Indian Dresses--Saints--Music--Union of Tropical and European
Vegetation--Old Customs--Falls of the Sararaqui--Silkworms--Indian
Painting--Beautiful Heroine--Leave Uruapa--Tziracuaratiro--Talkative
Indian--Alcalde's House--Pascuaro--Old Church--Mosaic Work--The Lake--The
Cave--Fried Fish--Rich Indians--Convent--Cuincho--Darkness--Morelia
--Alameda--Cathedral--Silver--Waxworks--College--Wonderful Fleas.
URIMPA, 31st.
The dress of the Indian women of Uruapa is pretty, and they are altogether
a much cleaner and better-looking race than we have yet seen. They wear
"_naguas_," a petticoat of black cotton with a narrow white and blue
stripe, made very full, and rather long; over this, a sort of short chemise
made of coarse white cotton, and embroidered in different coloured silks.
It is called the _sutunacua_--over all is a black reboso, striped with
white and blue, with a handsome silk fringe of the same colours. When they
are married, they add a white embroidered veil, and a remarkably pretty
coloured mantle the _huepilli_, which they seem to pronounce _guipil_. The
hair is divided, and falls down behind in two long plaits, fastened at the
top by a bow of ribbon and a flower. In this dress there is no alteration
from what they wore in former days; saving that the women of a higher class
wore a dress of finer cotton with more embroidery, and a loose garment over
all, resembling a priest's surplice, when the weather was cold. Among the
men, the introduction of trousers is Spanish--but they still wear the
_majtlatl_, a broad belt, with the ends tied before and behind, and the
_tilmatli_ or _tilma_ as they now call it, a sort of square short cloak,
the ends of which are tied across the breast, or over one shoulder. It is
on a coarse _tilma_ of this description that the image of the Virgin of
Guadalupe was found painted.
Yesterday, being the festival of San Andrés, the Indians were all in full
costume and procession, and we went into the old church to see them. They
were carrying the saint in very fine robes, the women bearing coloured
flags and lighted tapers, and the men playing on violins, flutes, and
drums. All had garlands of flowers to hang on the altars; and for these
lights and ornaments, and silk and tinsel robes, they save up all their
money. They were playing a pretty air, but I doubt its being original. It
was not melancholy and monotonous, like the generality of Indian music, but
had something wild and gay in it; it was probably Spanish. The organ was
played by an Indian. After mass we went upstairs to try it, and wondered
how, with such miserable means, he had produced anything like music. In the
patio, between the curate's house and the church, are some very brilliant
large scarlet flowers, which they call here "flor del pastor," the
shepherd's flower; a beautiful kind of euphorbia; and in other places,
"flor de noche buena," the flower of Christmas eve.
Last evening we walked out in the environs of this garden of Eden, by the
banks of the river _Marques_, amidst a most extraordinary union of tropical
and European vegetation; the hills covered with firs, and the plains with
sugar-cane. We walked amongst bananas, shaddock, chirimoyas, and orange
trees, and but a few yards higher up, bending over and almost touching
them, were groves of oak and pine. The river pursues its bright unwearied
course through this enchanting landscape, now falling in cascades, now
winding placidly at the foot of the silent hills and among the dark woods,
and in one part forming a most beautiful natural bath, by pouring its
waters into an enclosure of large, smooth, flat stones, overshadowed by
noble trees.
A number of the old Indian customs are still kept up here, modified by the
introduction of Christian doctrines, in their marriages, feasts, burials,
and superstitious practices. They also preserve the same simplicity in
their dress, united with the same vanity and love of show in their
ornaments, which always distinguished them. The poorest Indian woman still
wears a necklace of red coral, or a dozen rows of red beads, and their
dishes are still the _gicalli_, or, as they were called by the Spaniards,
_gicaras_, made of a species of gourd, or rather a fruit resembling it, and
growing on a low tree, which fruit they cut in two, each one furnishing two
dishes; the inside is scooped out, and a durable varnish given it by means
of a mineral earth, of different bright colours, generally red. On the
outside they paint flowers, and some of them are also gilded. They are
extremely pretty, very durable and ingenious. The beautiful colours which
they employ in painting these _gicaras_ are composed not only of various
mineral productions, but of the wood, leaves, and flowers of certain
plants, of whose properties they have no despicable knowledge. Their own
dresses, manufactured by themselves of cotton, are extremely pretty, and
many of them very fine.
