TEPEHUAS AND TOTONACS
(1900)
Leaving Puebla on the early morning train, and taking the Pachuca branch
at Ometusco, we changed cars at Tepa onto the narrow-gauge Hidalgo
road for Tulancingo, which took us by a winding course through a great
_maguéy_ country. After two hours of riding, in the latter part of which
we were within sight of a pretty lakelet, we reached Tulancingo. Broad
avenues, bordered with handsome trees, connected the station with the
town, in the _plaza_ of which we shortly found ourselves. This _plaza_
consists of a large square, planted with trees, with an open space
before it, and is surrounded by various shops and the great church.
It is pretentious, but desolate. In front of the treed space, were
temporary booths erected for the carnival, in which _dulces, aguas
frescas_, and _cascarones_ were offered for sale. Hawkers on the streets
were selling _cascarones_, some of which were quite elaborate. The
simplest were egg-shells, dyed and stained in brilliant colors, and
filled with bits of cut paper; these were broken upon the heads of
persons as they passed, setting loose the bits of paper which became
entangled in the hair and scattered over the clothing. Some had, pasted
over the open ends, little conical caps of colored tissue-paper. Others
consisted of a lyre-shaped frame, with an eggshell in the center of the
open part. Some had white birds, single or in pairs, hovering over the
upper end. The carnival was on in full force, and we saw frequent bands
of maskers. They went in companies of a dozen or so, dressed like
clowns, with their clothing spotted and striped with red. Their faces
were concealed by cloth. They walked rapidly, almost ran, through the
streets. They spoke to no one, and did nothing except to keep up a loud
and constant trilling of the most ridiculous kind. Packs of youngsters
chased behind and crowded upon them; they also pelted them with stones,
and the head of one of the maskers was bleeding quite profusely, but he
still kept up his headlong run and trilling. We had counted upon the
assistance of the _jefe_, but found him too dignified to receive us
outside of office hours, and therefore we arranged the matter of
our transportation to Huachinango. The price was high, the coach
inconvenient, and the _cochero_ unaccommodating. In vain we tried to
have all of our plaster taken in the load with us; only one-half could
go, the balance must follow the succeeding day. Finally, at about ten in
the morning, we lumbered heavily away, and were soon out of the town,
passing through a brown, hilly district, at first devoted to _pulque_
plantations, but further along becoming fine pastureland. Neat fields,
separated by bands of yellow, unplowed stubble, and true farm-houses of
good size, were striking features. We passed through quantities of pine
groves, and everywhere a cold wind blew strongly in our faces. At one
place, we were obliged to dismount and walk, on account of the sharp
descent, and found ourselves upon an ugly piece of limestone or
sandstone rock, which soon, to our surprise, we found replaced by a
solid mass of obsidian. The _cochero_, says that the place is known
as _itzlis_--the obsidians, the knives. It was 2:30 when we reached
Aguazotepec, where we called upon the _presidente_, and engaged a
_mozo_, for a _peso_, to convey our instruments the balance of the
journey, as we were completely tired out with carrying them upon our
knees. We also arranged with that official to forward the balance of
our stuff to Huachinango the following day. We also arranged to pay
for horses from Aguazotepec to Huachinango. Having eaten an excellent
dinner, when ready for resuming our journey, we discovered, with
surprise, that the stage was still our conveyance to Venta Colorado,
only a league from Huachinango. There we were to secure the animals
for which we had paid, though we were warned that only three could be
supplied. Manuel and Louis at once tossed coins to see which should
ride first. Although we had paid the full cost of the coach, two other
passengers were crowded in upon us, and the man, for whom we had paid
the _peso_ to carry our instruments, ran alongside the coach on foot,
throwing stones at the mules, while we had again the pleasure of
carrying the instruments and boxes on our knees. The country through
which we rode was much as before. For some time we passed through a fine
pine forest; then we made a deep descent into a valley, at the bottom of
which flowed a large stream, which was bridged by a grand old structure
of stone and cement. This descent, and the opposite ascent, we were
obliged to make on foot, as the approaches were bad. We have been
impressed strongly with the fact that everywhere in Mexico the worst
bits of road are those which, in old Spanish days, were handsomely
and well paved; and which, during the disturbed period of the early
Republic, were neglected and allowed to go to decay. It is depressing to
see so many evidences of past magnificence and present poverty. It was
almost dusk when, after skirting the edge of a deep gorge, we reached a
piece of bad road, where the coach with difficulty made its way, with
frightful jolts and pitchings, till we drew up at Venta Colorado. Here
the coach was finally abandoned. Our animals were packed and mounted,
and after fussing and quarreling with our ugly _cochero_ as to whether
he or we should carry the bulk of our baggage, we started. The distance
was not great. It was down hill, and we had to pick our way with great
care over the rough road, filled with loosened and separated blocks of
ancient paving.
This district, in one respect, reminded us of the Tarascan country.
Every house along the road was a sales-place, where drinks, cigarettes,
fruit and bread were offered, and each had the little boarded window,
open when sales were solicited, and closed when business stopped. The
houses, too, were log structures with shingled four-pitched roofs, and
the houses in the town were well built, cement-walled, with low-sloped,
far projecting tile roofs supported on trimmed beams. One might as well
have been in Patzcuaro, Uruapan, or Chilchota. Again the _cochero_; we
had told him that the stuff should go to the _jefatura_, and not to the
hotel; he told us with great insolence that the _jefatura_ was closed,
and that it would be impossible to see the _jefe_ and that the stuff
would remain at the hotel; he followed us, when we went to the _jefe's_
house, and great was his surprise when he found our order efficacious.
We had a long talk with the _jefe_, who told us that few indians lived
in the town, and that none of them were Totonacs; he assured us that,
though there were no Totonacs in Huachinango, we could find them in
abundance at Pahuatlan, to which he recommended us to go. The nearest
indian town to Huachinango is Chiconcuauhtla, but it is Aztec. The next
day was spent in town, waiting for our other baggage, and for the _jefe_
to arrange our orders and lay out our journey. My day of fever was on,
and I spent it mostly in bed. There were many indians in the market,
most of whom were Aztecs, though a few were Otomis. The men wore dark
brown or black _cotones_; the _enaguas_ of the women were wool and were
dark blue or black. Many carried on their shoulders carry-pouches,
consisting of two rectangular frames of sticks, corded together along
the lower side, and kept from opening too widely, above, by a net of
cords at the ends. The indians of Chiconcuauhtla are easily recognized
by their little flat, round caps. Late in the afternoon the bands of
maskers, here called the _huehuetes_, were out. There were a dozen of
them, dressed in absurd costumes; a bewhiskered Englishman in loud
clothing, a gentleman, a clown, a lady, etc. These all went, by twos,
on horseback; a clown and a devil and a boy with a prod, on foot,
accompanied them. The duty of the latter, who remotely resembled death,
was to prod the unhappy devil. They were accompanied by noisy crowds the
several times they made the rounds of the town, keeping up the peculiar
trilling, which we had noticed at Tulancingo. At dusk, these maskers
dismounted and promenaded in couples about the _plaza_.
