The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1905-12-28
ZAPOTECAN WEDDING
PICTURESQUE CEREMONIAL OF
TEHUANTEPEC INDIANS.
The Fiesta" Is an Affair of Real
Beauty-Brass Band a Fea-
ture of the Pro-
cession.

The Indians of the Isthmus Of Tehuau-
tepec are race apart. Ethnologists
say that the beauty of the women OF the
Zapotecan race the principal people of
the isthmus, Is excelled only by the
women of the Samoan Islands OF the Pa
cifc, says Modern Mexico.
The principal ornament OF we'll
dressed Zapotecan, aside from hei
rings of various sorts, is her
necklace OF American gold coins.
Nothing but American gold is
ever used. British sovereigns, French,
German and even the present small
percentage OF Mexican gold coins
are all disdained. and American gold is
bought at a high premium in order that
II may adorn the necks OF the bellies of
the isthmian metropolis.
These coins are fastened together
with gold wires and chains. making a
very showy IL not beautiful ornament.
Every centavo a woman can save goes
into her store against the time when she
can buy another coin to add to her neck
lace. Half eagles and double eagles are
fastened together in this gorgeous
chain. and the value Of the. decoration
ranges all the wcy from a single half
eagle. suspended on chain. to the great
cape of golden coins which belongs to n
famous Tehuantepec heiress and is
valued at about $1,000 gold.
The strangest anomaly. 10 civilized
eyes. of all this finery and the money
that is invested in it lies in the fact that
not one of the true Zapotecan women
will wear shoes. The foreign footwear
is a species Of invasion and uncleanli-
ness that they will not endure. The re-
straint and the undeniable unhealthi-
ness of shoes in a tropic country have
all their share of blame. but one can
not but think that 1t is most the ancient
custom that has come down from long
ago that keeps them from IT. The
Zapotecans are the cleanest people In
the world. as a race. and the long lines
of bathers on each bank of every stream
Of the isthmus of Tehuantepec. from
early dawn until nightfall. attests the
-act Of their irreproachable cleanliness.
A Zapotecan wedding fiesta Is thing
OF real beauty The queer. low, hot
country churches are the scene of the
religious ceremony. After the wedding
he remarkable brass band, Of which
every wedding fiesta must boast at least
one. heads the procession. and in their
white muslin suits. barefooted and be-
hated with rough sombreros the band
men form their rough ranks and lead
the wedding procession of bedollared
women and men in alpaca coats and big
silver and gold embroidered sombreros
through the narrow, dusty streets Of the
city.
The procession makes its way to the
scene of the festivities, where under a
canopy of straw mats and with mats
and rich grasses and flowers for wall
decorations. the dirt floor has been COW
cred with deep gravel, and the band finds
It's place from which to discourse the
music for the dance. Here in the gravel
the ball goes on. An Indian adaptation
of the native Spanish dance, the Toto. -
Is a feature. and each vies with the other
for an opportunity to dance with the
bride Then all the company join
hands and dance about the bride and
bridegroom, who stand in the middle of
the circle. Then the ring breaks. and
each in his turn. still dancing, whlrls in
TO swing the bridegroom, then the bride,
and, courtesying, passes over to the
other side.
During the dancing refreshments,
consisting Of drinks from those of the
ancient Zapotecans down TO the most
modern. are served in the house adjoin-
ing. Here the bridegroom stands as
host, driking with all his guests, who
offer him the most appropriate and inap-
propriate toasts with wish for his and
his brides future happiness.
The dance goes on for many days
sometimes, and always lasts far into
each night And II is not an uncommon
or dismaying circumstance to recognize
later in the person Of a manta clad la
borer on ones place the handsome
bridegroom of yesterday, who was Sc
resplendent in new alpaca and gorgeous
som brprN