THE VICINITY OF LEON—THE BISHOP’S BATHS—FUENTE DE AXUSCO—“CERRO DE LOS
AMERICANOS”—A MILITARY BALL AND CIVIC DINNER—GEN. GUERRERO—OFFICIAL
VISIT FROM THE INDIAN MUNICIPALITY OF SUBTIABA—SIMON ROQUE—A
SECRET—ADDRESS AND REPLY—VISIT RETURNED—THE CABILDO—AN EMPTY
TREASURY—“SUBTIABA, LEAL Y FIEL”—ROYAL CEDULAS—FORMING A
VOCABULARY—“UNA DECIMA”—THE INDIANS OF NICARAGUA; STATURE;
COMPLEXION; DISPOSITION; BRAVERY; INDUSTRY; SKILL IN THE
ARTS—MANUFACTURE OF COPPER—PRIMITIVE MODE OF SPINNING—TYRIAN
PURPLE—PETATES AND HAMMOCKS—POTTERY—“AGUACALES,” AND
“JICARAS,”—COSTUME—ORNAMENTS—ABORIGINAL INSTITUTIONS—THE CONQUEST OF
NICARAGUA—ENORMITIES PRACTISED TOWARDS THE INDIANS—PRESENT CONDITION
OF THE INDIANS—THE SEQUEL OF SOMOZA’S INSURRECTION—BATTLES OF THE
OBRAJE AND SAN JORGE—CAPTURE AND EXECUTION OF SOMOZA—MODERATE POLICY
OF THE GOVERNMENT—RETURN OF GEN. MUNOZ—MEDALS—FESTIVAL OF
PEACE—NOVEL PROCESSION—A BLACK SAINT.
The country adjacent to Leon is very fine, and the “paseos” or rides in
the vicinity, although lacking an important element of beauty, the
proximity of water, are not without variety and interest. My first
expedition on horseback was to a place called the Bishop’s Baths. We
rode through the barrio de San Juan, where the _carreteros_ most do
congregate to the edge of the northern ravine. Here we found a path
literally shut in with cactuses and trees covered with vines, which led
to the ruins of an ancient gateway, beyond which had once been the
suburban seat of the Bishops of Nicaragua. It was a beautiful spot; the
ground had been artificially smoothed, and beneath the large trees which
shadowed over it, were the remains of stone seats, and of pedestals
which had once sustained crosses and the statues of the saints. In front
of where the house had stood, before its destruction during the troubles
of the revolutionary period, there was an abrupt slope to the stream at
the bottom of the ravine. This slope had formerly been terraced, and
descended by a winding way. The baths were of stone, and although now in
ruins, still gave evidences of the taste and luxury which had led to
their construction. A couple of women, naked with the exception of a
single cloth around their loins, were washing in the principal bath, but
they vacated it temporarily at our request, and we took possession. The
seclusion of the place, the limpid purity of the water, and the deep
shade in which everything was shrouded, enchanted me with the spot, and
I could not help thinking that it must have been selected by one of the
rosiest and jolliest of the old bishops whose portraits had tipped me a
friendly wink from the walls of the heavy room where they were
imprisoned in the cathedral. But I afterwards found that this was but
one only of a thousand equally beautiful spots in the neighborhood of
the city. That, however, to which my memory reverts most frequently, is
the “fuente de Axusco,” distant about two miles to the southward of the
town. It is a broad pool, at the bottom of a ravine, shut in by steep
banks on every side, and reached by a single narrow path. The water is
tepid, and bursts, pure as crystal, in a large volume from beneath the
rocks. It is literally arched over with trees, and curtained in with
vines. This place was my favorite resort during the whole of my
residence in the country. I rose at early dawn, despatched a cup of
coffee, and mounting my horse, generally reached the place just as the
sun began to tinge the summit of the distant volcanoes. The path lay
through fields covered with trees and bushes, spangled all over with
flowers, and glittering with dew-drops. The cool, bracing morning air,
the quick action of the horse, and the grateful plunge into the quiet
pool,—I think I never enjoyed so much the mere pleasure of existence, as
during my visits to the “fuente de Axusco.” There stood a cross in a
nook near the pool, and I often observed chaplets of fresh flowers
suspended upon it. It puzzled me exceedingly, and one day, finding a
little boy seated beside it, I asked him why it was there? It
commemorated an awful murder, he said, and that was all he knew, except
that the victim was a woman. Beyond the “fuenta,” is the range of low
hills which I have mentioned as bordering the plain of Leon on the side
of the ocean. I had the trees cut down on the most commanding peak, and
rode there so frequently that the rancheros in the vicinity christened
it “el cerro de los Americanos,” the hill of the Americans. From this
point the eye traversed the whole vast plain, and took in every object
of interest. Upon one hand the forests alone shut the lake of Managua
from view, while upon the other the broad Pacific lay bright and
beautiful on the edge of the horizon. With a glass the vessels in the
harbor of Realejo, and the outlines of the volcano of Coseguina, distant
more than a hundred miles, could easily be distinguished. A view from
the “cerro de los Americanos” is an incident in a man’s lifetime not
likely to be forgotten. Its impression upon my own mind is too distinct
ever to be effaced.