Nowhere, as in this region, have we had so much difficulty with regard
to animals. The demands were so exorbitant that we insisted upon the
_jefe_ making the arrangements. He received us in anything but a
pleasant mood, but acceded, and finally we secured four horses and four
mules, for which we were to pay for two full days, and a foot _mozo_ to
whom we also were to pay two full days' wages. As the _jefe_ himself
had made this arrangement, we consented to it, but the man who was
outfitting us then demanded pay for the _mozo_ who went to bring back
the horses and for the fodder of the animals. At this, even the _jefe_
balked, declaring that he was not in favor of really robbing the
gentlemen. Paying him the seventeen dollars and twenty-five cents, in
order that there might be no further discussion, we started. Just as we
left, the man who supplied the animals decided that our loads, which
before had been so large, were really not too large for three mules,
which number was actually sent with us, though we had paid for four.
We were ready for starting at seven, but it was ten before we left.
Meantime, clouds had gathered, and just as we started, rain began. There
were first several separate showers, and then a steady downpour, which
lasted almost till we reached Pahuatlan. All the blankets had been
packed away, and we rode through the rain until our clothes were
drenched through and through. For three hours this continued, and it
was impossible to see anything of the country through which we passed.
Finally, however, as we reached a great crest, and looked down into the
valley beyond, the sky was clear and we could see something of the scene
about us. The descent we were to make, and the slope in front, were
covered with sugar-cane, broken here and there by great patches of
pineapples. With each plantation of sugar-cane there was a little
shelter of poles under which was a sap-trough or boiling-tank, while at
the side of and behind the shelter was a rude mill, the power for which
was furnished by a yoke of oxen. Boys fed the fresh cane between the
crushing rollers, and the sap, as it ran out, was carried in little
troughs to vats. Not at all these little shelters was sugar-making in
progress, as we passed, but over both slopes many columns of smoke
indicated places where the work was going on. The fire in the vat kept
the sap boiling, and a man standing near with a great ladle, pierced
with holes, kept dipping up and pouring out the hot sap. When we started
up the great ascent we had no hint of Pahuatlan, and, when we reached
the summit, could see nothing of it. But hardly had we begun the descent
before we saw the large and handsome town below, but still with a long
slope and a sharp ascent to be passed, before we could reach it. From
the brook-side, at the bottom of the valley, almost to the village
itself, we passed through a dense growth of bananas, which seemed to
have suffered some damage, as many were dry and yellow, and individual
leaves were curiously tattered and jagged. Among them grew other plants,
coffee, orange-trees, peaches, and cane. When we reached the town, my
heart sank; a church with handsome dome and modern tower, a planted
_plaza_ with central fountain, buildings, of two stories with gaudy
fronts and _portales_, surrounding three sides of the square, augured
better for comfort while we were in the place, than for work
on Totonacs. We rode up to the _municipio_, where we found the
_presidente_, a rather stylish young fellow, who was interested in our
work and helpful. The town controls fourteen thousand persons, and its
name is derived from that of a large _ahuacate_, the Aztec name of which
is _pahuatl_. The _presidente_ assured us that there was no Totonac
town, properly speaking, within the limits of the _municipio_. For all
this district, Orozco y Berra makes many errors. Atla, which he lists as
Totonac, is really Aztec. The _presidente_, upon a local map, showed us
the interesting way in which natural barriers limit idioms. Two
little streams, coming together at an acute angle, may divide three
languages--one being spoken in the angle and one on either side.
In Tlaxco, a small village in this _municipio_, four idioms are
spoken--Aztec, Otomi, Totonac and Tepehua.
Two years before, just as my work was ending, we were in the great Otomi
town of Huixquilucan, in the state of Mexico. While resting at midday, I
noticed a neatly-dressed and clean young indian, plainly not Otomi, with
whom I conversed. He was an Aztec, and much interested in the work we
were doing. In our conversation, he told me that I would find much of
interest in the state of Hidalgo, and particularly called my attention
to the making of paper from bark, which he had observed in the town of
San Gregorio, two years before. This particularly interested me, and I
then made notes regarding the method of getting to San Gregorio. I was
advised by him, in case of going to that place, to talk with Don Pablo
Leyra, of Huehuetla, who was himself an Indian and a man of consequence
in the district--a sort of _cacique_ among his people. Several years
ago, I had first learned from Señor Eurosa, a Mexican Protestant
clergyman, that in the little town of Tlacuilotepec, there still survive
interesting pagan practices. In planning our present journey, I had
arranged to visit San Gregorio and Tlacuilotepec for the purpose of
investigating this manufacture of paper and these pagan customs.
Inquiring of the _presidente_ of Pahuatlan about his indians, I asked
regarding paper-beating, and discovered that it was done at the nearest
indian village of San Pablito, Otomi. We were told that bark of several
species of trees was used--_jonote_, dragon, and mulberry; that the
paper is usually made secretly and in-doors; that the passing traveller
can hear the sound of light and rapid pounding as he passes through the
village; that it is made in every house, and the proper season is when
the sap runs, April to June; San Pablito is the only village in the
_municipio_ where it is made. It is used in _brujería_ (witchcraft);
other paper can be bought much cheaper, but only this kind is
serviceable. It is cut into _muñecos_; representing human beings and
horses and other animals, and these are used to work injury to human
beings and beasts, being buried in front of the house or in the
_corral_. The judge, who was sitting by, told us that a prisoner brought
before him for trial was found to carry such a paper figure, which was
sewed through the body with thread and had its lips sewed also; he
learned that this figure represented himself, and that the lips were
sewed to prevent him from pronouncing judgment on the prisoner. They
assured me that the nearest point for finding Totonacs or Tepehuas, in
sufficient numbers for my purpose, was in the district of Tenango del
Doria, where, at Huehuetla, we would find the largest Tepehua town, and
that in Pantepec, which is in the district of Huachinango, and near
Huehuetla, we would find Totonacs. We had had such ill success in
locating Totonacs so far, that, at our suggestion, they telephoned to
the _jefe_ at Tenango inquiring regarding the populations of Huehuetla
and Pantepec, with the result that we decided to visit those towns.
At Tulancingo, we had been snubbed by the _jefe_, who would not treat
with us outside of office hours. When the _presidente_ of Pahuatlan took
us to the house where arrangements had been made for our accommodation,
we found a garrulous, simple-minded, individual who was set to clear
our room and make our beds. To myself, as leader of the company, he
was attentive and ceremonious in the highest degree, and on several
occasions he took my companions to task for their ignorance regarding
the proper deference to display toward me. He inquired whether we were
acquainted with Señor Arroyo, _jefe politico_ of Tulancingo, and then
informed us, with pride that that gentleman was his "Señor Padre."
