The Population of Lima....Remarks....Table of Castes....The
Qualifications of Creoles....Population and Division....Spaniards
....Creoles, White....Costume....Indians....African Negroes....
Their Cofradias, and royal Personages....Queen Rosa....Creole
Negroes....Mestiso....Mulattos....Zambos....Chinos...._Quarterones
and Quinterones_....Theatre....Bull Circus....Royal Cockpit....
Alamedas....Bathing Places....Piazzas _Amancaes_....Elevation and
Oration Bells....Processions of Corpus Christi, Santa Rosa, San
Francisco, and Santo Domingo....Publication of Bulls....Ceremonies
on the Arrival of a Viceroy.
There are few cities in the world whose population exhibits a greater
variety of shade or tint of countenance than Lima, or, perhaps, a
greater contrast of intellectual faculty, if the rules established by
physiognomists may be relied on. But these arbiters of physiognomy have
been white men, and there appears to be a considerable portion of
egotism attached to their opinions. They have not only erected their own
tribunal, and instituted their own code of laws, but they have presided,
judged, and sentenced in favour of themselves. By giving to the facial
line or indicator of talent and genius a particular direction, the
European white has been able to place himself at the head, and to
degrade the black, or negro of Africa, by placing him at the bottom of
the list. Probably the success of the Europeans in their wars and
conquests, and in their advancement in the arts and sciences, may give
considerable support to this classification. By drawing an horizontal
line that shall touch the base of the cranium, and intersecting it by
another drawn from the forehead and touching the extremity of the upper
lip, the statuaries have found the supposed angle of human perfection.
The Greeks fixed this angle at 100°; the Romans at 95°; and according to
this rule, the European face varies between 80° and 90°; the Asiatic
between 75° and 80°; the American, having the forehead more flattened,
between 70° and 75°; and, lastly, the Negro between 60° and 70°. By this
mode of judging, we find the European at the head, and the rude
semi-brutal negro at the bottom. But how disconcerted the lovers of this
criterion must feel, if any credit can be given to what has been
asserted of the Egyptians, the founders and promoters of the arts and
sciences. Colonies from Egypt and the east, led by Pelasgus, Cecrops,
Cadmus, &c., were the tutors of the Greeks, whom they found on their
arrival more ignorant than Columbus, Cortes and Pizarro found the
Americans, at the discovery and conquest of their country. Yet
Herodotus, l. 11, p. 150, says, that the Egyptians were black, with
woolly, curled black hair; and Blumenbach asserts, that having dissected
several Egyptian mummies, he observed that they belonged to the negro
race, from their elevated pomulos, thick lips, and large flat noses. The
Copts also, who are descendants of the Egyptians, have the aspect of
mulattos, and appear to belong to the negro race.
I have repeatedly observed, that a negro born in Peru of African parents
shews a greater development of the human faculties than is exhibited by
either of his parents; nay, even his corporeal agility appears to have
increased, and certainly his share of civilized vices is augmented; yet
I cannot suppose that these proceed from any other source than an
imitation of examples placed before him, without any change in the
facial angle!
For an examination of the influence of the configuration of the human
face, or of its colour, on the intellectual faculties, no place is more
_à propos_ than Lima; and perhaps a few remarks upon this subject will
be acceptable to those who feel themselves interested in such
speculations.
The annexed table shews the mixture of the different castes, under their
common or distinguishing names.
---------+-----------+-------------+------------------------------------
FATHER. | MOTHER. | CHILDREN. | COLOUR.
---------+-----------+-------------+------------------------------------
European | European | Creole | White.
Creole | Creole | Creole | White.
White | Indian | Mestiso | 6/8 White, 2/8 Indian--Fair.
Indian | White | Mestiso | 4/8 White, 4/8 Indian.
White | Mestiso | Creole | White--often very Fair.
Mestiso | White | Creole | White--but rather Sallow.
Mestiso | Mestiso | Creole | Sallow--often light Hair.
White | Negro | Mulatto | 7/8 White, 1/8 Negro--often Fair.
Negro | White | Zambo | 4/8 White, 4/8 Negro--dark copper.
White | Mulatto | Quarteron | 6/8 White, 2/8 Negro--Fair.
Mulatto | White | Mulatto | 5/8 White, 3/8 Negro--Tawny.
White | Quarteron| Quinteron | 7/8 White, 1/8 Negro--very Fair.
Quarteron| White | Quarteron | 6/8 White, 2/8 Negro--Tawny.
White | Quinteron| Creole | White--light Eyes, fair Hair.
Negro | Indian | Chino | 4/8 Negro, 4/8 Indian.
Indian | Negro | Chino | 2/8 Negro, 6/8 Indian.
Negro | Mulatto | Zambo | 5/8 Negro, 3/8 White.
Mulatto | Negro | Zambo | 4/8 Negro, 4/8 White.
Negro | Zambo | Zambo | 15/16 Negro, 1/16 White--Dark.
Zambo | Negro | Zambo | 7/8 Negro, 1/8 White.
Negro | Chino | Zambo-chino| 15/16 Negro, 1/16 Indian.
Chino | Negro | Zambo-chino| 7/8 Negro, 1/8 Indian.
Negro | Negro | Negro |
This table, which I have endeavoured to make as correct as possible,
from personal observation, must be considered as general, and not
including particular cases. I have classed the colours according to
their appearance, not according to the mixture of the castes, because I
have always remarked, that a child receives more of the colour of the
father than of the mother.
It may be correct to state, that the creoles from either European or
creole parents, are endowed with more open generosity than the
Spaniards, and that they are of a more active and penetrating genius,
but not so constant in their pursuits. Much has been said against the
creoles, or natives of the colonies by those of the parent states; their
descriptions, however, are rather accordant with their wishes than the
real character of the people whom they undertake to pourtray. Writers
ought not to sully their pages either by affirming untruths or uttering
biassed opinions. De Pauw says, "that all the American races are of a
degenerated and inferior order;" this is undoubtedly false, for I have
known several individuals who have borne down the restrictions of
colonial law, and become eminent both in the arts and sciences: Mexia
eclipsed many of the most famous Spanish orators in the late Cortes; and
Morales was elected president of the Regency. It is well known also,
that the contest in the colonies, where the natives have fought for and
gained their independence, brought to light the talent and genius of
many both in the cabinet and in the field, whose names would have
remained unknown, had not their abilities been thus called into action.