December 1st.--We rode out early this morning, and passing through the
lanes bordered with fruit trees, and others covered with blossoms of
extraordinary beauty, of whose names I only know the _floripundio_,
ascended into the pine woods, fragrant and gay with wild thyme, and bright
flowers; the river falling in small cascades among the rocks. After riding
along these heights for about two leagues, we arrived at the edge of a
splendid valley of oaks. Here we were obliged to dismount, and to make our
way on foot down the longest, steepest, and most slippery of paths, winding
in rapid descent through the woods; with the prospect of being repaid for
our toil, by the sight of the celebrated Falls of the _Sararaqui_. After
having descended to the foot of the oak-covered mountain, we came to a
great enclosure of lofty rocks, prodigious natural bulwarks, through a
great cavern in which the river comes thundering and boiling into the
valley, forming the great cascade of the Sararaqui, which in the Tarrascan
language means _sieve_. It is a very fatiguing descent, but it is worth
while to make the whole journey from Mexico, to see anything so wildly
grand. The falls are from fifty to sixty feet high, and of great volume.
The rocks are covered with shrubs and flowers, with small jets of water
issuing from every crevice. One lovely flower, that looks as if it were
formed of small white and rose-coloured shells, springs out of the stones
near the water. There are rattlesnakes among the woods, and wild boars have
occasionally been seen. The Señoritas Y----, when children, two or three
years ago, wandering among these mountain-paths, saw an immense rattlesnake
coiled up, and tempted by its gaudy colours, were about to lift it, when it
suddenly wakened from its slumber, uncoiled itself, and swiftly glided up
the path before them, its rattles sounding all the way up amongst the
hills.
We sat beside the falls for a long while, looking at the boiling, hissing,
bubbling, foaming waters, rolling down headlong with such impetuous
velocity that one could hardly believe they form part of the same placid
stream, which flows so gently between its banks, when no obstacles oppose
it; and at all the little silvery threads of water, that formed mimic
cascades among the rocks; but at length we were obliged to recommence our
toilsome march up the slippery mountain. We were accompanied by several
officers--amongst others, by the commandant of Uruapa.
Señor ----- says that they are at present occupied here at the instigation
of a Frenchman, named _Genould_, in planting a large collection of mulberry
trees, (which prosper wonderfully well in this climate) for the propagation
of silkworms. But they have no facilities for transport, and at what market
could the silk be sold? There are a thousand improvements wanting here,
which would be more profitable than this speculation. They have sugar,
corn, maize, minerals, wood, cotton, water for machinery; every valuable
and important produce, all requiring their more immediate attention. We had
a pleasant ride home, and when we got back amongst the lanes leading to the
village, stopped every moment to admire and wonder at the rare and
beautiful blossoms on the trees; and pulled branches of flowers off them,
more delicate and lovely than the rarest exotics in an English hothouse.
This morning, the weather was damp and rainy, but in the afternoon we took
a long walk, and visited several Indian cottages, all clean, and the walls
hung with fresh mats, the floors covered with the same; and all with their
kitchen utensils of baked earth, neatly hung on the wall, from the largest
size in use, to little dishes and _jarritos_ in miniature, which are only
placed there for ornament. We also went to purchase _gicaras_, and to see
the operation of making and painting them, which is very curious. The
flowers are not painted, but inlaid. We were fortunate in procuring a good
supply of the prettiest, which cannot be procured anywhere else. We bought
a very pretty _sutunacua,_ and a black reboso. The women were not at all
anxious to sell their dresses, as they make them with great trouble, and
preserve them with great care.
We had a beautiful walk to the Magdalena, about a mile from the village.