"If so, Señors, you may well ask why you see me thus dressed in
_calzoncillos_. For two reasons: first, I am not a legitimate son, no,
Señors, my lady mother, who bore me was an Otomi indian, but I am the
acknowledged illegitimate son of my honored Señor Padre. Second, I had
the misfortune to be involved in trouble in the district of Del Doria,
which forced me to flee from that district to escape the _jefe_. But,
sir, my Señor Padre said to me, 'son, I am the _jefe politico_ of
Tulancingo and the governor of the State is Pedro L. Rodriguez; I am his
intimate friend, and we shall succeed in ousting that _jefe_ in Tenango
del Doria who has ordered your arrest.'" He also told us of one time,
when his Señor Padre and an inspector visited that unfortunate district
as an investigating committee, and found the _jefe_ guilty and put him
in jail _incomunicado_. He also told us of the band of Pahuatlan, justly
famous, which made so great an impression in one town it visited,
that it determined to go to Tulancingo to serenade the _jefe_ of that
district, his honored Señor Padre. "And I was invited, sir, not that I
am a musician or know one note from another, but because I am of
the family of the gentleman who was to be honored, and as a mark of
distinguished favor to both members of the family. The band played so
beautifully, that it was not allowed to stop until half-past-eleven at
night, when it retired in great triumph." All this was very interesting,
the first time it was told us, but the natural son remained while we ate
supper, and afterwards, following us to our sleeping-room, kept up the
repetition until two were already in bed and asleep and the others
wished to be, when, finally, we turned him out and locked the door upon
him for the night. We have stated that we paid for four animals to bring
our baggage hither, while but three were actually employed; the animals,
both pack and passenger, started on their journey for Huachinango at
half-past-four in the afternoon, though we had paid both beast and man
two full days' wages.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
Tlacuilotepec is a dependency of Pahuatlan. We started for our day's
trip thither on a good lot of animals, at eight o'clock in the morning,
with two foot _mozos_ for carriers. The journey was delightful. For a
little, we followed a trail down the left-hand bank of a fine ravine.
Nearly at the foot we struck to the left, through a little cut, and were
surprised to find ourselves upon the right-hand slope of another gulf of
immense depth. A few minutes later, we reached the point where the two
streams united. And from there on, for a long time, we followed the
bottom of a great gorge. The rock walls were bold and often sheer, and
the upper line of mountain horizon was graceful and varied. The cliffs
were mostly limestone, and presented remarkable examples of folding and
dislocation. The long roots of trees, following exposed rock surfaces
downward for yards, and twisting and bending to find lodgment in the
crevices, were curious. Great tufts of a plant with long, narrow,
light-green leaves hung down along vertical rock faces. In little
caverns, at the foot of cliffs, were damp spots filled with ferns and
broad-leaved caladiums, and brilliant clusters of begonias in bloom.
At several places, the water of springs or underground streams gushed
forth, in natural rock-basins, or from under projecting ledges. At one
spot, there was a dainty basin of limestone into which a pretty veil of
spring water fell gracefully. We crossed and recrossed the stream many
times. Everywhere we were within sound of the creaking sugar-mills, and
in sight of the ladling of boiled sap; everywhere we met _arrieros_
driving animals loaded with little loaves of native sugar; everywhere
the forest was broken with little patches of sugar-cane, growing on the
slopes. Here and there, we saw cables slung across the streams, for
passing cargoes at high water. At one place was a fine display of
basaltic columns, the position of which was horizontal, the flow having
come up as a sheet injected from below, and not as a surface out-flow,
where the jointage would have been vertical. Finally, leaving this
beautiful ravine, we made a rapid ascent, passing a little village
consisting almost wholly of a school, noisy with study, and a church,
with a separate square tower. Shortly after reaching the summit, and
dipping slightly, we found Tlacuilotepec. It is not a large town. At its
center _mestizo,_ it has charge of several indian villages. We had
been referred for information concerning surviving paganism to a Señor
Martinez. We were interested in finding that the _presidente_ of the
town was a brother of this gentleman, and that both were Protestants. We
were received with great cordiality, not only on account of our official
introduction, but also because we brought an unofficial introduction
from Protestant friends. Two charming beds were arranged in the little
meeting-place in Señor Martinez's own house, and two others, almost as
good, were secured for the others of the party, in the little _meson_
of the village. As we chatted, we were refreshed with a delicious
orange-wine, which is made here, and during our days spent with Don
Quirino, we had meals fit for a king. The indians under his charge are
Otomis, and in one little village, Santa Maria, Totonac. When we came
to inquire regarding the pagan practice for which we were searching,
we learned that it was peculiar to the Otomis, and formed their annual
_costumbre_--custom. They believe that Montezuma is to come again.
Meantime, from him come health, crops, and all good things. Their
_costumbre_ is a feast given in his honor, of which he is believed to
partake. A _jacál_--hut--is prepared in a retired spot; a table is
constructed full length of the house within, and upon this a feast is
spread of which all partake.
Upon this table they place many _muñecos_ of paper; formerly these were
made of the bark paper, but they are now made of ordinary paper bought
in the stores. There may be so many of these that they cover the table
an inch or two thick. The feasters shove money, usually small pieces
of silver, beneath these figures. They then kill turkeys and hens and
chickens, and sprinkle the blood from the headless bodies over the
_muñecos_. This they do that Montezuma may be propitiated, and give them
what they desire; the money and the _muñecos_, sprinkled with blood, are
left upon the table after the feast, the former being stolen by passing
_mestizos_.
The _presidente_ stated that, at the _pueblito_ of Santa Maria, where we
should go upon the morrow to see some Totonacs, they had just celebrated
their annual _costumbre_. He said that it might be somewhat similar,
as they had sent him a headless turkey, as a gift. In the morning, we
visited this village accompanied by the two brothers. A half hour's ride
brought us to the spot, from which one gets one of the most lovely views
in all this picturesque country. Standing on the end of a little spur
upon which the village lies, one sees the handsome river below, which
separates this _municipio_ from that of Villa Juarez. To the left, rise
magnificent mountains covered with brilliant green vegetation, broken
here and there by bare rock faces, from the base of which gentle slopes,
extending down to the river, are covered with little corn-fields.
Cuauhtepec, a Totonac pueblo, where all are said to dress in white, lies
upon this stream, and immediately back from it the cultivated fields
of the village stretch up to the very crest. To the right, is seen
the little ranch Tanchitla, with its fields, a strip of green forest
separating these from the fields of the next village, Tlapajualla. The
stream abounds in fish of various kinds, which form an important food
supply. They are, however, rapidly being destroyed by the practice of
exploding dynamite cartridges in the water, by which not only the adult
fish, but the young, of all ages, are killed. Unless the practice soon
ceases, and there are rigid laws against it, there will soon be no fish
left in any of the streams of this whole region. This particular stream
bears different names in different portions of its course--thus it is
called Tanchitla, Pahuatlan, San Marcos, Caxones, Xico, etc.
Having noticed that here, as at Pahuatlan, the banana trees were badly
injured, we learned that this havoc was the result of two recent
hail-storms, which were felt over a wide area, and which were of almost
unexampled severity. By the time we had enjoyed the outlook, and learned
a little of the village, the messenger who had been sent to call the
people together had performed his duty, and a picturesque group of our
long-sought Totonacs were at hand. The women wear _quichiquemils_ of
native cotton cloth, the neck opening of which is over-hemmed with
black wool. Lines of crosses, rosettes, birds, etc., are worked in
various-colored wools upon them. Many of them have a broad line of
color, in geometrical combinations, running vertically up the middle.