The coarse and foul caricature of De Pauw, may be contrasted with the
over-coloured picture of M. de Bercey, and a medium I think would form
a correct outline. "Those whom we are accustomed to call barbarians and
savages are infinitely less entitled to these epithets than ourselves,
notwithstanding the refinement and civilization we boast. Equally, if
not more exempted from prejudice, the Americans neither create
factitious wants, nor seek imaginary sources of happiness." I have
observed the young men in the colleges of Lima, as well as in other
cities of South America, and I must affirm, that their minds are stored
with both just and clear ideas; and surely these are the principal
indications of good taste, and the characteristics of true genius. But
several causes have contributed to damp the career of literature; among
others we may reckon a scanty supply of books, a total want of
philosophical instruments, the restrictions of the inquisition, and the
prohibitory laws. Learning has indeed hitherto been discountenanced, for
when some of the collegians of San Carlos harangued the Viceroy Gil de
Lemos, he inquired of the rector, what sciences were taught in the
college, and being briefly informed, he returned "tu, tu, tu, let them
learn to read, write, and say their prayers, for this is as much as any
American ought to know!" The college _del Principe_ has produced many
indians who have shone both in the pulpit and at the bar; and among the
negroes and the mixed castes, several individuals of merit, both in
medicine and surgery, have been distinguished. Many also exist who, if
they have not been conspicuous in any department of the sciences,
undoubtedly owe their failure to the Spanish colonial laws, which have
shut all preferments against them. Yet who can read the harangues of
Colocolo to the Araucanian senate, without declaring them to be as
worthy of the poetical pen of Ercilla, as those of Nestor were of the
pen of Homer?
Robertson states the population of Lima in 1764 at 54,000; but in 1810
it was estimated at 87,000, at which time the deputies of the Cortes
were elected. Of this number about 20,000 are whites, the remainder
negroes, indians, and mixed breeds, or castes. I shall briefly
particularize the most striking features in the population, according to
my own observations.
Among the inhabitants of this city, there are sixty-three noblemen, who
enjoy titles either of count or marquis, the greater part of whom are
natives of America, and about forty noblemen, or _mayorasgos_, without
titles; a number of knights of the different Spanish orders of
Catalrava, Alcantara, Santiago, Malta, and Charles III. Many of the
nobility are descendants of the conquerors. The most ancient families
are those of Villafuerte (marquis), Lurigancho (count), and Montemira
(marquis). One of the families in Lima traces its descent with
undeniable certainty from the Incas. Ampuero the founder married at the
time of the conquest a _coya_, or princess, sister to Atabalipa, and the
Kings of Spain granted at different times many distinguishing
prerogatives and honours to this family, from which the marquis of
Montemira is now the lineal descendant. The manners of the nobility are
courteous in the extreme, and their complaisance and affability to
strangers know no limits; their general conduct also seems to be as free
from haughtiness as from flattery, and their politeness, candour and
magnificence must charm every stranger who visits them. These qualities
were particularly shewn to the officers of several of H. B. M. ships of
war who were at Lima during the time I resided there.
Lima is the birth-place of the only person in the Spanish colonies who
has been canonized by the Roman church: Santa Rosa de Santa Maria; she
is the patroness of Peru, and her festival is celebrated with great
solemnity. It is said by some that she foretold the independence of her
country, asserting, that after the domination of the Kings of Spain had
lasted as long as that of the Incas, the sceptre would drop from their
hands. This prophecy was printed in the first edition of her life in
1662, but was expunged from all the succeeding ones.
Saint Thoribius de Mogroviejo, archbishop, and St. Francis Solano, of
the order of Franciscans, flourished here, but both were natives of
Spain.
This city has also produced many other persons of virtuous and literary
fame: the most conspicuous among whom are--
The venerable father Francisco del Castillo
The venerable Fray Martin de Porras }
The venerable Fray Juan Masias } Dominicans
The venerable Fray Vicente Vernedo }
The venerable Fray Pedro Urraca }
The venerable Fray Gonsalo Dias } Mercedarias
The venerable Fray Juan de Zalasar }
The venerable Fray Juan de Vargas } Martyred in Paraguay
The venerable Fray Juan de Albarran }
Don Pedro de la Reyna Maldonado, a celebrated author
Don Martin del Barco Zentenera, historian
Don Pedro Peralta Bernueva, mathematician
Don Jose, marquis of Vallumbrosa, a very learned man
Don Diego Baños y Sotomayor, chaplain of honour to the King
Don Alonzo, count of San Donas, ambassador of Spain to the French
court, in the reign of Felipe IV.
Don Fernando, marquis of Surco, lieutenant-general, chamberlain and
tutor to Don Felipe, duke of Parma
Don Miguel Nuñes de Roxas, of the council of orders, private judge
of confiscations, in the war of succession
Don Jose Baquijano, of the council of Indies, in the reign of
Charles IV. and Fernando VII.
Don Tomas de Salasar, author of "Interpretaciones de las Leyes de
Indias."
Don Lope de Armendaris, marquis of Cadreita, Viceroy of Nueva
España.
Besides these and several other eminent persons, Lima has given birth to
six archbishops, three of whom were conventual priests; and to fifty-two
bishops, twenty-five of whom were regulars of the different conventual
orders.
The Spaniard who arrived at Lima brought with him either some commission
from the government of Spain, or an intention of residing in the country
for the purpose of gain. Of the first class, however low the appointment
might be, the individual conducted himself towards the natives with a
haughty superiority, which to an impartial spectator was truly
disgusting; he assumed the Don if he excused the Señor, and was never
addressed without one or both of these appendages to his name; indeed
_el Señor Don_ was more common in the streets of Lima, than at the court
of Madrid. The second class often consisted of sailors, who ran away
from their ships at Callao, and got places as servants in a _pulperia_
(a shop where spirits, wines, spices, sugar, and all common place
articles are sold), a bakehouse, or a farm. If industrious, they soon
obtained as much as was necessary to establish themselves, and many
amassed considerable fortunes, married advantageously, and remained in
the country; knowing full well, that in their own they would neither be
admitted into such society as they enjoyed here, nor be treated with
that deference to which they had become habituated. All this would be
excusable enough, if the beauty, riches, and comforts of Spain--its
learned societies, noble families, and enlightened population, were not
the universal topic of their conversation and their universal song of
praise. I have seen many of this class who, having been taught to read
and write in America, and acquired riches, have purchased an order of
knighthood! for although it was pretended, that nobility of descent must
be proved before any of the military orders could be obtained, yet a
_Spaniard_ has purchased dispensation, and thus laid the foundation of a
_noble_ family.