Every day we discover new beauties in the environs. And one beauty we saw
on entering a small rancho, where they were painting gicaras at a table,
while a woman lay in the shaking fever in a bed adjoining, which was quite
consistent with the place. This was a lady, the proprietress of a good
estate some leagues off, who was seated on her own trunk, outside the door
of the rancho. She was a beautiful woman in her prime, the gentlemen said
_passée,_ and perhaps at eighteen she may have been more charming still;
but now she was a model for a Judith-or rather for a Joan of Arc, even
though sitting on her own luggage. She was very fair, with large black
eyes, long eyelashes, and a profusion of hair as black as jet. Her teeth
were literally dazzling--her lips like the reddest coral--her colour
glowing as the down upon a ripe peach. Her figure was tall and full, with
small, beautifully-formed hands, and fine arms. She rose as we came in, and
begged us to be seated on a bench near the door; and with the
unceremoniousness of travellers who meet in outlandish places, we entered
into conversation with her. She told us her name, and her motives for
travelling, and gave us an account of an adventure she had had with the
robbers, of which she was well fitted to be the heroine. It appears that
she was travelling with her two sons, lads of fifteen and sixteen, when
they arrived at this rancho to rest for the night; for by this time you
will understand that those who travel hereabouts must trust to chance or to
hospitality for a night's lodging. To their surprise, they found the
farmers gone, their dogs gone, and the house locked. They had no
alternative but to rest as they could, among their luggage and mules, in
the yard in front of the house. In the middle of the night they were
attacked by robbers. The boys instantly took their guns, and fired, but
without effect. Still, in the darkness, the robbers probably imagined that
there were more people and more arms, and when she, dragging a loaded
musket off one of the horses, prepared to join in the engagement, the
cowardly ruffians took flight--a good half dozen before a woman and two
boys. She was particularly indignant at the farmers, these "_malditos
rancheros_," as she called them, who she said had been bribed or frightened
into withdrawing their dogs and themselves.
We returned home after a long walk in the dark, and in the midst of all the
howling, yelping, snarling, barking dogs, which rushed out as we went by,
from every cottage in Uruapa.
After supper they sent for a clever Indian girl, who understands Spanish as
well as her native idiom, and who translated various Castilian words for us
into the original Tarrascan, which sounds very liquid and harmonious.
To-morrow we shall leave Uruapa and this hospitable family, whose kindness
and attention to us we never can forget. It seems incredible that we have
only known them a few days. We have, however, the hopes of seeing them
again as we pass through Valladolid, where they intend removing in a few
days.
PASCUARO, 4th December.
We left Uruapa yesterday morning at eleven o'clock, accompanied part of the
way by Señor Ysasaga and another gentleman, amongst whom was Madame
Yturbide's brother. We are now returning to Morelia, but avoided _Curu_ and
the rocks, both to save our animals, and for the sake of variety. We rode
through large tracks of land, all belonging to the Indians. The day was
agreeable and cloudy, and the road, as usual, led us through beautiful
scenery, monotonous in description, and full of variety in fact. Though
nearly uninhabited, and almost entirely uncultivated, it has pleased nature
to lavish so much beauty on this part of the country, that there is nothing
melancholy in its aspect; no feeling of dreariness in riding a whole day,
league after league, without seeing a trace of human life. These forest
paths always appear as if they must, in time, lead to some habitation; the
woods, the groves, the clumps of trees, seem as if they had been disposed,
or at least beautified by the hand of art. We cannot look on these smiling
and flowery valleys, and believe that such lovely scenes are always
untenanted--that there are no children occasionally picking up these
apricots--no village girls to pluck these bright, fragrant flowers. We
fancy that they are out in the fields, and will be there in the evening,
and that their hamlet is hid behind the slope of the next hill; and it is
only when we come to some Indian hut, or cluster of poor cabins in the
wilderness, that we are startled by the conviction that this enchanting
variety of hill and plain, wood and water, is for the most part unseen by
human eye, and untrod by human footsteps.