The men wear _cotones_ of black and white.
Twenty-five or thirty of the more important men of the village were now
taken to the schoolhouse, where the _presidente_ inquired, for me, in
regard to the _costumbre_. At first a little hesitancy was shown, but
soon all were interested and talked freely. The _costumbre_ comes at
about the same time each year, though not upon a fixed date. Its purpose
is to secure health, good weather and crops for the coming year, though
it may be held on the occasion of pestilence. Everyone, even widows and
old maids, brings something for the feast. The celebration is held in
some large house, and lasts through two days; floral decorations are
arranged in the four corners of the room, candles are lighted, and
_copal_ is burned. The first day, each person brings a handful of earth
from his field, which is placed in a heap upon the floor. Fowls and
animals are slaughtered for the occasion; their heads are cut off and
their blood is sprinkled upon the earth. After feasting and drinking, a
dance follows, the dancers wearing crowns and necklaces of yellow arnica
flowers, and carry in their hands wands made of pine-splints wrapped
with corn-husks, and with a flower of arnica tied to each end. The
second day, corn on the ear and beans are brought instead of earth, and
these are sprinkled with blood. On both days, blood-sprinkled material
is carried home, and the seed and earth are later put into the field. In
the feasting-room, two paper lanterns are hung from the ceiling; these
are stuck over with gilt and colored paper disks and stars. They
represent the sun and stars. Upon these lanterns a cross of blood is
made, at the time when the earth and seed are sprinkled. After the dance
ends on the second day, children shoot at the lanterns with small arrows
and try to break them. Disappointed that no mention had been made of
bark paper in connection with this ceremonial, we asked whether they
ever used it. They answered promptly in the affirmative. For what? To
wrap _ocotes_. With this, the man who told me hastened out and came back
with a little parcel in his hand. This consisted of twelve little sticks
of pine about three inches long; they were tied together with a band of
thread or bark fibre, and were stained with blood; these were wrapped in
a piece of green banana leaf, the upper face of the leaf being placed
inside and the base of the leaf kept downward. When it had been thus
carefully folded, it was carried to the field and buried in a hole,
carefully dug, so that the top of the package was close to the surface
of the ground, and the face of the leaf wrapping was directed toward the
rising sun. To anyone who has studied American indian religions, these
two _costumbres_ suggest much of interest.
The young man who had been most interested in our proper understanding
of the _costumbre_ was anxious that we should see the village idols.
These are kept concealed, apparently in a cave, though it is possible
that they are buried in the ground. At all events, they exist, and in
considerable number. A lively discussion ensued as to whether it would
be proper to show them to us, and it was decided that nothing ought to
be done until the old woman, who is at the head of the pagan practices
of the village, should be present. It seems that in the _costumbre_,
already described, there are four priests or leaders. One of these is
the old woman just mentioned, and the other three are men. She was sent
for, and while we waited, we were told that, if we desired to see
the lanterns that were used in the last _costumbre_, they were still
preserved in the _santocalli. Santocalli_ is a mongrel word--from
Spanish _santo_, saint, and the Aztec _calli_, house. It was a little
structure of adobe and canes, close to the schoolhouse, and fronting
with it upon the little _plaza_ of the village. It had a two-pitched
thatched roof and a single door in the front. After some demur, it was
opened, and we entered. It consisted of a single plain room with two
benches made of beams along the wall. At the back was a terrible Christ
and Virgin, and, to the right and behind, another Virgin. These Virgin
figures were both small and unattractive, and both wore _quichiquemils_.
In front of the Christ and larger Virgin was a simple altar built
against the wall. In the floor, directly in front of it, were four small
hollows. To the right of the altar, a flat stone was set into the floor.
In front of the altar stood a small table on which were censers and
candle-sticks. Underneath this table, the space between the four
legs was occupied by a heap of ashes; in front and behind this were
ill-defined basin hollows. To beams in front of these were hung the
almost globular paper lanterns already mentioned. When we had seen these
lanterns, and were about to leave, the old _bruja_ appeared, with her
female acolyte. She was furious over the desecration of strangers
entering the _santocalli_, without her presence. She was a striking
figure; very small, with a wrinkled, shrewd and serious, but not unkind,
face; her white hair was almost concealed by her _rebozo_, which was
folded square and laid upon her head with a portion flowing behind.
The most striking thing was her great devotion, and complete unconcern
regarding all around her. Entering, she hastened to the altar,
knelt,--touched her forehead to the edge--and in a clear but not loud
voice crooned an impassioned cry to Christ, to San Jose and to the
Virgin. Imperiously turning to her acolyte, she seized the censer filled
with copal, and, having lighted it, incensed the figures. Turning to the
_presidente_, she asked whether he were going to placate the saint for
invasion by giving _aguardiente_ and candles, both of which appeared, as
if by magic, when she was given money. Pouring _aguardiente_ from the
bottle into a glass, she poured into the four basins in the ground
before the altar, before the Virgin, before and behind the heaps of
ashes under the table, and then placed it to the lips of the Virgin and
Christ, lovingly requesting them to partake. She then compelled each of
the three men priests to make the same libation. Taking the unlighted
candles, she made passes with them, over and across the figures, first
to one side and then to the other, brushing the wicks against them.
This, too, had to be done by the three assistants, after which the old
lady began to make vigorous personal use of the bottle of spirits,
though she was not at all selfish, urging, not only her acolytes, but
the _presidente_, his brother, and the chief guest, to partake. It was
too late to suggest a visit to the idols, but the curious scene we
had witnessed gave sufficient food for thought. Hurrying back to
Tlacuilotepec, we ate a last excellent dinner, which had been long
waiting, and at three left for Pahuatlan. Our host, who had been
unremitting in his attention, refused all money. At certain indian
houses which we passed upon our homeward way, we saw curious pouches
made of armadillo-shells, hanging upon posts or on the house walls. We
learned that they were used at planting-time for holding seed-corn.
When the shell is freshly removed from the animal, it is bent into the
required shape, and then packed full with wet ashes, to make it retain
its form in drying. Though it was half-past three when we left, the way
was so cool and delightful that we made the journey in three hours.
During our day at Pahuatlan, with a guide furnished by the _presidente_,
I made the journey on foot to Atla, an Aztec town, famous for the little
cotton sacks with red wool patterns, which are almost universally
carried by men throughout this district. White _cotones_, with narrow,
dark stripes and a transverse band of red decoration at each end, and
white _quichiquemils_, decorated with brilliant designs in red wool, are
also made here. Our object was not so much to see the village and the
garments, as to visit a famous witch's cave, situated in the noble
pinnacle of rock, plainly visible from Pahuatlan. The whole party
started out from Pahuatlan, but at the bottom of the great slope, I left
my companions to swim, while the guide and I, crossing a pretty
covered bridge, scarcely high enough for a man of my height wearing a
_sombrero_, went on. It was a long climb to the village, but, when
we reached there, my _mozo_ with great glee called my attention to
_bruhería_ directly at the side of the church. In front of the building,
to the right of the door as one enters, is a hole in the ground, into
which a few large stones have been clumsily thrown or laid. Here
chickens, flowers, eggs, etc., are buried, in order to secure good luck
or to restore health. Carefully removing some of the stones, we saw
ample evidences of such offerings, in bones, bits of egg-shells, and
dried flowers. From here, the climb was easy to the crest overlooking
the village, and to the curious tower-like mass projecting conspicuously
from it. The cave is situated in this mass of rock and faces almost
east; it is a shallow cavern, well-sheltered and dry, perhaps fifty feet
wide along the cliff's front, though only the eastern third, which is
the more completely worn out, is used for ceremonies; it is, perhaps,
no more than eight or ten feet deep, and has greater height than depth.