All Spaniards in America fancied themselves to belong to a race of
beings far superior to those among whom they resided. I have frequently
heard them say, that they should love their children with greater ardour
if they had been born in Europe; and during the struggle in different
parts of the colonies between the royalists and the patriots, I have
known more than one Spaniard assert, that if he thought his children
would be insurgents he would murder them in their beds. A Spaniard would
solicit countrymen of his own to marry his daughters, preferring these
without any trade or fortune, to a creole possessed of both; indeed they
had one powerful inducement to make this election; the Spaniard would be
more likely to procure riches; and, generally speaking, they considered
nothing else worthy their attention, thus in cases of matrimony, the
inclinations of the daughters were not often consulted. The Spaniards
appeared to form a separate society, not only in their own houses and in
the public walks, but even in the coffee houses, where the creoles were
seldom seen at the same table. This visible antipathy was carried to
such an extent, after the beginning of the dissensions, that several
Spaniards, although some of them had children born in Lima of creole
mothers, formed an agreement, and bound themselves by an oath and fine,
not to take any native of the country into their employ. This
determination became public in the city, and, after the patriot troops
entered, was the cause of the most severe insults to its authors. It is
well known, however, that in a reverse of fortune, no man is more
docile or more servile than a Spaniard, who will, according to his own
adage, _besar la mano que quisiera ver cortada_--kiss the hand he would
wish to see cut off.
A creole of Lima in many respects partakes of the character of an
Andalusian; he is lively, generous, and careless of to-morrow; fond of
dress and variety, slow to revenge injuries, and willing to forget them.
Of all his vices, dissipation is certainly the greatest: his
conversation is quick and pointed--that of the fair sex is extremely gay
and witty, giving them an open frankness, which some foreigners have
been pleased to term levity, or something a little more dishonourable,
attaching the epithet immoral to their general character--an imputation
they may deserve, if prudery and hypocrisy be the necessary companions
of virtue; but they certainly deserve it not, if benevolence,
confidence, unsuspecting conviviality, and honest intention, be the true
characteristics of morality. The creoles are generally kind and good
parents, very affectionate and indulgent to their families; and this
conduct, with few exceptions, insures the love, respect, and gratitude
of their children. I have often heard a creole ask his son, "Who am I?"
and receive the endearing answer, "my _Father_ and my _Friend_." It
frequently happens, through vanity or weakness, that a creole mother
teaches her daughters to call her sister, which may be construed into
the desire of not wishing to be considered old; but if this really be a
crime, in what part of the world are females innocent? I have no
hesitation in asserting, that any impartial person who shall reside long
enough among South Americans to become acquainted with their domestic
manners, will declare, that conjugal and paternal affection, filial
piety, beneficence, generosity, good nature and hospitality, are the
inmates of almost every house. I have no doubt, too, that these virtues
will continue here, until civilization and refinement shall drive them
from their abode in the new world, to make room for etiquette,
formality, becoming pride, prudery and hypocrisy from the old. Then, the
children of the first families in Lima (whom I have often seen rise from
the table, and carry a plateful of food to a poor protegée beggar,
seated in the patio or under the corridor, wait and chat with the little
miserable till it had finished, and return to the table) will look on
such objects with disdain, because mamma has subscribed a competent sum
to a charitable institution, and made that sum known to the world
through the medium of the newspapers!--I cannot avoid fearing that this
modern improvement will supersede their own pure, but almost antiquated
customs.
This picture may appear to some highly coloured; but I speak from
experience, and could relate innumerable instances of the practice of
all the social virtues which I have mentioned: sufficient, I am sure, to
convince the most hardened sceptic. I arrived at Lima a prisoner,
pennyless, and, as I thought, friendless; but in this I was deceived; I
owe to persons whom I had never seen, and of whose existence I was then
ignorant, such friendship, kindness, and pecuniary relief while in
prison, and generous and kind protection afterwards, as I hope will
never be eradicated from my bosom; and yet I trust, that I neither do,
nor ever can, attribute to the creoles virtues which they do not
possess: it is my duty, as an author, to speak the truth, however my
gratitude and affection might incline me to conceal their failings.
Gambling is carried on to a great extent in Lima, but much more in the
higher circles than in the lower. No public gaming houses are permitted
by the government, and the police officers are on the alert wherever a
house is suspected; but private parties are very common, particularly
at the country houses of the nobility, and at the bathing places of
Miraflores, Chorrillos and Lurin. The tables, although in the houses of
noblemen, are free to all--the master and the slave, the marquis, the
count, the mechanic, and the pedlar, mix indiscriminately. This vice is
generally confined to the men; but some females now and then join in
these fashionable amusements.
Having observed, that the female creoles are kind mothers, it is
scarcely necessary to say, that adultery is rare. One would think that
the exclamation of the elder Cato to some young Romans was here
observed: "courage, my friends, go and see the girls, but do not corrupt
the married women." Concubinage is common, or perhaps only more public
than in Europe, where civilization appears to have established the law,
that to sin in secret is not to sin at all. It is true, that scandal
often aggravates the crime, which is certainly mollified by the sincere
regard which the father generally entertains for his natural children;
making their happiness a principal object of his attention, and
frequently at last legitimating them either by marriage or by will.
The creoles are careful of the education of their children, and will
strain every nerve to support them at college until they have finished
their studies, and are thus able to enter the church, to follow the
profession of the law, or to practise in medicine. The education of the
daughters generally devolves on the mother: proper schools for their
instruction are very rare; so that, excepting a little drawing, dancing,
and music, for which purposes good masters are scarce, the needle claims
the greater portion of their time; and from the highest to the lowest
ranks they are continually employed in embroidery or other kinds of
needlework, at which they are very dexterous. The necessary
accomplishments of reading and writing are, however, never dispensed
with among the higher and middle orders.