We had no further adventure during this day's journey, than buying bread
and cheese from sheer hunger, at a little wooden tavern by the road-side,
whose shelves were covered with glittering rows of bottles of brandy and
_mezcal_. At some of the Indian huts also we bought various branches of
_plátanos_, that most useful of fruits, and basis of the food of the poor
inhabitants of all the tropical climates. It has been said that the banana
is not indigenous in America, and that it was brought over by a friar to
Santo Domingo. If so, its adopted country agrees with it better than its
native land; but I believe there are many traditions which go to prove that
it did already exist in this hemisphere before the sixteenth century, and
that the Spaniards did no more than increase the number of the already
indigenous species. Its nutritive qualities, and the wonderful facility
with which it is propagated, render it at once the most useful of trees,
and the greatest possible incentive to indolence. In less than one year
after it is planted the fruit may be gathered and the proprietor has but to
cut away the old stems and leave a sucker, which will produce fruit three
months after. There are different sorts of bananas, and they are used in
different ways; fresh, dried, fried, etc. The dried plantain, a great
branch of trade in Michoacán, with its black shrivelled skin and flavour of
smoked fish or ham, is exceedingly liked by the natives. It is, of all
Mexican articles of food, my peculiar aversion.
About four o'clock we arrived at the small village of Tziracuaratiro, a
collection of Indian cottages, with little gardens, surrounded by orange
and all manner of fruit trees. As we had still one or two hours of
daylight, and this was our next halting-place, we wandered forth on foot to
explore the environs, and found a beautiful shady spot, a grassy knoll,
sheltered by the surrounding woods, where we sat down to rest and to inhale
the balmy air, fragrant with orange-blossoms. We were amused by a
sly-looking Indian, of whom C---n asked some questions, and who was
exceedingly talkative, giving us an account of his whole _ménage_, and
especially praising beyond measure his own exemplary conduct to his wife,
from which I infer that he beats her, as indeed all Indians consider it
their particular privilege to do; and an Indian woman who complained to a
padre of her husband's neglect, mentioned, as the crowning proof of his
utter abandonment of her, that he had not given her a beating for a whole
fortnight. Some one asked him if he allowed his wife to govern him. "Oh!
no," said he, "that would be the mule leading the arriero!"
There was nothing to be seen in the village, of which it hardly deserves
the name, but a good-looking old church, which two old women were sweeping
out; but they told us they rarely had mass there, as the padre lived a long
way off. The alcalde permitted us and our escort to occupy his house,
consisting of three empty rooms with mud floors; and about seven the next
morning we were again on horseback, and again _en route_ for Pascuaro; a
pretty ride of eleven or twelve leagues. We breakfasted at the village of
_Ajuna_, in a clean hut where they gave us quantities of tortillas and
chile, baked by some very handsome _tortilleras_. A number of women were
carrying about a virgin all covered with flowers, to the sound of a little
bell.
It was about four o'clock when we arrived at the hills near Pascuaro. Here
we dismounted from our horses, and remained till it was nearly dusk, laying
on the grass, and gazing on the lake, as the shadows of evening stole
slowly over its silver waters. Little by little the green islands became
indistinct; a gray vapour concealed the opposite shores; and like a light
breath spread gradually over the mirrored surface of the lake. Then we
remounted our horses, and rode down into Pascuaro, where we found the
Señora H---a as before, ready to receive us, and where, our mules being
disabled, we proposed remaining one or two days.
5th.--We have been spending a quiet day in Pascuaro, and went to mass in
the old church, which is handsome and rich in gilding. At the door is
printed in large letters--"For the love of God, all good Christians are
requested not to spit in this holy place." If we might judge from the
observation of one morning, I should say that the better classes in
Pascuaro are fairer and have more colour than is general in Mexico; and if
this is so, it may be owing partly to the climate being cooler and damper,
and partly to their taking more exercise (there being no carriages here),
whereas in Mexico no family of any importance can avoid having one.