Our second week in Leon was signalized by a military ball and a
government dinner, both on a scale far surpassing anything of the kind
which had been witnessed in the city for many years. The ball was under
the special patronage of Gen. Don Jose Guerrero, who had just finished a
term as Director of the State, but who had accepted the command of the
garrison in the absence of the General-in-chief. It was during his
administration that the seizure of San Juan by the English had taken
place, and it was his eloquent appeal, in a circular addressed to all
civilized nations, which had arrested the attention and awakened the
sympathy of General Taylor and his cabinet. My arrival in the country,
it can readily be understood, was to him a source of the profoundest
satisfaction; and during my official residence in Leon, I had no warmer
friend than General Guerrero. May he live to witness the fruition of the
policy which he marked out for his country, and the realization of those
high and patriotic hopes which he has so long and so devotedly
cherished!
Amongst the most pleasing incidents connected with my arrival was a
formal visit from the municipal authorities of the Indian pueblo of
Subtiaba, who, in their way, are amongst the sturdiest republicans in
all Nicaragua. At their head was Simon Roque, with whom I afterwards
established an intimate friendship. He presented me an address, written
both in the Indian language and in Spanish, and accompanied it with a
speech, which was far above the average, both in language and sentiment,
and altogether a favorable specimen of Indian eloquence. Simon and his
companions were dressed in spotless white, and each wore a red sash
about his waist, and carried a gold-headed cane, an insignia of office,
in his hands. They were curious to know about the Indian population of
the United States, and I blush to say it, I was ashamed to tell them the
truth. They had heard that I was a great friend of the Indians, and on
the lookout for “piedras antiguas.” They had something to tell me on
that subject, but it could only be done when we were alone. So the sala
was cleared, and Simon, after some circumlocution, informed me that they
knew of certain ancient stones which their ancestors had buried a very
long time ago, and which, if I wished, they would present to me, on the
peremptory condition, however, that their locality should be kept a
profound secret. I was too glad to have an opportunity to assent to any
conditions, and it was finally agreed that, as it would be impossible
for me to attend to the business now, some of the stones should be
excavated at once, and sent to my residence. They were as good as their
word; and a couple of mornings thereafter we were surprised at finding
two statues at the threshold of the portal; and a few nights later a
cart appeared with two more,—of all which a description will be given in
another place. This little piece of confidence over, I treated the
company to as much claret as they chose to drink, and we parted with the
understanding that I should return the visit at an early day. The
address and reply were as follows:
ADDRESS.
“SIR:—The municipality of the Pueblo of Subtiaba, of which we are
members, entertain the highest enthusiasm in view of the relations
which your arrival induces us to believe will speedily be established
between Nicaragua and the United States, the greatest and most
glorious republic beneath the sun. We rejoice in the depths of our
hearts that a man like yourself has been chosen to convey to us the
assurances of future prosperity, in the name of the sons of
Washington; and we trust in the Almighty, that the flag of the United
States may soon become the shield of Nicaragua on land and sea. Convey
our sincerest thanks for their sympathy to the great people which you
represent, and give to your generous government the assurances of that
deep gratitude which we feel but cannot express. We beg of you, Sir,
to accept this humble evidence of the cordial sentiments which we
entertain both for you, your countrymen, and your Government, and
which are equally shared by the people which we represent.