The white inhabitants of Lima have sallow complexions, having very
little colour on their cheeks; but, to the credit of the ladies, they
are not in the habit of using an artificial substitute; their hair and
eyes are black, the latter full and penetrating, which, with good teeth,
form very interesting countenances. The profusion of beautiful black
ringlets over their foreheads appears as if formed to prevent a stranger
from being over-dazzled by those sparkling eyes they are intended, but
in vain, to hide. Their figures are extremely genteel, though rather
small and slender. Their feet are remarkably diminutive, and the ease
and elegance of their gait is not to be surpassed.
When I arrived in Lima, in 1804, the long Spanish cloak was worn by all
classes of men; but in 1810 it was so little used as a dress, that it
was rarely seen. When used, it was put on merely to supply the place of
a great coat, or confined to a few of the old Spaniards, who are as
great enemies to innovation as the Chinese. The English costume is now
quite prevalent, and as many dandies crowd the streets of Lima as those
of London. The walking dress of the females of all descriptions is the
_saya y manto_, which is a petticoat of velvet, satin, or stuff,
generally black or of a cinnamon colour, plaited in very small folds,
and rather elastic; it sits close to the body, and shews its shape to
the utmost possible advantage. At the bottom it is too narrow to allow
the wearer to step forward freely, but the short step rather adds to
than deprives her of a graceful air. This part of the dress is often
tastefully ornamented round the bottom with lace, fringe, spangles,
pearls, artificial flowers, or whatever may be considered fashionable.
Among ladies of the higher order the saya is of different
colours--purple, pale blue, lead colour, or striped. The manto is a hood
of thin black silk, drawn round the waist, and then carried over the
head: by closing it before, they can hide the whole of the face, one eye
alone being visible; sometimes they show half the face, but this depends
on the choice of the wearer. A fine shawl or handkerchief hanging down
before, a rosary in the hand, silk stockings and satin shoes, complete
the costume.
The hood is undoubtedly derived from the Moors, and to a stranger it has
a very curious appearance; however, I confess that I became so
reconciled to the sight, that I thought and still think it both handsome
and genteel. This dress is peculiar to Lima; indeed I never saw it worn
any where else in South America. It is certainly very convenient, for at
a moment's notice a lady can, without the necessity of changing her
under dress, put on her _saya y manto_, and go out; and no female will
walk in the street in any other in the day time. For the evening
promenade an English dress is often adopted, but in general a large
shawl is thrown over the head, and a hat is worn over all; between the
folds of the shawl it is not uncommon to perceive a lighted cegar; for
although several of the fair sex are addicted to smoking, none of them
choose to practise it openly.
When the ladies appear on public occasions, at the theatre, bull
circus, and _pascos_, promenades, they are dressed in the English or
French costume, but they are always very anxious to exhibit a profusion
of jewellery, to which they are particularly partial. A lady in Lima
would much rather possess an extensive collection of precious gems than
a gay equipage. They are immoderately fond of perfumes, and spare no
expense in procuring them: it is a well known fact, that many poor
females attend at the archbishop's gate, and after receiving a pittance,
immediately purchase with the money _agua rica_, or some other scented
water. Even the ladies, not content with the natural fragrance of
flowers, add to it, and spoil it by sprinkling them with lavender water,
spirit of musk, or ambergris, and often by fumigating them with gum
benzoin, musk and amber, particularly the _mistura_, which is a compound
of jessamine, wall flowers, orange flowers and others, picked from the
stalks. Small apples and green limes are also filled with slices of
cinnamon and cloves. The mixture is generally to be found on a salver at
a lady's toilette; they will distribute it among their friends by asking
for a pocket handkerchief, tying up a small quantity in the corner, and
sprinkling it with some perfume, expecting the compliment, "that it is
most delicately seasoned."
The indians who reside in Lima have become such exact imitators of the
creoles, in dress and manners, that were it not for their
copper-coloured faces it would be difficult to distinguish them. I shall
at present, however, defer any particular description of this part of
the inhabitants of South America. The principal occupation of the
indians who reside in Lima is the making of fringes, gold and silver
lace, epaulettes, and embroidery; some are tailors, others attend the
business of the market, but very few are servants or mechanics.
The African negroes, owing to the kind treatment they receive, appear to
be completely happy. On their arrival they used to be exposed for sale
in some large house, and the first attention of their purchasers was to
have them taught the necessary prayers and rudiments of the Christian
religion, a task which generally fell to the lot of the younger branches
of the family. I have often seen the children of noblemen, as well as
those of the wealthy inhabitants, instructing their African slaves in
the Christian duties; for it is here considered quite disgraceful to
have a negro in the house for any length of time without being baptized;
and this ceremony cannot be performed until they are first prepared for
it by being taught their prayers and the catechism. They are then taken
to the parish church, and examined by the priest, and if he find that
they are sufficiently instructed, he christens them, some of the oldest
and most steady of the slaves belonging to the family standing as
sponsors, on whom the duty of teaching them afterwards devolves. It very
seldom happens that, after a year's residence in a Christian family, an
African is not fully prepared to receive the communion.
In the suburbs of San Lazaro are _cofradias_ or clubs belonging to the
different castes or nations of the Africans, where they hold their
meetings in a very orderly manner, generally on a Sunday afternoon; and
if any one of the royal family belonging to the respective nations is to
be found in the city, he or she is called the King or Queen of the
cofradia, and treated with every mark of respect. I was well acquainted
with a family in Lima, in which there was an old female slave, who had
lived with them for upwards of fifty years, and who was the acknowledged
Queen of the Mandingos, she being, according to their statement, a
princess. On particular days she was conducted from the house of her
master, by a number of black people, to the cofradia, dressed as gaudily
as possible; for this purpose her young mistresses would lend her
jewels to a considerable amount, besides which the poor old woman was
bedizened with a profusion of artificial flowers, feathers, and other
ornaments. Her master had presented her with a silver sceptre, and this
necessary appendage of royalty was on such occasions always carried by
her. It has often gratified my best feelings, when _Mama Rosa_ was
seated in the porch of her master's house, to see her subjects come and
kneel before her, ask her blessing, and kiss her hand. I have followed
them to the cofradia, and seen her majesty seated on her throne, and go
through the ceremony of royalty without a _blush_. On her arrival, and
at her departure, the poor creatures would sing to their music, which
consisted of a large drum, formed of a piece of hollow wood, one end
being covered with the skin of a kid, put on while fresh, and braced by
placing it near some lighted charcoal; and a string of catgut, fastened
to a bow, which was struck with a small cane; to these they added a
rattle, made of the jaw-bone of an ass or a mule, having the teeth
loose, so that by striking it with one hand they would rattle in their
sockets. For a full chorus, they sometimes hold a short bone in their
hand, and draw it briskly backward and forward over the teeth: it does
not produce much harmony, it is true; but if David found harmony in his
harp, Pan in his pipes, and Apollo in his lyre; if a shepherd find music
in his reed, and a mandarin in the gong, why should not the Queen of
Mandingo find it in the jaw-bone of an ass or a mule!