We were very anxious to see some specimens of that mosaic-work which all
ancient writers upon Mexico have celebrated, and which was nowhere brought
to such perfection as in Pascuaro. It was made with the most beautiful and
delicate feathers, chiefly of the _picaflores_, the humming-birds, which
they called _huitzitailin_. But we are told that it is now upwards of
twenty years since the last artist in this branch lived in Pascuaro; and
though it is imitated by the nuns, the art is no longer in the state of
perfection to which it was brought in the days of Cortes. We are told that
several persons were employed in each painting, and that it was a work
requiring extraordinary patience and nicety, in the blending of the
colours, and in the arrangement of the feathers. The sketch of the figure
was first made, and the proportions being measured, each artist took charge
of one particular part of the figure or of the drapery. When each had
finished his share, all the different parts were reunited, to form the
picture. The feathers were first taken up with some soft substance with the
utmost care, and fastened with a glutinous matter upon a piece of stuff;
then, the different parts being reunited, were placed on a plate of copper,
and gently polished, till the surface became quite equal, when they
appeared like the most beautiful paintings, or, according to these writers,
more beautiful from the splendour and liveliness of the colours, the bright
golden, and blue, and crimson tints, than the paintings which they
imitated. Many were sent to Spain, and to different museums both in Europe
and Mexico; but the art is now nearly lost, nor does it belong to the
present utilitarian age. Our forefathers had more leisure than we, and
probably we have more than our descendants will have, who, for aught we
know, may, by extra high-pressure, be able to
"Put a girdle round about the earth in forty minutes."
We, however, saw some few specimens of saints and angels, very defective in
the sketch, but beautiful in the colouring, and quite sufficient to prove
to us that there was no exaggeration in these accounts.
7th.--We rode yesterday to the shores of the lake, where we embarked in a
long canoe, formed of the hollow trunk of a tree, and rowed by Indians, a
peculiarly ugly race, with Tartar-looking faces. The lake was very placid,
clear as one vast mirror, and covered with thousands of wild ducks, white
egrets, cranes, and herons--all those waterfowl who seem to whiten their
plumage by constant dipping in pools and marshes and lakes. On the opposite
shore, to the right, lay the city of Tzinzunzan; and on a beautiful island
in the midst of the lake the village of _Janicho_, entirely peopled by
Indians, who mingle little with the dwellers on the mainland, and have
preserved their originality more than any we have yet seen. We were
accompanied by the prefect of Pascuaro, whom the Indians fear and hate in
equal ratio, and who did seem a sort of Indian _Mr. Bumble_; and, after a
long and pleasant row, we landed at the island, where we were received by
the village alcalde, a half-caste Indian, who sported a pair of bright blue
merino pantaloons! I suppose to distinguish himself from his blanketed
brethren. The island is entirely surrounded by a natural screen of willow
and ash-trees, and the village consists of a few scattered houses, with
small cultivated patches of ground, the alcalde's house, and an old church.
We walked, or rather climbed, all over the island, which is hilly and
rocky, and found several great stones entirely covered with the ancient
carving. Moved by curiosity, we entered various caverns where idols have
been found, and amongst others one large cave, which we had no sooner
groped our way into than I nearly fell down suffocated by the horrible and
most pestilential atmosphere. It appears that it is the sleeping-place of
all the bats in the island; and heaven forbid that I should ever again
enter a bat's bedchamber! I groped my way out again as fast as possible,
heedless of idols and all other antiquities, seized a _cigarito_ from the
hand of the astonished prefect, who was wisely smoking at the entrance,
lighted it, and inhaled the smoke, which seemed more fragrant than violets,
after that stifling and most unearthly odour.
The chief food of these islanders, besides the gourds and other vegetables
which they cultivate, is the white fish, for which the lake is celebrated;
and while we were exploring the island, the Indians set off in their canoes
to catch some for us. These were fried at the alcalde's and we made a
breakfast upon them which would have rejoiced the heart of an epicure.
