giving mortal
offence. drain off the last drop ot ''atole."
After this, men bearing huge. jars, or
pitchers, of cane alcohol. or agurdiente
make the rounds. and every man must
drink his pint of this tremendous stuff
Seemingly, nobody is the worse for this
Homerica lihation. The day draws to
close; the people go home in groups and
there is singing and dancing the jarabe,
and much music of guitars far into the
night
The Parish Priest.
The parish priest. If he is a new man
among his flock. has something like a full
stomach and a swelled head He has had
to share the food and the aguardiente of
his flock. They take no excuse. One young
priest, who has an inveterate dypepsia, en-
going to the village in question, partici-
pated in the fiesta and was nearly killed
by the famous ceremonial breakfast, frcm
which there was no possible escape.
In a neighboring village, called La Trini-.
dad, the great local fiesta is on Trinity
Sunday, when there are mathis, high
mass, and a procession. This latter is
fairly grewsome The men don robes of
black and put on grotesque, black masks
representing bulls, bears, monkeys etc.
After the rosary in the afternoon, the
procession forms, the group of black
robed and black-masked men surrounding
the priest who bears the monstrance en-
closing the host At each corner of the
churchyard the priest must sit on the
ground holding the monstrance in his
lap while the 'Tantum Ergo is intoned
Then the fantastic dance is performed by
the black-robed men until the priest can
hardly be seen, surrounded as he is by
the men, for they have raised a great
dust. a strange scene this of an ancient
Indian ceremonial dance under the golden
light of the Mexican afternoon sun,
strange figures, with faces of animals,
capering around the pale priest, the repre-
sentative of Christianity
In this village there is another curious
and notable custom. When a new priest
comes sometimes from the City of Mex
ico) to take charge Of the curacy, he must
submit to a ceremony handed down from
times before the Spanish conquest
On the day he arrives the head men OF
the village call at the parsonage, or par
roquia,' with two boys, one bearing a
basin filled with silver dollars, and the
other an old solid silver dish, closely COW
cred, and containing a decoction of rare
herbs. After presenting their respects to
the new priest. he Is politely requested to
disrobe and then to retire to his bed,
where one Of the head men anoints the
upper part Of the body, the whole trunk,
with the herb decoction.
Reward for Priests.
II the priest submits to this curious
operation with becoming Christian grace
and patience the basin full OF silver dollars
is presented to him as aims, for mere in
Mexico the clergy have no salary. But IL,
as has happened, the priest is indisposed
to submit to what he deems fooling and
puerile and disgraceful custom, he must
return whence he came, for the villagers
will have nothing to do with priest they
have not anointed in their own way.
This strange custom was spoken of In
the chronicles of the first Franciscan friars
sent to the village some 300 years ago.
The Indians refuse to tell white men what
the Significance of the ceremony may be.
Many stiff-necked and resolute young
priest fresh from the seminary has been
sent to the village and has returned, be-
cause, not submitting to the ceremony the
Indians would have nothing OF him. Every
effort has been made TO induce the Indians
of the village in question to give up their
singular ceremony, but they would pre-
fer to go back TO their ancient gods rath-
er than do so,
In another village, nor far distant, there
is a fiesta called the feast OF the seven
broths. During the year no one In the
village tastes meat. They are all making
ready, as il were, for the fiesta, when
every householder, even a dweller in d
miserable hut, Will kill COW or a calf
Friends and relatives come from Ear and
near 10 take part in the holiday making.
After the usual church celebration, but
without a procession, the banquetlng be-
gins. The meat is cooked in a species of
stew seasoned with red chile peppers, and
is eaten with tamales, or corn cakes cooked
In corn husks. and most delicious. The
ration served to each villager is an earth
ern dish with three great pieces of meat
weighing about pound each and three
gigantic tamales.
As each inhabitant of the village vies
with his neighbors as to who shall en-
terrain the most company, and as the
caldo. OF broth. must be partaken of at
each house. there have been known in