The walls of the cofradias are ornamented with likenesses in fresco of
the different royal personages who have belonged to them. The purpose of
the institution is to help those to good masters, who have been so
unfortunate as to meet with bad ones; but as a master can object to
selling his slave, unless he prove by law that he has been cruelly
treated, which is very difficult, or next to impossible, the cofradias
raise a fund by contributions, and free the slave, to which the master
cannot object; but this slave now becomes tacitly the slave of the
cofradia, and must return by instalments the money paid for his
manumission.
I shall not attempt to defend all the actions of the Africans in a state
of slavery; but I must say, that when they are treated with
compassionate kindness, they are generally faithful and honest;
frequently become personally attached to their master, and though they
may be sometimes loath to exert themselves in laborious tasks to serve
him, yet in an emergency of danger they would often die for him. On the
contrary, when harshly and unjustly treated they become stubborn in the
greatest degree, and the master is only secure from personal violence
through the irresolute temper of the slave and his fear of punishment.
But place a white man in the same situation, and what, let me ask, would
be the line of conduct he would pursue?
The negro creole is generally more athletic and robust than his African
parents; he has no more virtues than they have, but he has commonly more
vices; he seems to be more awake to revenge, and less timid of the
consequences; he considers himself as better than the _bozales_, the
name given to African slaves, and will rarely intermarry with them.
The mestiso is generally very strong, of a swarthy complexion, and but
little beard; he is kind, affable and generous, and particularly
inclined to mix in the society of white people; very serviceable, and
something like the gallegos in Spain. In some parts of the interior of
the country there are great numbers of mestisos; here their colour is
whiter, and they have blue eyes and fair hair during childhood, but both
become darker as they advance in years.
The mulatto is seldom so robust as his parents; he appears of a delicate
constitution, and in his mental capacities is far superior to the
negro; indeed when assisted by education he is not inferior to a white
man. Fond of dress and parade, of a fiery imagination and inclined to
talk, he is often eloquent, and very partial to poetry. Many mulattos in
Lima obtain a good education by accompanying their young masters to
school while children, and afterwards attending on them at college. It
is very common at a public disputation in the university, to hear a
mulatto in the gallery help a wrangler out with a syllogism: they are
generally called _palanganos_, which is a local term, signifying a
chatterer. Many of the surgeons here are mulattos, and frequently do
great honour to themselves, and credit to their profession. Some of the
females have agreeable countenances, and fine figures; they are witty
and generous, and remarkably faithful in their connexions; they are very
fond of dress, dancing, and public amusements, where they generally
appear with their curly hair scarcely reaching to their shoulders,
adorned with jessamine and other flowers. In the evening they will
sometimes fill their hair with jessamine buds, which in the course of an
hour will open, and present the appearance of a bushy powdered wig. They
are often the confidential servants in rich families, and have the
direction of all domestic concerns. Occasionally they are the duennas
of the young ladies, and not unfrequently sisters to them; but a very
just law decrees manumission to a female slave, if she can only prove
that she has had a criminal connexion with her master.
The zambos are more robust than the mulattos, they are morose and
stubborn, partaking very much of the character of the African negro, but
prone to more vices. A greater number of robberies and murders are
committed by this caste than by all the rest, except the chino, the
worst mixed breed in existence:--he is cruel, revengeful, and
unforgiving; very ugly, as if his soul were expressed in his features;
lazy, stupid, and provoking. He is low in stature, and like the indian
has little or no beard, but very harsh black hair, which is inclined to
curl.
The quarteron and quinteron are often handsome, have good figures, a
fair complexion, with blue eyes and light coloured hair; they are mild
and obliging, but have not the intrepidity nor lively imagination of the
mulatto.
I have not attributed drunkenness to any of the castes, for excepting
that of the African negro it is not common: perhaps the example of the
abstemious Spaniards is the cause of this sobriety.
The principal place of public amusement in Lima is the theatre, which
is a small but commodious building; its figure is nearly a semicircle,
having the stage for its diameter. The boxes, of which there are two
rows, are all private, being separated from one another by slight
partitions: they will each hold eight persons very comfortably. The pit
is filled with benches, which have backs, and are most conveniently
divided into seats by low arms. This part of the theatre exclusively
belongs to the men; but no soldiers, sailors, or people of colour,
without they be genteelly dressed, are admitted. Behind the pit and
under the lower tier of boxes is an area for the lower classes of men;
the gallery is the part appropriated to women of the lowest order. The
Viceroy's box was on the left side of the stage, and the nearest to it:
thus his Excellency gave his right side to no one; it was neatly fitted
up, with a crimson velvet canopy over it, and hangings of the same
colour on the outside, with a state chair, and others for his family,
gentlemen in waiting, and pages. The box for the cabildo is in the
centre, in the front of the stage. A guard of soldiers always attends on
the nights of performance, which are Thursdays and Sundays, and every
great festival, except during Lent, when the theatre is closed. The
scenery is not despicable, and I have seen some good performers, both
comic and tragic; but these are principally Spaniards.
The bull circus is a capacious building; with rooms in the lower parts,
having a sufficient open space to witness the fight; over these are
eight rows of seats, rising one above another; and behind them are the
boxes, or rather galleries, where the principal spectators take their
stations, and to which all the youth and beauty of Lima, in their
richest attire, resort. The gallery for the Viceroy is opposite to the
door where the bulls enter: it is large and handsome. The area is eighty
yards in diameter, and in the centre is a safety station, formed by
driving poles into the ground, at a sufficient distance from each other
to allow a man to pass when he is closely pursued by a bull.