We then went to visit the church; and, though the cottages are poor, the
church is, as usual, handsome. Amongst other curiosities there is a Virgin,
entirely covered with Indian embroidery. The organist's place is hereditary
in an Indian family, descending from father to son. The long-haired Indian
who played it for us has such a gentle expression and beardless face, that
he looks like a very young woman. Some of the Indians here are very rich,
and bury their money; and one, called Agustin Campos, who has beautified
the church, as we read on an inscription carved on a stone outside, has
thirty thousand dollars, is much respected, and has the addition of _Don_
to his name, yet wears a coarse blanket like his fellow-men. We staid some
hours on the island, and went into some of the huts, where the women were
baking tortillas, one Indian custom, at least, which has descended to these
days without variation. They first cook the grain in water with a little
lime, and when it is soft peel off the skin; then grind it on a large block
of stone, the _metate_, or, as the Indians (who know best) call it, the
_metatl_. For the purpose of grinding it, they use a sort of stone roller,
with which it is crushed, and rolled into a bowl placed below the stone.
They then take some of this paste, and clap it between their hands till
they form it into light round cakes, which are afterwards toasted on a
smooth plate, called the _comalli_ (_comal_ they call it in Mexico), and
which ought to be eaten as hot as possible.
On our return, we had the variety of a slight storm, which ruffled the
placid surface of the lake, and caused the rowers to exert all their
strength to bring the canoe to port before it should become more violent.
This morning we walked all through Pascuaro, which can boast of many good
houses, a square and portales, and ended by going to visit the convent of
Santa Catarina. We saw some of the nuns, who wear white dresses, and,
instead of veils, the black Indian reboso. They were common-looking women,
and not very amiable in their manners; but we did not go further than the
outside entry. On our return we met a remarkable baby in arms, wearing an
enormous white satin turban, with a large plume of white feathers on one
side, balanced on the other by huge bunches of yellow ribbons and pink
roses. It also wore two robes, a short and a long one, both trimmed all
round with large plaitings of yellow satin ribbon. It was evidently very
much admired as it passed along. To-morrow, our mules having recovered, we
set off for Valladolid.
VALLADOLID, 9th.
About half-past seven we left Pascuaro, which, considering that we had a
long day's journey before us, was scarce early enough. We regretted very
much taking leave of the Señora H---a, who has been so kind to us, and whom
we can certainly never hope to see again. I observe that in these long
days' journeys we generally set off in silence, and sometimes ride on for
hours without exchanging a word. Towards the middle of the day we grow more
talkative, and again towards evening we relapse into quiet. I suppose it is
that in the morning we are sleepy, and towards evening begin to grow
tired--feeling sociable about nine o'clock, a.m., and not able to talk for
a longer period than eight or ten hours. It was about four in the afternoon
when we reached Cuincho, where we were welcomed by the damsels of the
baths, whose father is now still more of an invalid than before. It is a
lonely life that these poor girls lead here, nor should I think their
position a very secure one. Their poverty, however, is a safeguard to a
certain extent, and there are few robbers in this country in the style of
Morales. We were tempted to stop here and take a bath, in consequence of
which it was dark when we set off for Morelia. The horses, unable to see,
took enormous leaps over every little streamlet and ditch, so that we
seemed to be riding a steeple-chase in the dark. Our gowns caught upon the
thorny bushes, and our journey might have been traced by the tatters we
left behind us. At length we rode the wrong way, up a stony hill, which led
us to a wretched little village of about thirty huts, each having ten dogs
on an average, according to the laudable custom of the Indians. Out they
all rushed simultaneously, yelping like three hundred demons, biting the
horses' feet, and springing round us. Between this canine concert, the
kicking of the horses, the roar of a waterfall close beside us, the
shouting of people telling us to come back, and the pitch darkness, I
thought we should all have gone distracted. We did, however, make our way
out from amongst the dogs, redescended the stony hill, the horses leaping
over various streamlets that crossed their path, turned into the right
road, and entered the gates of Morelia without further adventure, between
nine and ten o'clock.
MORELIA, 11th. We have passed the last few days very agreeably in this
beautiful city, seeing everything worthy of notice, and greatly admiring
the wide and airy streets, the fine houses, the handsome public buildings,
but especially the cathedral, the college, and the churches. It has also a
fine square, with broad piazzas occupying three of its sides, while the
cathedral bounds it to the east. There is a crowded market in the plaza,
and a fine display of fruit and vegetables. The population is said to be a
little upwards of fifteen thousand, but one would suppose it to be much
greater. Living and house-rent is so cheap here, that a family who could
barely exist upon their means in Mexico, may enjoy every luxury in
Valladolid. The climate is delightful, and there is something extremely
cheerful in the aspect of the city, in which it differs greatly from
Toluca. We received visits from various _Morelians_, amongst others from
Don Cayetano Gomez, the proprietor of San Bartolo.