Within the cave itself we found a little table, a small chair, and two
blocks for seats. On either side of the table, a pole was set obliquely
against the wall. The upper end of the left-hand pole was tied with a
strip of palm which was looped through a hole in the rock wall. At two
or three other places, strips of palm had been slipped through natural
holes in the wall, behind bars of stone, and then tied. To the left,
were a censer and two candle-sticks, behind which, lying obliquely
against the wall, were twenty-five or thirty dance-wands. These were
sticks wrapped with corn-husks and tufted with clusters of flowers tied
about the middle and at each end. The flowers used were mostly the
yellow death-flower and purple ever-lastings. Two or three of them were
made with the yellow death-flower--_cempoalxochil_--alone. A few were
made of _xocopa_ leaves. While only twenty-five or thirty were in
position, hundreds of old ones lay on the bank to the left. Three small
crosses of wood were placed near the wands; much white paper, clipped
and cut into decorated designs, was lying about, as also wads of cotton,
colored wools, long strings of yarn, and bits of half-beaten bark fibre.
Near the front edge of the cave was a hole with large stones; here, with
a little scratching, we found feathers and bits of bone of turkeys and
hens, that had been sacrificed, as well as splints of pine tied together
with bark string. Wooden spoons, probably used in the banquets of the
witches, were stowed away in crevices of the rock. Chains of the yellow
death-flower were looped up against the wall. It is said that the people
of the town never enter here, but only _brujas_. Nor is it the exclusive
property of the witches of Atla, of whom there are but two or three, but
those of several pueblos make their rendezvous in this cave. In fact,
from the crest, we could see two other little towns that are interested
in this cave, though located in another valley.
[Illustration: THE PAGAN PRIESTESS AND HER ACOLYTE; SANTA MARIA]
[Illustration: THE WITCH'S CAVE AT ATLA]
Don Antonio, at whose house we stayed, told us that San Pablito is worse
for _bruhería_ than Atla. He says the people of that town make use of
_muñecos_ of wood, of various sizes. For these he makes many little
shoes, for which he charges five or six _reales_ a pair; at that time he
had orders for three pairs, and showed us the little forms or lasts he
employs, and the special leather; they are particular about this, using
black for shoes for males and red for females. He says they also
use little hats, _serapes, enaguas_ and _quichiquemils_, for their
_muñecos_. Some of these dolls they place on the altar in the church,
and consider them as sacred, though they remove them when they expect
the priest. Others they take to a lake in the district of Tenango, near
San Pablo el Grande, and leave them there as offerings. They also throw
money and other offerings into the lake.
We started at eight o'clock the following morning, bound for Tenango
del Doria. For a little time, after leaving Pahuatlan, we mounted, soon
finding ourselves at the top of a magnificent crest. From here the
descent was rapid and profound; in front of it rose an equally abrupt
slope to an even greater height; toward the left this presented a
wonderful knife-edge crest, jagged and toothed astonishingly, and on
this great slope, below the level where we were, we saw San Pablito,
prettily located. As it was Sunday, most of the people were on their
way to market, and we saw many Otomis, whose dark color and broad faces
reminded us of those in the state of Mexico, though they did not present
so marked a type. The _enaguas_ of the women consisted of an upper white
strip and a lower striped one, the colors in the latter being blue and
white, or white with a broad band of purplish blue, in which were woven
white designs. Their _quichiquemil_ was usually rather plain; white with
a broad band of red, magenta or purple, parallel to the edge. It might,
however, be decorated with a number of very small geometrical, floral,
and animal figures, worked in brown, purple and blue, which were never
so crowded as to destroy the white background. At 9:30 we reached the
schoolhouse and called out the teacher, to whom we delivered a letter
which the _presidente_ of Pahuatlan had given us for him. He summoned
the town authorities and we made known our wish to see some of the bark
paper. At first there was some hesitancy, but, at last, an old woman
produced two sheets which, she said, she made the day before. At our
wish she then brought out the _tabla_, or board of wood on which the
beating is done, and the stone for beating. The latter was smaller than
the ancient beating-stone, and not grooved upon the beating surfaces; it
had, however, the side notches for convenient holding in the hand. The
board on which the beating is done is smooth, and is constantly cleaned
and soaped. Two kinds of bark are used, _moral_ and _xalama_, the former
giving white, the latter a purplish paper. The bark is thoroughly washed
with lye-water taken from soaked maize; it is then washed with fresh
water and thoroughly boiled; it is split into thin strips which are
carefully arranged upon the board. First the border is laid out the size
of the sheet to be made; then, within this, strips are laid lengthwise,
side by side. All of this is then beaten with the stone until the sheet
of paper results. The paper when finished, presents two sides quite
different from each other; one, smooth and finished, is the surface that
was below in the beating, while the other, rougher, is the one that was
beaten with the stone. The sheets are dried in the sun, carefully folded
into convenient size, and done up in packages of a dozen, which are sold
to the indians in all the country round about. We secured seventeen
dozen sheets of this paper, and samples of the bark, and the board and
stone used in the beating.
While arrangements were being made for showing us these details
regarding paper-making, we visited the village church, which was very
mean and bare; we were disappointed to find nothing suspicious in the
way of _muñecos_. It was suggested that we should visit the _oratorio_,
where we found more. Here they held their _costumbre_ in June, or
thereabouts. Saints were arranged in the back of the room on a raised
altar; in front of this, running through the middle of the room, was a
table on which stood censers and small candle-sticks of rude pottery.
Upon the wall, over the saints, were decorations of rushes. Here the
whole village feast and dance. There were no _muñecos_ present, but we
found plenty of cut paper, most of which was probably decorative; the
most curious was cut into groups of human figures, some of which had
crowns and horns, or tufts of hair, upon the top of their heads. These
were said to be decorations for Montezuma, in whose honor the feast was
given. Leaving San Pablo at eleven, we rapidly made what remained of the
great ascent. As we neared the jagged crest of rock, it appeared more
irregularly gashed and pinnacled than ever. At the crest, leaving the
old road, which passed directly through the fantastic mass of rocks,
we reached San Nicolas, from which, on looking backward, we gained a
magnificent view of the valley and a fine waterfall, which shone like a
sheet of polished metal, far up the mountain side. From here our road
descended gently, but winding, in and out, through a series of narrow
valleys, lying between parallel ridges. As we passed the crest, we saw a
level field of green corn, which looked as if we must reach it in a few
minutes. But the curves of the road proved frightfully long. It was
after two o'clock before we reached the green field, and, just below it,
Tenango del Doria, and made our way to the _jefatura_.