Scarcely any person speaks of the Spanish diversion of bull-fighting
without pretending to be shocked; but the same person will dilate on a
boxing-match with every symptom of delight. I have seen Englishmen
shudder and sympathize with a horse wounded by a bull, who would have
been delighted to have seen Spring "darken one of Langan's peepers."
When we have nothing to correct at home let us find fault with our
neighbours; for my own part, I am a friend to bull-fights, but an enemy
to pugilistic homicide. If the amateurs of this "manly exercise" assert,
that it teaches a man how to defend himself against another, I reply,
that bull-fighting teaches him how to defend himself against a furious
animal.
I shall not give a precise detail of this spectacle; but merely notice a
few circumstances connected with it. At three o'clock, the circus, which
holds nearly twenty thousand persons, is generally full. The spectators
are of every colour--we have the European white, the American Indian,
and the African negro, with all the shades produced by their mixture,
and all are dressed in as fine attire as they can afford. One or two
companies of soldiers attend, and after performing some fanciful
evolutions in the arena, they take their stations, the band of military
music being placed in front of the Viceroy's gallery. On the arrival of
his excellency the trumpets sounded, the fighters, on foot and on
horseback, handsomely dressed in pink and pale blue satin, with cloaks
of the same stuff, began to parade the area; the first bull immediately
entered, often very gaily caparisoned--his horns sheathed in silver, the
body covered with a loose cloth of tissue, brocade, or satin, having on
his back a silver filigree basket filled with artificial flowers or
fireworks. He is at first baited by holding a cloak to him, at which he
butts, when the baiter, drawing himself on one side, shakes it over his
head as he passes: at a signal from one of the regidores, who presides
as umpire, the man appointed kills the bull, either by running him
through with a sword, receiving him on the point of a strong lance, or,
crossing him when at full speed at a cloak presented to him, he stabs
him behind the horns, and the ferocious animal experiences so sudden a
check, that he frequently falls dead at the feet of the matador. Six
horses drawing a small car immediately enter, and the horns of the dead
bull being secured by hooks and a chain, he is dragged out, and another
brought in. The annual fightings are on the eight Mondays next after
Christmas, and the number of bulls killed each afternoon, from three to
six o'clock, is generally sixteen or eighteen.
The royal cockpit is a daily resort, excepting Sundays. Many good mains
of cocks are fought, and an afternoon seldom passes without four or five
pair being matched. The pit is surrounded with ranges of seats, above
and behind which is a range of galleries. Every cock has one large
lancet-shaped spur fastened to his leg, his own spur being first cut
off: for this operation, as well as for placing the game within the
ring, several fancy men attend, and one of the regidores always acts as
umpire, and is paid for performing this judicial duty. The cockpit, as
well as the theatre, belongs to the hospital of San Andres.
There are several places in the suburbs for skittles and bowls; but they
are more frequented by Spaniards, particularly Biscayans, than by
creoles.
The public walks, _paseos_, are part of the Callao road, as far as the
willows extend. The new _alameda_, which has a double row of high
willows, a coachway between them, and foot walks on each side, with two
ranges of seats built of brick, is about a mile in length along the
river side, having a very commodious cold bath at the farther end,
formed by a spring of beautiful limpid water. One large bath is walled
round, with a covering of vines over a trellis roof. There are also
twenty small private baths, to which a great number of people resort
during the summer. The water after supplying the baths is employed in
turning a corn-mill, and then in the irrigation of several gardens. The
old alameda is also in the suburbs of San Lazaro: it is about half a
mile long, has a double row of willows and orange trees on each side,
enclosing shady foot walks with stone benches, and a carriage-way in
the middle. There are three old fountains in the carriage-way, and a
beautiful view of the convent and church of San Diego at the northern
extremity, having the _beaterio_, house of female seclusion, called the
Patrocinio, with a neat chapel, on one side, and the small chapel and
convent of the _recoleta de los Agonizantes_, on the other. On one side
of this alameda the Viceroy Amat had built a large shallow reservoir or
basin, with some beautiful lofty arches, like a portico, in the Grecian
order, at one end; also the necessary pipes were laid for conveying
water to the top of the central arch, from whence it was to have fallen
into the basin, forming a most beautiful cascade; but he was superseded
before the work was finished; and, as one Viceroy has seldom attended to
any thing left unfinished by his predecessor, this work, like the road
to Callao begun by the Viceroy Higgins, remains unfinished.
To these public paseos such numbers of the fashionable inhabitants
resort on Sundays and other holidays, particularly in the afternoons,
that as many as three hundred carriages may sometimes be counted: the
richer tradesman in his calesa, drawn by one mule; the nobleman in his
coach and two; the titled of Castile in a coach and four; and formerly,
the Viceroy in his coach and six; he being the only person in Lima,
excepting the archbishop, who enjoyed this distinction. Gentlemen seldom
go in the coaches, so that the beauty of Lima have the temporary
privilege of riding alone, and nodding without reserve to their amorous
_galanes_, who parade the side walks. The _paseo de los alcaldes_, the
procession of new mayors, is in the old alameda, and is always an
occasion of great bustle, being on new year's day. The Viceroy never
attended, because his dignity would have been eclipsed by the brilliant
liveries and gay appearance of the alcaldes.
The principal bathing places are Miraflores, one league from the city:
it is a pretty village, with several handsome _ranchos_, or cottages.
Chorrillos, two leagues from Lima; a large village, with a very neat
church, being a parish of indians. Here the descent to the sea is very
commodious, and those who prefer bathing to gaming generally visit this
place; but there is nevertheless a considerable portion of the latter
fashionable amusement here. Lurin is about seven leagues from the
capital, it is also a parish of indians, and a place of great resort for
the higher classes of gamesters:--the distance precludes a too numerous
concourse of the lower orders of society.
The piazzas of the plasa mayor are crowded every night from seven
o'clock till ten with the frail part of the female sex. A range of
tables with ices, lemonade, and other refreshments stand on the outside
of the piazzas, with benches for the weary and thirsty to rest upon. At
eight o'clock the _retreta_, the different bands of military music,
leave the palace door: this is a great attraction, and forms an excuse
for many a fair visitor to attend the piazza. The bridge, as has been
already mentioned, is another place for evening chit chat. The piazzas
are the genteel lounge on a Sunday and the morning of a holiday, when
they are generally much crowded.