JOSE DE LA CRUZ
GARCIAS,
(Signed) SIMON ROQUE,
FRANCISCO LUIS ANTAN.
REPLY.
“MY FRIENDS OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF SUBTIABA:
“I experience great pleasure in receiving from your hands this brief
but earnest address; and I return you my thanks, both personally and
in behalf of my Government, for the friendly sentiments which it
contains. I sincerely hope that the high anticipations which you have
formed from a more intimate relation between your country and the
United States, may be fully realized.”
[Illustration: LA PARROQUIAL DE SUBTIABA.]
The reader may be assured that I did not forget my promise to the
municipality of Subtiaba. A day was shortly afterwards fixed for my
visit, and I was received with great ceremony at the cabildo, or council
chamber, where I found collected all the old men who could assist me in
forming a vocabulary of the ancient language, which I had casually
expressed a desire to procure. It was with difficulty that we could
effect an entrance, for a half-holiday had been given to the boys of all
the schools in honor of the occasion, and they literally swarmed around
the building. We were finally ushered into an inner room, where the
archives of the municipality were preserved. Upon one side was a large
chest of heavy wood, with massive locks, which had anciently been the
strong box or treasury. A shadow fell over Simon’s face as he pointed it
out to me, and said that he could remember the time when it was filled
with “duros,” hard dollars, and when, at a single stroke of the alarm
bell, two thousand armed men could be gathered in the plaza of Subtiaba.
But those days were passed, and the municipality now scarcely retained a
shadow of its former greatness. Under the crown it had earned the title
“leal y fiel,” loyal and true; and in reward of its fidelity it had
received a grant of all the lands intervening between it and the ocean,
to hold in perpetuity for the benefit of its citizens. And Simon showed
me the royal letters, signed “Yo, el Rey” (I, the King), which the
emperors of Spain had thought it not derogatory to their dignity to
address to his predecessors in office; and notwithstanding his ardent
republicanism, I thought Simon looked at them with something of regret.
I inquired for manuscripts which might throw some light upon the early
history of the country, but found only musty records, of no interest or
value.
My attempts to fill out the blank vocabulary with which I was provided
created a great deal of merriment. I enjoyed it quite as much as any of
them, for nothing could be more amusing than the discussions between the
old men in respect to certain doubtful words and phrases. They sometimes
quite forgot my presence, and rated each other soundly as ignoramuses;
whereat Simon was greatly scandalized, and threatened to put them all in
the stocks as “hombres sin verguenza,” men destitute of shame. “Ah!”
said he, “these old sinners give me more trouble than the young ones”—a
remark which created great mirth amongst the outsiders, and especially
amongst the young vagabonds who clung like monkeys to the window bars.
The group of swarthy, earnest faces gathered round the little table,
upon which was heaped a confused mass of ancient, time-stained papers,
would have furnished a study for a painter. It was quite dark when I had
concluded my inquiries, but I was not permitted to leave without
listening to a little poem, “Una Decima,” written by one of the
schoolmasters, who read it to me by the light of a huge wax candle,
borrowed, I am sure, from the church for the occasion. My modesty
forbids my attempting a translation, and so I compromise matters by
submitting the original:
DECIMA.
Nicaragua, ve hasta cuando
Cesara vuestro desvelo,
Ya levantara el vuelo
Hermoso, alegre, y triunfante;
Al mismo tiempo mirando
De este personage el porte,
Y mas sera cuando corte
Todos los agradecimientos:
Diremos todos contentos
Viva el Gobierno del Norte!
D. S.
As I mounted my horse, Don Simon led off with three cheers for “El
Ministro del Norte,” and followed it with three more for “El Amigo de
los Indios” (the friend of the Indians), all of which was afterwards
paraded by a dingy little Anglo-servile paper published in Costa Rica,
as evidence that I was tampering with the Indians, and exciting them to
undertake the utter destruction of the white population!