We went one evening to the alameda, a broad, straight walk, paved with flat
stones, shaded by fine trees, under which are stone benches, and bounded by
a low stone wall. Several ladies were sitting there, whom we joined, and
amongst others, a remarkably pretty _Poblana_, married into the Gomez
family. The alameda is crossed by a fine aqueduct of solid masonry, with
light and elegant arches. We drove to the _paséo_, a broad, shady road,
where we met but few carriages; and the same evening we went out on foot to
enjoy the music of a very good military band, which plays occasionally for
the amusement of the citizens. It is not to be supposed that, when Mexico
can boast of so little society, there should be much in a provincial town;
besides, this city has the pretension of being divided into _cliques_, and
there are "first people," and "second-rate people," and "families in our
set," and so on; so that some of the ladies being musicians, one set will
get up a concert, another a rival concert, and there not being a sufficient
musical society to fill two concerts, both fall to the ground. There is a
neat little theatre, but at present no company. Some of the houses are as
handsome as any in Mexico, but there is no city which has fallen off so
much since the Independence as Morelia, according to the accounts given us
by the most respectable persons.
We had a visit from the bishop, Señor Portugal, one of the most
distinguished men here, or in fact in the whole republic of Mexico, a man
of great learning, gentle and amiable in his manners, and in his life a
model of virtue and holiness. He was in the cabinet when Santa Anna was
president, concerning which circumstance an amusing story was told us, for
the correctness of which I do not vouch, but the narrator, a respectable
citizen here, certainly believed it. Señor Portugal had gone, by
appointment, to see the president on some important business, and they had
but just begun their consultation, when Santa Anna rose and left the room.
The Minister waited--the president did not return. The time passed on, and
still the Minister continued expecting him, until at length he inquired of
an aide-de-camp in waiting, if he could inform him how soon the president
might be expected back. "I hardly know," said the officer, "for his
excellency has gone to visit _Cola de plata_" (silver tail). "And who may
_Cola de plata_ be?" said the Minister. "A favourite cock of his
excellency's, wounded this morning in a fight which he won, and to whose
care he is now personally attending!" The bishop soon after sent in his
resignation.
Accompanied by several of our friends, including one of the canons of the
cathedral, we visited that splendid building the second day of our arrival.
It is still wonderfully rich, notwithstanding that silver to the amount of
thirty-two thousand marks has been taken from it during the civil wars. The
high altar is dazzling with gold and silver; the railing which leads from
it to the choir is of pure silver, with pillars of the same metal; the two
pulpits, with their stairs, are also covered with silver; and the general
ornaments, though numerous and rich, are disposed with good taste, are kept
in order, and have nothing tawdry or loaded in their general effect. The
choir itself is extremely beautiful; so also is the carved screen before
the organ, the doors of the first being of solid silver, and those of the
other of richly-carved wood. There is also an immense silver font, and
superb lamps of silver. We particularly admired some fine paintings,
chiefly by Cabrera, and especially a Madonna and child, in which there is
that most divine expression in the face of the Virgin, the blending of
maternal love with awe for the divinity of the child. Four of these
paintings, it is said, were sent here by a Spanish king, as far back as
Philip II. These four are colossal in size, and are finely painted, but
little cared for or appreciated, and placed in a bad light.
We were shown two saints, sent from Rome, loaded with false jewels, but
carefully preserved in their respective shrines. All the holy vessels and
priests' dresses and jewels were taken out for our inspection. The
sacramental _custodía_ cost thirty-two thousand dollars, and the richest of
the dresses eight thousand. There is a lamb made of one pearl, the fleece
and head of silver; the pearl of great size and value.
We toiled up through winding staircases to the belfry; and it required the
beautiful and extensive landscape spread out before us, to compensate us
for this most fatiguing ascent. The bells are of copper, and very sonorous.