The _paseo de las lomas_, or _de los amancaes_, as it is called, is a
visit to the hills on the north side of Lima on the days of St. John and
St. Peter. The _amancaes_, yellow daffodils, being then in flower, the
hills are covered with them. At this time of the year the cattle are
driven from the farms to the mountains to feed; for as soon as the
_garuas_, fogs, begin, they are covered with verdure, so that the
principal incitement is to drink milk, eat custards, rice-milk, &c. In
the evening it is very amusing to see thousands of people in coaches, on
horseback, and on foot, returning to the city, almost covered with
daffodils, of which each endeavours to collect the largest quantity.
One of the peculiarities which excites the attention of a stranger in
Lima is the tolling of the great bell of the cathedral at about
half-past nine in the morning: at this time the host at high mass is
elevated; the oracion bell is rung at sunset. In the morning the bustle
and noise in the market may be loud enough to astound an unaccustomed
observer, but the bell tolls, and instantaneously all is silent as the
tomb--not a whisper, not a footstep is heard; as if by enchantment all
in a moment becomes motionless; every one takes off his hat, many kneel
till the third knell is heard, when the bustle, noise, and confusion
again commence. In the evening the scene is repeated, the oracion bell
tolls, and motion ceases in every direction; the buyer and the seller
stand like statues, and the half spoken word hangs on the lips until the
third knell is heard, when crossing themselves devoutly, they bow to
each other, and a general "good night," _buena noche_, sets them at
liberty again to follow their avocations. I never could help admiring
this method of reminding every individual to thank his Creator for
blessings received during the day, and to crave his kind protection
during the night. I have often been pleased with the solemnity produced,
for, without entering any particular place of worship, a place perhaps
where the tenets are contrary to the religious creeds of many
individuals, all
"TO THEE whose temple is all space,
Whose altar, earth, sea, skies,"
may pray and praise in the manner their inclination or fancy may direct
them. If the curfew of England were tolled for the same purpose it would
perhaps be more consonant to the use of bells placed in a building
dedicated to God, than to the now obsolete order for extinguishing
fires, of which not one in a hundred knows the origin.
Respecting the feasts of the church, that of Corpus Christi is very
splendid. The procession leaves the cathedral attended by all the civil
and military authorities holding large wax tapers, the different orders
of friars, the dean and chapter, and the archbishop, under a splendid
canopy, supported by twelve priests in their robes of ceremony, his
grace bearing the host or consecrated wafer, which is deposited in a
superbly rich hostiarium. The military force is drawn up in the square,
or plasa mayor, and after kneeling and pointing their bayonets to the
ground, the banners and flags being prostrated as the sacrament passes,
they all join in the procession, falling in at its rear; and when the
archbishop turns round at the principal porch and blesses the people,
the artillery and musquetry fire a salute. The most particular feature
in this procession is the assistance of all the clubs or cofradias of
the Africans: each separate company has its appropriate national music
and songs, some of them carrying wooden idols on their heads, and
dancing about with them among those who belong to their confraternity.
Santa Rosa, being a native of Lima, and patroness of America, has a
solemn feast and procession from the church of Santo Domingo to the
cathedral on the last day of August. It is generally attended by a great
number of ladies, wearing wreaths of red and white artificial roses
round their waists and the bottom of their _sayas_. The Viceroy and the
tribunals also attended in this procession.
There are many other processions which it would be useless and
unentertaining to mention. Those of San Francisco and Santo Domingo
present the peculiarity of having the two effigies carried from their
respective churches, so as to meet in the plasa mayor, where they salute
each other by bows, &c., and are then carried to the church where the
feast is celebrated. The host gives his right side to the guest, and
after the feast is concluded he accompanies him home to his own church.
On the day of San Francisco the friars of the order regale all the
prisoners in the different gaols with a good dinner; and those of Santo
Domingo do the same on the day of their patriarch.
The publication of the bulls, once in two years, happened on the day of
St. Thomas the Apostle. The commissary-general was received at the door
of the cathedral under a pall or canopy: he carried a bull of the
crusade hung round his neck, and proceeded to the high altar, where he
delivered it to the notary-public of the crusade, who, although a
civilian, ascended the pulpit, and read the address of the
commissary-general to the congregation. After this high mass was
celebrated, and an appropriate sermon preached, setting forth the virtue
of the bulls, and the great benefit derived from their purchase. This
discourse in the year 1804 was rather ridiculous, because the King had
raised the price of the bull of the crusade, and the good priest had not
only to exhort the faithful to continue the holy practice of purchasing
the bull, but to reconcile them to the additional tax imposed. This, he
said, was to supply his Catholic Majesty with money for the purpose of
carrying on the war against the English and other heretics. Such is the
belief in the efficacy of these bulls, and so great is the revenue
derived from the sale of them, that the new governments of Chile, Buenos
Ayres, and, I was told, of Mexico and Colombia, re-printed them, and for
some time continued the hoax. A priest in Chile, of whom I inquired
whether the new government had a right to profit by a papal dispensation
granted to the King of Spain, their enemy, answered me very archly, that
a bull of the patria was as good as a bull of the pope; and that if the
Viceroy Pesuela had a right to take the money from the treasury of the
crusade at Lima, for the purpose of paying the expedition sent against
Chile, the government of Chile had only followed the Christian-like
example of their forefathers, who came to America for the purpose of
preaching the gospel, and thus saving from the power of satan the souls
of millions of infidels; but, continued he, laughing most heartily, if
they try it again, I dare say they will find themselves like the man who
went for wool and returned shorn: _que fue por lana, y volvio
trasquilado_.
I was at Lima when the Viceroy Abascal made his public entrance, and
also when the Viceroy Pesuela entered, who was probably the last that
ever will enter, (La Serna, the nominal Viceroy, being no better than a
traitor to Spain, having assumed the authority after he deposed Pesuela)
I shall therefore give a short description of this formal ceremony.