The Indians of Nicaragua, who, as I have said, predominate in the
country, are singularly docile and industrious, and constitute what
would, in some countries, be called an excellent “rural population.”
They are a smaller race of men than the Indians of the United States,
but have fine muscular developments, and a singularly mild and soft
expression of countenance. In color also they are lighter, and their
features less strongly marked. Some of the women are exceedingly pretty,
and when young, have figures beautifully and classically moulded. They
are entirely unobtrusive in their manners, seldom speaking unless first
addressed, and are always kind and hospitable to strangers. They are not
warlike but brave, and when reduced to the necessity, fight with the
most desperate obstinacy. Leon has more than once owed its safety to the
Indian battalion of Subtiaba, which, in the civil wars of 1838-39,
marched triumphantly from one end of Central America to the other.
[Illustration: PRIMITIVE SPINNING APPARATUS.]
The agriculture of the State is almost entirely carried on by them; but
they are not deficient in mechanical skill, and with the rudest tools
often produce the most delicate and elaborate articles of workmanship.
The women manufacture a large quantity of cotton for their own
consumption and for sale. And in riding through Subtiaba in the
afternoon, no spectacle is more common than to see a woman naked to the
waist, sitting in the doorway of almost every hut, or beneath the shadow
of an adjacent tree, busily engaged in spinning cotton. A little
foot-wheel, such as was formerly in use for spinning flax in our own
country, is here commonly used for this purpose. But the aboriginal
contrivance is not yet wholly displaced. It is exceedingly simple,
consisting of a thin spindle of wood fifteen or sixteen inches in
length, which is passed through a fly, or wheel of hard, heavy wood, six
inches in diameter, resembling the wheel of a pulley, except that it is
convex instead of concave on the edge. The spindle thus resembles a
gigantic top. When used it is placed in a calabash, or hollowed piece of
wood, to prevent it from toppling over, when not in motion. A thread is
attached to it, just above the fly, and it is then twirled rapidly
between the thumb and fore-finger. The momentum of the fly keeps it in
motion for half a minute, and meantime the thread is drawn out by the
hands of the operator, from the pile of prepared cotton which she holds
in her lap. It is then wound on the spindle, and the process repeated,
until the spindle is full of thread.
In the foregoing cut _a_ represents the cotton; _b_, _b_, the spindle;
_d_, the fly; _c_, the thread already spun and wound; and _e_, _e_, the
outlines of the calabash. A precisely similar mode of spinning was
practised by the ancient Mexicans, who, however, inserted the lower end
of the spindle in a hole made in a block of wood, as shown in the
accompanying engraving. The mode of weaving amongst the Indians of
Nicaragua was anciently the same as that of the Mexicans, which is
sufficiently well illustrated in the following engraving, copied from
the Codex Mendoza, a Mexican manuscript or painting.
[Illustration: SPINNING, FROM A MEXICAN MANUSCRIPT.]
Some of the cotton fabrics manufactured by the Indians are very durable,
and woven in tasteful figures of various colors. The color most valued
is the Tyrian purple, obtained from the murex shell-fish, which is found
upon the Pacific coast of Nicaragua. This color is produced of any
desirable depth and tone, and is permanent; unaffected alike by exposure
to the sun and to the action of alkalies. The process of dying the
thread illustrates the patient assiduity of the Indians. It is taken to
the seaside, when a sufficient number of shells are collected, which
being dried from the sea water, the work is commenced. Each shell is
taken up singly, and a slight pressure upon the valve which closes its
mouth forces out a few drops of the coloring fluid, which is then almost
destitute of color. In this each thread is dipped singly, and after
absorbing enough of the precious liquid, is carefully drawn out between
the thumb and finger, and laid aside to dry. Whole days and nights are
spent in this tedious process, until the work is completed. At first the
thread is of a dull blue color, but upon exposure to the atmosphere
acquires the desired tint. The fish is not destroyed by the operation,
but is returned to the sea, when it lays in a new stock of coloring
matter for a future occasion.[19]
-----
Footnote 19:
“The cotton-yarn thus dyed is known in the country by the name of
‘_hilo morado_,’ and is highly prized by the Indian women of all the
States, who are extremely partial to it for adorning the dresses used
on festive occasions. Formerly, high prices were paid for it; being
frequently sold in Guatemala and other principal towns, for from ten
to fourteen dollars the pound. In recent times purple thread has been
imported from Europe, and sold at a much cheaper rate; but the color
is neither as good nor as durable, and notwithstanding its economy,
does not supplant the native product. The Indians are not easily
deceived by offering them the one for the other, as they can readily
distinguish the foreign from the genuine by some peculiarity of smell
in the latter, which, although the dearest, is always
preferred.”—_Baily_, p. 125.