When the _jefe_ came, we found, to our surprise, that he was the Don
Pablo Leyra of whom Xochihua had told us two years before. He is a pure
indian, tall, smooth-faced, of gentlemanly manner, and with all the
reserve characteristic of his race. He has lived at Huehuetla since
boyhood, forty-four years, till just now, and has but recently come to
take the position of _jefe politico_. He has not yet moved his family
from Huehuetla, and occupies a single room in his office-building. He
secured us a pleasant room, with good beds for the older, and good
mattresses for the younger, members of our party, in a house near-by
upon the hill. The _jefatura_ fills one side of the little _plaza_;
around the other side are _tiendas_, with high-pitched single roofs, and
private houses. The town suffers much from _nublina_, and is cold most
of the time.
[Illustration: INDIANS FISHING IN STREAM]
[Illustration: PAGANISM AND CHRISTIANITY]
We asked Don Pablo about the lake, concerning which we had heard. He
says it is not as much visited as formerly. While used by Otomis, and
others of this district, it is most favored by the Huaxtecs, parties of
whom go there from long distances. They visit it when there is drought,
for fear that the siren, who lives in it, is annoyed at their neglecting
to make gifts; when there is too copious rain, they visit it to beg her
to desist from sending more, and, when crops have been destroyed, to
placate her anger. Sometimes two or three hundred indians are in these
companies. They bring _muñecos_ of wood, cloth, clay, or even metal;
such are shod, clad and hatted. They leave these upon the shore. They
also bring seeds and strew them in the water, and some throw money in.
They also make offerings of turkeys and hens. Sometimes these bands
spend several days on the shore, dancing and eating.
We found that Don Pablo had arranged all our plans. We were to leave
at nine, dine at twelve at San Bartolo, leave there at one, and reach
Huehuetla between five and six. It was really only a quarter-past-nine
when we did start, and the _jefe_, himself, saw us on our way. The
journey was uneventful; the descents were gradual; we saw San Bartolo
long before we reached it; and, between it and us, there lay a valley,
like a narrow gash, down which we had to go, and up the other side of
which we had to climb. We passed Santa Maria, an insignificant town,
just before reaching the edge of this gully. From there we saw, in the
mountain ahead, above and behind San Bartolo, a great cavern which we
believe must belong to witches. Arriving at San Bartolo, we found
the market in full progress, and had ample opportunity to see the
characteristic dress of the women, with the little black, red and purple
designs embroidered upon the white ground. We were impressively received
at the town-house, for Don Pablo had telephoned them to be ready. Still,
we waited a long time for the promised dinner, but at half-past-one
climbed up a steep hill, in the rear of the town-house, to the home
of the _presidente's_ father, where a very elaborate meal had been
prepared, with wine and luxuries. All payment was refused, and, after we
had rested and refreshed ourselves, we left at half-past-two. The road
was long; it followed the side of a great gorge, into which it descended
abruptly; in this gorge we saw magnificent vegetation. The trees were
heavily hung with long vines and ferns; parasitic fig trees, hugging
victims whose life sap they were stealing, were abundant. The country
was of limestone. On the whole, the road was good, but, here and there,
were patches where we traveled over sharp and jagged out-croppings of
rock, and near Huehuetla we were forced to make some stiff climbs up the
cliff sides. Flocks of parrots were numerous, especially toward evening.
The stream was a handsome one, with clear, deep water; we crossed
and recrossed many times. The foot-paths rarely crossed, being cut
sometimes, as a narrow trail, in the rock of the cliff. Noticeable were
numerous silvery lines of water falling over the cliff, several of which
must have been hundreds of feet in height; these little threads of water
were impregnated with lime, and deposited material in a sheet upon the
bank over which they flowed, so that trails of brown tufa marked their
location; the lower ends of these deposits expanded into fan-like masses
of tufa, over which the water trickled, dripped or fell. Where there was
not sufficient water to produce a stream and fall, but enough to keep
the tufa moist, the growth of ferns, and other delicate vegetation, was
brilliant and striking. We passed a number of coffee and sugar ranches
on the road. It was dark long before we reached Huehuetla, and had it
not been for the moonlight struggling through the clouds, we should have
had difficulty in traveling the last portion of the road. At 7:35 we
arrived, and went at once to the large and handsome house of Don Pablo
himself, where we were expected, and where an elaborate supper was being
made ready. The largest room in the house was put at our disposal and
good beds and cots, beautifully clean and carefully made, were ready.
Formerly, Don Pablo was the _presidente_ of the town. His successor was
at the house to meet us, within five minutes after our arrival, and took
supper with us. It is needless to say that in this town we met with no
delays in our work. To our surprise, we found a fellow countryman, a
civil engineer named Culin, from Philadelphia, who has done and is doing
much work for the pueblos of this region.
Huehuetla is a large town, occupying a long valley hemmed in between
mountains and bordering a stream. The streets are regular, and the view
from the hills about, looking down upon the well-built houses and the
intersecting streets, is very pretty. The houses have substantial walls
of stone and mud, and many of them are white-plastered outside; all have
a thick and heavy thatch. The _plaza_ lies before the house where
we stopped, and, to the right, the large church stands on a terrace
somewhat above the town. A large school building, finer than many of the
best in some large cities, was just being finished; its construction was
due to Don Pablo's influence, and it was soon to be occupied. Meantime,
the children were given instruction in the church, and at noon and
evening, when their lessons were closed, they marched in double file,
down the flight of steps in front of the church and across the _plaza_,
where they separated and made their way home. During the time that we
were working at this town, when the school children filed past, they
always removed their hats in the most respectful manner. While there are
many _mestizos_ in the town, it may truly be called an indian town, the
largest of those belonging to the Tepehuas. According to Orozco y Berra,
Tepehua is not related to any other language in Mexico. We have not
studied it sufficiently to be sure that he is right; it is, however,
certain that the language has been much affected by the Totonac, if it
is not related to it, and many words in the two languages are the same.
The people of this tribe have a great reputation, more or less deserved,
for cleanliness; probably it is comparative, contrasting with the
neighboring Otomis, rather than positive. However that may be, both men
and women are usually dressed in clean white clothing. The _enaguas_
of the women are plain white; their belts have a foundation of white
cotton, but raised designs of black wool are so thickly worked upon them
that the white is quite inconspicuous.
The _camisas_ and _quichiquemils_ are generally white, with a vertical
band of red, and with a few animal figures. Women wear many necklaces of
bright beads, and braid their hair into two braids, which end with tapes
of various colors,--brown, red, green, maroon, and black. These braids
are brought together over the head and knotted in place. We secured no
women for measure until we had practically completed the work with men,
when they came with a rush, the whole twenty-five at once, dressed in
their best clothing, and insisted that the work must be done inside
the schoolhouse, out of sight, instead of on the street, where we had
operated on the men. We had no opportunity to see any of the popular
_danzas_, in some of which, we were told, songs were sung in the Tepehua
language, but we did see examples of the little _teponastls_, or drums,
used on these occasions; they are made from a round block, perhaps ten
inches long and three inches in diameter; these are hollowed out below,
so that two thin lips only are left above, which, when struck, give out
far more musical tones than one might expect. The two nights that we
were at Huehuetla, we saw men and women fishing in the stream; carrying
blazing torches in their left hands, they waded out into the water and
watched to see the dark bodies of the fish against the pebbly bottom of
the stream; in the right hand they carried a _machete_, about a foot in
length, with which they stabbed the fish, rarely missing.