On the arrival of the new Viceroy at Mansanilla, about four miles from
Lima, he sent an officer, with the title of Ambassador, to inform his
predecessor, that it being the will and pleasure of his Majesty that he
should take upon himself the government of the kingdom of Peru, he
should enter the capital the day following; a circumstance of which he
begged leave to apprize his Excellency, that he might be prepared to
resign the command, because his authority would cease: such being the
orders of the Sovereign. The Viceroy immediately sent a messenger to his
successor, to compliment him on his safe arrival. The two persons chosen
by the chiefs for this ceremony were rewarded by them respectively with
minor governments in Peru, this being the general custom; so that the
first and the last act of a Viceroy was to confer a favour on some
protegée. On the following morning the Viceroy Marquis de Aviles had an
interview with his successor Abascal, but he returned to dinner at the
palace, while his successor partook of a splendid dinner at Mansanilla,
to which the principal nobility were invited. In the afternoon the
Viceroy Aviles went in state to meet Abascal; they met on the road, and
each alighted from his carriage: Aviles here presented Abascal with a
gold headed cane or bâton, the insignia of the government of the
kingdom; they then stepped into each other's coach, and entered the
city, which on this occasion was splendidly adorned, all the streets
through which the cavalcade passed being hung with tapestry, silk
curtains, and other gay hangings. The steeples of the churches were
ornamented with flags, and every bell was ringing. When the Viceroy
Marquis de la Palata entered Lima in 1682, the streets through which the
procession passed were all paved with bars of silver. The new Viceroy
proceeded to his palace, where one of the alcaldes, deputed for the
purpose, waited his arrival, and received and acknowledged him on the
part of the city. On the following day all the courts, civil and
ecclesiastical, bodies corporate, and communities waited on him, and at
ten o'clock accompanied him to the cathedral, where Te Deum was
chaunted. On his return to the palace the archbishop called on the
Viceroy, who immediately afterwards returned the compliment; this is
the only visit which a Viceroy paid. At twelve o'clock the new Viceroy
went in state to the chamber of the audience, and took the oath of
administration. The Viceroy Abascal dispensed with many ceremonies which
Pesuela did not; I shall therefore subjoin them.
A few days after the arrival of Pesuela in Lima, a day was fixed for his
entrance in state; the streets and steeples were ornamented as on the
public entrance, with the addition of several triumphal arches, one with
a gate was placed close to the church of Montserrat, near to the city
wall. The Viceroy left the city early in the morning for Callao, and
visited the fortifications; at nine o'clock he returned, and having
arrived at the gate, which was shut, the captain of the escort alighted
and knocked; the captain of the guard at the gate opened the postern,
and asked who was there? Being answered, the Viceroy and captain-general
of the kingdom, he closed the postern. The principal alcalde now
advanced and passed the postern, and the Viceroy alighted from his
horse, and the gate was thrown open: the alcalde then presented a golden
key to the Viceroy, who, and his retinue of chamberlain, groom,
chaplain, physician and pages, mounted their gaily caparisoned horses,
prepared by the city, and the procession began in the following order:--
The cavalry then in the city; four pieces of artillery and the necessary
artillery-men; the city militia; the troops of the line; the colleges,
the university, the professors being dressed in the habits of their
respective professions; the chamber of accompts; all the members of the
audience, with their togas and golas, mounted on horses covered with
black velvet embroidered trappings; the magistracy in crimson velvet
robes, lined with crimson brocade, and small black caps on their heads.
Eight members of the corporation, regidores, walked supporting an
elegant crimson and gold canopy over the head of the Viceroy on
horseback, and the two alcaldes in their magisterial robes, acted as
equerries to his Excellency, holding the reins of his horse. The whole
cavalcade was closed by the body guard of halberdiers and that of
cavalry. It passed through several of the principal streets, and halted
in the plasa mayor, in front of the cathedral, where the archbishop and
chapter received the Viceroy as Vice-patron, and one of the minor canons
offered incense to him at the door. Being seated, Te Deum was chaunted,
after which the Viceroy mounted his horse and proceeded to his palace,
where a splendid dinner was provided for him by the city. On the
evening of this and the two following days grand balls and routs were
given at the palace to the nobility, and free admittance to the
_tapadas_ was granted to the galleries, corridors, and gardens. The
tapadas are females who are either not invited, or their rank does not
allow them to attend in public, but who come to the fête covered, so as
to prevent their being known; a great deal of vivacity and spirited wit
is often heard among them. This manner of being present at any public
entertainment is general in South America, and it is almost impossible
to prevent it.
Three days of bull fighting followed in honour of the Viceroy, and two
in honour of the ambassador who brought the news of his arrival; all at
the expence of the cabildo. These were held in the plasa mayor, which
was converted into a temporary circus on the occasion; there were also
performances at the theatre on the evenings of the same days.
The university prepared for Pesuela a poetical wrangle, adapted to
display the ingenuity and learning of the professors and members. The
rector published the themes, and an account of the different prizes,
which consisted of pieces of plate. On the day appointed, the cloister
and courts of the university were adorned with splendid magnificence;
the pillars and walls were hung with emblematical devices, and with
shields containing poetical inscriptions in Latin and Spanish. On the
entrance of the Viceroy, he was conducted to the rectoral chair,
ornamented for the occasion, which with the canopy, cushions, and table
cover, had a most magnificent appearance. The rector took his seat
opposite to his Excellency, and in a formal manner expressed the
happiness which the university enjoyed in the presence of its
Vice-patron, with more flattery and more adulation than ever were
uttered by any other man. Several of the professors next addressed him,
in speeches as fulsome as need be; after which the rector rose, and
presented to Pesuela, on a silver salver of great value, four
nominations to the degree of doctor, which he had the privilege to give
to any of his protegées, certain that in their examination they would
not only pass for the nominations, but be excused the payment of the
honorarium, which is about a thousand dollars for each diploma. The
Viceroy was then conducted to the library, where a grand collation was
set out for himself and suite, after partaking of which he retired to
his palace. In the evening there was a splendid assembly, and
_refresco_, a cold collation, prepared for those who had the honour of
an invitation, as well as the tapadas, who attend uninvited. On the
following day the salver, which cost two thousand dollars, was presented
to the Viceroy, with the nominations, by two deputies from the
university. A few days afterward the rector waited on the Viceroy and
presented him with a printed copy of the speeches, poetry, &c. elegantly
bound, and covered with crimson velvet, with gold clasps and other
ornaments.
The colleges and convents had similar days of poetical contest, and each
of them presented his Excellency with an ornamented copy of their
effusions.
Flattery in these cases knows no limits. All the prize productions were
signed with the names of the different individuals belonging to the
family of the Viceroy; so that all the prizes, being as I have said
pieces of plate, valuable both for the metal and workmanship, go to the
palace.