The _canonigo_ pointed out to us all the different sites which had been the
scenes of bloody battles during the revolutionary war. The facilities for
obtaining provisions, and the mountainous character of the country, are
amongst the causes that have rendered this province the theatre of civil
war. The padre afterwards took us into a large apartment, a sort of office,
hung round with the portraits of all the bishops of Michoacán; one bearing
so striking a resemblance to our friend, Don Francisco Tagle, that we were
not surprised to find that it was in fact the portrait of one of his
family, who had occupied the episcopal see of Michoacán; and below it were
the Tagle arms, referring to some traditionary exploit of their ancestors.
They represent a knight killing a serpent; and the motto is--"Tagle que la
serpiente mato y con la Princesa caso" (Tagle who killed the serpent, and
married the Princess).
The same evening, we visited a lady who possesses a most singular and
curious collection of works in wax; and more extraordinary still, they are
all her own workmanship. Every fruit and every vegetable production is
represented by her with a fidelity, which makes it impossible to
distinguish between her imitations and the works of nature. Plates with
bread, radishes, and fish; dishes of fowls, and chile, and eggs; baskets
full of the most delicious-looking fruit; lettuces, beans, carrots,
tomatoes, etc.; all are copied with the most extraordinary exactness. But
her figures show much greater talent. There are groups for which an amateur
might offer any price, could she be prevailed upon to offer these
masterpieces for sale. There is a Poblana peasant on horseback before a
ranchero, looking back at him with the most coquettish expression; her
dress perfection, from the straw hat that half shades her features, to the
beautiful little ankle and foot in the white satin shoe, the short
embroidered petticoat, and the reboso thrown over one shoulder; a handsome
Indian, selling pulque and brandy in her little shop, with every variety of
liquor temptingly displayed in rows of shining bottles, to her customers;
the grouping and colouring perfect, and the whole interior arrangement of
the shop, imitated with the most perfect exactness. There is also a horrid
representation, frightfully correct, of a dead body in a state of
corruption, which it makes one sick to look at, and which it is
inconceivable that any one can have had pleasure in executing. In short,
there is scarcely anything in nature upon which her talent has not
exercised itself.
Yesterday we visited the _Seminario_, or college, a fine spacious old
building, kept in good repair. The rector conducted us over the whole
establishment. There is a small well chosen library, containing all the
most classic works in Spanish, German, French, and English; and a larger
library, containing Greek and Latin authors, theological works, etc., a
large hall, with chemical and other scientific apparatus, and a small
chapel where there is a beautiful piece of sculpture in wood: the _San
Pedro_, by a young man, a native of Valladolid, so exquisitely wrought,
that one cannot but regret that such a genius should be buried here, should
not at least have the advantage of some years' study in Italy, where he
might become a second Canova.
One must visit these distant cities, and see these great establishments, to
be fully aware of all that the Spaniards bestowed upon their colonies, and
also to be convinced of the regret for former times which is felt amongst
the most distinguished men of the republic; in fact, by all who are old
enough to compare what has been with what is.
I ought not to omit, in talking of the natural productions of Valladolid,
to mention that it is famous for _fleas_. We had been alarmed by the
miraculous stories related to us of these vivacious animals, and were
rejoiced to find ourselves in a house, from which, by dint of extreme care,
they are banished. But in the inns and inferior houses they are said to be
a perfect pestilence, sometimes literally walking away with a piece of
matting upon the floor, and covering the walls in myriads. The nuns, it is
said, are or were in the habit of harnessing them to little carriages, and
of showing them off by other ingenious devices.
We rode out in the evening to meet our friends from Uruapa, who were
expected to arrive yesterday; I upon a very formidable and handsome
cavalry-horse, rather above his work, which some expected to run away, and
others to throw me off, and which might have done both, but being a noble
creature did neither. We did not meet our friends, who, having been delayed
on the road, only arrived this evening. We have therefore decided to remain
here till to-morrow afternoon, when we shall continue our journey homewards
by San Bartolo.