We were now ready for the last tribe of the season, the Totonacs of
Pantepec. Pantepec is in the district of Huachinango, and we had no
order from the _jefe_; Don Valentino, the _presidente_ of Huehuetla,
said, however, that the _presidente_ of Pantepec was his friend, and
that he would give us a letter of introduction, which would serve all
purposes. As we were to return by Huehuetla, we left the busts which we
had made, and all but our most necessary baggage, at Don Pablo's house.
Though we started at ten, we took the journey slowly, photographing and
hunting birds. The road was a trail in a ravine, with all the beautiful
scenery with which we now were so familiar. At one point we saw a
curious phenomenon. The cliff rose vertically from the water's edge, at
a place where the stream made a right angle; this cliff consisted of
almost horizontal strata of varying hardness, so that some of the layers
were worn a little more than others, leaving these projecting. In the
space between these projecting layers, round river-pebbles, from the
size of hen's eggs up to the size of a man's fist, were firmly wedged,
so that it was with difficulty that they could be dislodged. Not a few,
but hundreds of the pebbles, were thus wedged, so regularly and firmly
that we could not believe the work to be that of nature, but suspected
human hands. We learned, however, that nature really had done the work,
on the occasion of a flood, the result of a cloud-burst, which swept
into the valley two or three years before. At several places in this
stream, we saw groups of from two or three to ten or twelve Totonac
indians, who were fishing with little nets. Our trail led back and forth
across this stream many times, and before we reached Pantepec we had
made thirty-nine crossings. From our last crossing, we climbed a steep
ascent, passing the little village of Tenasco, and found ourselves at
Pantepec. We rode at once to the town-house, and were told that the
_presidente_ was sleeping; we went then to his house, where we were
informed that he could not be disturbed. We left word that we must see
him as soon as possible, and that he would find us at the _municipio_.
Nearly three hours passed before he put in his appearance. Inasmuch
as we had seen this man's _jefe_, and he knew our errand, we told
the _secretario_ to send a message for us to him at Huachinango. We
carefully wrote out the message for forwarding, in which we told the
_jefe_, that we had waited three hours for attention from the town
officials, and asked how much longer we should put up with delay. We
never heard his answer, but in less than ten minutes, the _presidente_,
covered with perspiration, was waiting for our orders and every
policeman or the force was ready for our bidding. The message he
received from the _jefe_ must have been vigorous, for not only was
everything done for our comfort, but work was rushed. During the next
day we measured ninety-eight men, photographed twelve subjects, and made
moulds for all our five busts--an unparalleled day's labor. We were
fortunate in one respect--that the men had been summoned that day for
public labor. So far as men were concerned, they gave no difficulty as
subjects. With the women it was different, and full half a day was taken
in getting together our twenty-five types; not but what there were
plenty of them, for our second day at Pantepec was market-day, and the
_plaza_ was gay with women, but they did not wish to be measured, and
the whole town force, from _presidente_ to the meanest _topil_, was
afraid to meddle with them; at first, too, we had none but the most
wretched cases, women broken down and worn out with years of labor. When
nearly half our number had passed through our hands, and all presented
this same unsatisfactory type, we were forced to make a sharp
remonstrance, and only so did we get fair samples of young and
middle-aged women.
At Pantepec the centre of the town is _mestizo_; the Indians consist of
Otomis, of whom there are thirty households, and Totonacs forming the
bulk of the population. It is easy to distinguish the women of the two
tribes by the difference in dress. The _quichiquemils_ are particularly
picturesque. Both are more heavily loaded with embroidery than any
Indian garments we had ever seen, but the styles of the two decorations
are completely different. The _quichiquemils_ of the Otomis are smaller
and completely covered with red and black embroidery; those of the
Totonacs are much larger, and portions of the white foundations
may still be seen, notwithstanding the heavy patterns in brilliant
colors--red, green, yellow and blue. Mothers put babies onto one side,
with their little legs astride a hip, and then tie them firmly in place
with an _ayate_, or carry-cloth, of cotton, thus leaving their hands
free for work or other burdens. If we had difficulty measuring the
Totonac women, we had still greater difficulty in photographing
satisfactory groups of them. Neither pleadings nor bribes on our part,
orders nor threats on the part of the officials, had much influence.
Pantepec is a large town, situated near the edge of the great mountain
mass, and looking across a valley, which is backed by what appears to be
a flat-topped, straight-edged, table mountain. The houses of the town
are scattered over a considerable area upon the slope. The walls are of
poles, heavily daubed with mud which is neatly and smoothly laid on. The
corners of this mud covering are rounded, instead of angular, as usual
elsewhere. The thatch is heavy and firm, and squarely cut along its
lower edge, where it projects far beyond the walls. The _plaza_ is above
the town-house, and is extremely ugly; a kiosk, which certainly can
lay no claim to beauty, stands in the centre; ugly shacks, used as
_tiendas_, border a part of it along the main road. Striking, at this
time, in the village were the _colorín_ trees, some of which occurred
in almost every enclosure; they were in bloom, and had long, slender,
flaming-red, cigarette-shaped flowers, which appeared before the leaves,
from trunks that were gnarled and brown and almost branchless. Many
popular _danzas_ are celebrated here, but none was taking place during
our stay. San Gregorio, the town of paper-making, is not far from
Pantepec, and large quantities of the bark paper are beaten in the
little village of Ixcoyotla, which belongs to this _municipio_. Asking
an old Otomi whether he knew about this paper, he answered us, with
great cunning, that we probably knew as much of it as he did. He finally
condescended to state that the _muñecos_ of it were used in curing
disease; that anyone who has a disease secures one of these _muñecos_
and applies it to the diseased part. The _presidente_ insisted that this
paper was not made from _jonote_, but from _uli_, and that formerly it
was much used in making strong and durable belts.
