Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-22
MEXICAN SUPERSTITIONS.
Endless Songs Of the Peons-A Wake
Belief in lamentations.

Belief in lamentations.
From the Me-. York Sun
If you drink of the waters of the Rio
Grande when you are crossing into Mexico
you will never return. So believe all good
Mexicans, even as far down as the Isthmus
of Tehuantepec. The tradition dates from
the time of the explorations of Cortez The
Mexican peon believes in all sorts of queer
omens and cherishes many superstitions,
Half Of his so-called treacherous acts are
due to some fancied occult wrong done him.
When a Mexican peon dies all the other
poems on the plantation, men and women,
hold wake over his corpse The wake IL a
curious combination Of impressive cere-
monies and conviviality
lnterninable songs are droned, while the
singers moisten their Threats in the inter-
walls. and become gradually more and more
intoxlcateo. A peon has a song, learned
heaven knows where. to suit every occa-
sion, and can always command an attentive
and respectful audience although the songs
are far from enlivening. A literal transla-
lon OF couple of stsnzas of a typical song
goes somewhat as follows:
was calling on Il rsnchera.
Did not expect me to propose
] seized her hand.
She commenced to tremble
Let me go here comes my mother
For Year that She will scOld US.
Tomorrow mornin.
! am going down to get water;
am going down to give you my answer.
! seized her hand,
She commenced TO cry
Let me go; here comes my mother
Lest She may scold us.
The song meanders along through half
tropical night, describing the vicissitudes
of the courtship and every stanza ending
in the expression of fear of the maternal
tongue. The girl alternately trembles and
n faar hat CHI
be reduced to state of hysteria. But after
the first forty verses one ceases to worry
about the troubles of the girl in the song
and begins to wonder If he will survive till
the end without fit of nervous prostra-
ton.
The owner of the ranch is expected to
furnish candles for the wake, and 1t Is ex-
planned to him that the soul Of the departed
Will return and haunt the spot where he
died unless his ghost is properly laid In
some parts Of Mexico the old Roman custom
OF placing copper pennies on the dead man q
eyes to pay for his ferriage across the
Styg1an waters survives.
On ranch in central Vera Cruz native
once broke his leg, and the ranch owner set
1t for him. giving him an injection of NOR
phine in order to diminish his suffering
The peon f1oated ecstatically off to sleep,
and when he awoke he had forgotten all
about his mishap. He took one step on the
injured leg and naturally fell writhing in
agony to the floor Of his hut A native
!
his powers of incarnation to exercise the
deceptive demon injected by the white
ranchero AS soon as the native was able
to hobble about. with badly twisted leg,
he demonstrated his gratitude toward his
employer who had been feeding and sup
porting him by trying to slip a knife into
him.
The boatmen who pole the long heavy
native dugouts slowly and laboriously up
and down the swollen rivers are the hard
lest and most dfssolute members of the
race. but they put themselves to infinite
trouble to propitiate the river gods, who
snatch at their boats with long crooked
gnarled arms IN the midst of the waters
All this is in curious contrast to their I'M
plicit faith in and obedience to the Catholic
priests. 1t Is no wonder that the Mexican
vaQueros believe in the power Of their in
carnations and songs. There is one vaca
song. or chant. which 1t is declared, will
cause g. herd of several thousand cattle to
follow the singer across hill and dale
1t is an impressive sight to see the chief
vaquero riding along fifty feet ahead Of an
Immense herd Of cattle on q long-legged.
short-eared Arabian-bred horse. brandish-
ing long pole. and chanting the intermin-
able monody which charms the bullocks
like a black Orpheus. The rumbling Of tho
thousands of hoofs makes an impressive
minor accompaniment which sounds like
distant thunder. half dozen attendant
vaqueros hang on the outskirts of the herd
with their lariats coiled on the high wooden
pommels. covered with pigskin of their
Mexican saddles. ready to dash after any
young and unimpressionable yearling not
under the charm of the chant which may
break away from the herd