Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-03-28
PENITENTES PERFORM
STRANGE RITES IN THE
NEW MEXICAN HILLS
(Conrlnued from oage ons.l

custom. In another fifty years
there viii probably not be a Peni-
tente left in the southwest,
Az Seen BY Eye Witnesses.
Perhaps personal impressions Of
Ian eye witness of the Holy week
ceremonies will prove more con
.yinCing than an impersonal nara
tive. Whirling away in a huge
touring car over mile after mile of
New Mexican desert for one entire
dav, and stopping for the night ut
a small hotel where the bath room
was off the back porch but wherc
the hot cakes were delicious and
plentiful, we, a small, expectant
and exclusive party, could not wait
until the next day to see something
of what we had come after, SO
supper over. we motCred to a small
town nearby to hear the Holy
Thursday evening service.
The "tnorada," or Penitente
chapel. was easily picked out nest
ling ON the hillside, and we went
up to find O woman with a black
tapalo over her head lighting the
candles. Our thoughtful escort Of
fered her a dollar for candles and
she said we might stay to the serv-
lice. From secret side room with
out any windows issued voices of
Penitentes incl0sed within. Pres
emily the woman lit eighteen can
dies on n large triangle of wood
|placed in front of the altar and we
HcouId see that all the saints and
the figure Of Christ were draped in
black.
The women and the girls knelt
in front Of the altar on a strip of
canvas stretched upon the dirt
floor and began TO sing. The men
and boys who had been lingering
outside came troopinE in and knelt:
then three old men and one woman
walked round and round the tri-
angle passing in front of the altar
with q genuflexion while the re-
sponsive chanting was going on.
Their whole demeahor was one of
great seriousness, but the boys and
Ia lovely looking young girl were
Whispering and giggling and flirt-
ling on the side. 1t was plain that
this group of Penitentes was dying
out.
Striking Pictures.
We stepped outside and seated
ourselves on a rock ledge in front
of the door The sight was beauti-
full moonlight without, candle lit
interior, the strikingly effective tri-
angle, the black -draped figures, the
softly sweet chant of Gel Rosario
floating out, and beside the square
of light framed by the door falling
on the wall the black shadow of
the cross planted in front of us, 1t
was a beautifully carved cross, as
were all the Penitente crosses that
we saw.
A faint, plaintive piping attract
ed my friend and she started, THAT
lis the Penitente 'pito,' or flute,
You will hear that wherever they
are" 1t led US all in excitement
down the hill where we came upon
another morada, larger and more
imposing, where some sixty people
to the handful in the smaller chapel
were going through the same sery-
ice. Afterwards we waited around
luntil eleven o'clock, hoping to see
/ the "flagelantes." as the sonora
had told us they would whip them
selves that night between one and
two o'clock, when everything else
was asleep
The boys of the village said they
would do it at eleven if they did
not see us, but as no one came out
we decided it was hopeless and
returned to the hotel, We were off
| by nine the next morning, winding
around the foot of a snow-cappe ]
range and after an hour and a half
good going, entered beautiful!
valley in which lay the village. We
stopped at a delightful old Spanish
house, our managers having a
letter of Introduction to the good
Don. His courtesy occupied fully
| fifteen nervous minutes, as we
could hardly wait to find the
morada. But finally he and his
daughter got in the car with us.
We were at the end of the village.
We were hurryins up the road in
the retired canyon where the chap
lei Was--when--
B1OOd ana InOfnS.
The pipe OF the pito came over
the hill, and all | Know is that l
shot over that mountain and found
myself painting and sobbing in my
breaths at the weirdest sight
have ever seen. Below us on a
trail issuing from canyon wound
a little procession, headed by the
| "pitero." who walked backwards.
But the center figure caught and
held the gaze, a figure stripped to
the waist, with blood drenched
trousers, figure that at each
step struck itself upon the naked
back with a great whip which
came away drenched with blood.
Slap, slap, the lick of the whip
and the notes of the flute came
clearly up to US. No sound from
the penitent. whose head was COW
cred with great black sack. Be-
side walked q boy carrying pail
filled with salt water, into which
the whip was dipped every now
and again. In front of him walked
barefoot woman carrying hym-
nal, and singing wailing chant;
DSlIllu u man Will Il pray CT DUN
They proceeded to the graveyard,
where, walking over stones and
briars, they approached a shrine,
where all Frustrated themselves,
and kissed the cross.
The Flagellants Penance.
The tlagellaht then made a cir
cult of the campo santo," and the
procession returned to the mora
da over the stony path, .. distance
of hall mile each way--an in
credibly slow and tortuous jour
ney, which took one hour and
twenty minutes. AS they were
leaving the graveyard women
kneeling at the graves burst into
"a mournful wall; we learned later
that the shrine, a little painted
wooden thing, had been built for
a Pehitente who had died that year
and that the woman who sang was
his wife and not Penitente at all,
but wao doing this act for her
husband.
We yyant hack oVar tho mann