[Illustration]
In starting back the next morning, we went down a different slope from
the one by which we had come, with the result that we had to cross
the stream five times more than before, making the full forty-four
crossings, of which we had been warned by Culin while we were at
Huehuetla. We made our way leisurely, stopped when we pleased, and at
one point noticed a cave, which we had not seen before, just across the
stream, at a point where it was at its deepest. The cave was so near the
water's edge, that it could only be approached from the stream. The boys
swam across and entered it to see if perchance they might find some of
the paper figures used in _bruhería_. They found little of interest
within; the walls and rocks were marked with crosses, and on the floor
were hundreds of little sticks cut to various lengths. We were glad,
indeed, to reach Don Pablo's house, to eat his good supper, and to
occupy his good beds. Before we went to bed, Doña Panchita suggested
that we ought to see certain _muñecos_ kept by a man named Diego, and
used as idols by the village. Accordingly, she sent orders that the man
should bring his _muñecos_ to the house for us to see. To this request,
he returned the proper reply, that he would not do so; that they would
be offended; that they were not toys to be carried about at the nod and
beck of everyone. This greatly increased our interest, and we arranged
for a trip to his house. We first sent a messenger forward, with word
that we were coming, and ordered him to stay there to see that Diego
did not run away or hide the idols. After supper, Doña Panchita, our
company, Mr. and Mrs. Culin, and one or two others, picked our way by
moonlight across the stepping-stones and foot-bridge, up a trail by
coffee groves along a purling brook-side. We were soon at the house, and
after some hesitation, Diego led us to the Holy of Holies. The _muñecos_
were kept in a little house, which contained an altar built of boards,
with fresh flowers for decoration. At the back of the altar, against the
wall, were prints of Christian saints; on the altar were censers and an
open bundle of _copal_. Two wooden boxes were at the right end of the
altar, against the wall. These contained _muñecos_ which, for some
time, Diego hesitated to produce. Finally he took out an idol of rather
fine-grained, brownish-gray stone; the head was large and infantile,
with the Mongolian cast of countenance; its badly shaped and scrawny
arms were raised so as to bring the hands together on the chest; the
body was shapeless. This figure was clad in a suit of unbleached cotton,
much too long and slender for it, and the arms of the _camisa_, and the
legs of the _calzones_ hung limp. When we had duly admired this figure,
a second was produced--a pottery female-head, fairly shaped, with no
body to speak of; this had glass earrings fastened in the ears. Next, a
small headless figure was brought out; it was old, though probably made
after the Conquest, and we agreed that it represented a _padre_. Next
was a simple pottery head. Last was a figure, with small head and
pointed cap, made apparently of pottery; the body had been pieced out to
disproportionate length with wood, and ended in a pair of wooden feet;
this was dressed in black velvet, and wore a black hat. These, Diego
asserted, were all he had. After having expressed our delight with them,
and our regret that we had not known what we were to see, that we might
have brought with us some fine white _copal_ as incense for these gods,
we set them up in a straight line on the edge of the altar to make a
flashlight picture. As we left, we gave Diego two _reales_ to spend for
the benefit of his gods. After we left, we were assured that he had
finer ones of black stone, which he dresses in red, but we were content
with the ones we had seen. These figures are particularly used on
September 16th, San Miguel's day. They are also used at sowing-time, at
harvest, and at the first cutting of sugar-cane. On these occasions,
incense and candles are burned, the idols are taken in the hands, and to
the sound of music, worshippers move the figures, causing them to dance.
Pleased with this, they give good rains to the faithful worshippers.
When there is too much rain, they go in procession to the river, playing
music and dancing dolls; when arrived, they peg down many _ayates_ and
sacks, made for the purpose, into the water against the flow. These are
dams, to stay the flood. On the other hand, when there is drought, a
procession carries the idols to a cave, where a feast is given and a
dance, with wands of flowers carried in the hands, indulged in.
Though the price for animals from Huehuetla to Las Tortugas was
exorbitant, we had agreed to pay it--but told the man that, if he left
later than six, it should be cut two dollars. It was long after eight
before they appeared, and then it was only our own animals that were
ready. We were forced to leave the packing to be done by the man himself
without direction; we ourselves hurried along the trail, hardly stopping
at San Bartolo on the way, arriving at Tenango at 4:15. Our animals
were fagged, and we were soaked to the skin, having travelled through
_nublina_ most of the afternoon. Don Pablo received us with his usual
courtesy, and had arranged for us to sleep at the same house, where we
had been before. At bed-time, our man with the mules had not appeared,
and we had received most contradictory and discouraging statements
regarding him. He had started at nine with two mules and left half our
stuff for another day; he had been seen at the river near San Bartolo
with two mules heavily loaded, unable to proceed; he had concluded to
stop at San Bartolo for the night, to push on to Tenango the next day,
and reach Las Tortugas on the third. Dissatisfied and uncertain, we went
to bed; still, we determined to leave at five, and so gave orders to
our _mozo_. We rose at 4:15 and the horses were ready before five.
Contradictory stories were again told us regarding our animals. Some
said the man had passed with them at five o'clock; others that he had
not yet come; others that he had spent the night at Santa Maria. Our
foot _mozo_ did not come, and sending the rest ahead, I waited for him.
Hardly had they started, when Ramon galloped back to announce that the
man was in town, that he had three animals and was nearly ready to
leave. As he, himself, had told us that he must leave Tenango at three
in order to reach Las Tortugas in time for the train, this was not
reassuring. Ramon hastened on with the party. At six the _mozo_ appeared
and started at once. In a few minutes we passed our _arriero_ who was
packing, but not ready to start. I urged him to hasten, but did not
wait. Mist had settled during the night, but it was now rising, and we
could see the scenery, which, in wildness and beauty, was almost the
equal of anything in Mexico, though with a character quite its own. Our
trail ran along the side of a precipice; to our left rose great cliffs
presenting almost vertical faces of smooth rock; the summits were
jagged, and suggested that the mass consisted of stratified rocks tilted
up on end. Just as we left town, two narrow and lofty parallel rocks
suggested a gate-way. Further down, a mass was worn out into a sharp
column, a little separated from the rock mass behind. On the right, was
the precipice, ever abrupt, and sometimes the almost vertical bank of a
yawning chasm. After an hour and a half over the fairly good road, we
came to a grand ascent. It was magnificent, though difficult. In some
spots the road was muddy, and at others it was a series of rough stone
steps; at still others, it was the unmodified bed of a mountain torrent.
As we followed up this gorge, side-gorges joined it, in which we
glimpsed pretty cascades, pits worn by little falls, trees, the trunks
of which were covered with thick sheets of green moss, quantities of
tree-ferns blighted by the late frost, cliffs, and wild forms of rock,
in wonderful variety. At last I reached the summit and overtook Manuel,
whose horse was completely fagged, and who had been forced to drop
behind; for some time we saw the others before us, but somewhere they
took a different trail, and we saw them no more. After a considerable
descent, we made our final but easy rise. From here we were on a level
road, which constantly improved until near Mepetec, while beyond it, we
came to a true cart-road. From here a fine view presented itself, over
a forest of pine trees to the clean brown plain so typical of Hidalgo,
swept, as we soon found, by the equally typical Hidalgo wind. We rode
rapidly from the _herrería_ of the Trinidad to Metepec, and then to Las
Tortugas, where we arrived at 11:40, having been five hours and a half
upon the road. To our surprise, Louis and Ramon were not there. Having
waited some time, as it was almost the hour for the train, we ordered
dinner for two, but before we had begun to eat the others appeared.
They had taken a short road, which did not go by Metepec, and travelled
slowly that we might overtake them. After a good meal, we waited for
our man with the pack animals. Meantime the train was preparing, and we
watched it, realizing that if we missed it, we had a day of dust and
scorching sun and heavy wind before us. The train's crew made all ready,
the cry of "_Vámonos_" was given, and we settled down in desperation to
await our tardy man. An hour after the train left, he arrived, received
his fee less the two dollars, and started homeward. Twenty-three hours
later we took the train, and our season's work was done.
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