-----
[Illustration: PRIMITIVE WEAVING; FROM A MEXICAN MANUSCRIPT.]
The manufacture of “petates,” or variegated mats, from the bark of the
palm, and hammocks from the “pita,” a species of agave, is exclusively
in Indian hands. They are also skillful in the manufacture of pottery,
which has remained unchanged from the period before the Conquest. The
“cantaros,” water-jars, and other vessels in common use, amongst all
classes, are made by them. They are formed by hand, without the aid of
the potter’s wheel, and are variously and often elaborately colored and
ornamented, baked, and when intended for purposes requiring it, are
partially glazed. The water-jars, however, are porous, so as to admit of
enough water passing through to keep the outer surface covered with
moisture, the evaporation of which rapidly and effectually cools the
contents of the vessel. Oviedo commends highly the skill which the
ancient inhabitants displayed in the manufacture of their pottery, and
which is very well sustained both by the fragments which are found, and
by the wares which the Indians still manufacture. “They make basins,
plates, jars, and pitchers, of very fine pottery, black and smooth as
velvet, and brilliant as jet. I have brought some specimens, which are
so fine that they might be offered to a prince.” Thus saith the
chronicler.
Mr. W. H. Edwards, in his narrative of “A Voyage up the Amazon,” p. 114,
describes the preparation and painting of pottery by the Indians on that
river. The brushes or pencils were the small species of palms, and the
coloring matter the simplest kinds. The blue was indigo; black, the
juice of the mandioca; green, the juice of some other plant; and the red
and yellow, clays. The colors were applied in squares and circles, or if
anything imitative was intended, in the rudest outlines. The _glazing_
was produced by a resinous gum found in the forests, which was gently
rubbed over the vessels, previously warmed over a bed of coals. This
description applies equally to the modes practised in Nicaragua.
They also make drinking vessels from the calabash; the largest varieties
are called “_guacals_,” or “_aguacals_,” and the smaller ones, made from
the long or pear-shaped calabash, “_jicaras_.” These last are often
tastefully carved upon their exteriors, and are generally used instead
of tumblers. It is indispensable that “_tiste_” should be served in
“jicaras,” and amongst the people at large they are also used for coffee
and chocolate. But as their bottoms are round, little carved stands are
made to receive them. The Indians near the city of Nicaragua make
similar cups from a variety of cocoa-nut peculiar to that vicinity,
which are celebrated throughout their country for their beauty of shape
and ornament. They are black, and highly polished, and when mounted with
silver, are greatly prized by foreigners. They occasionally find their
way to the principal cities of this country and Europe, and into the
curiosity shops, where they are often classed as of Chinese or Japanese
origin. Sometimes they bear inscriptions, such as “Soy de Manuela
Gomez,” I belong to Manuela Gomez, or “Orar á Dios!” Pray to God! The
carving is made with instruments of the rudest description, manufactured
by the artist himself from the blade of a razor, or from a
three-cornered file, rubbed down to a cutting point on the stones which
lie around his hut. He uses this improvised graver with a firm and
practised hand.
The dress of the Indians is exceedingly simple. On ordinary occasions,
the women wear only a white or flowered skirt, fastened around the
waist, leaving the upper part of the person entirely exposed, or but
partially covered by a handkerchief fastened around the neck. In Masaya
and some other places, a square piece of cloth, of native manufacture,
and of precisely the same style and pattern with that used for the same
purpose before the Discovery, supplies the place of the skirt. It is
fastened in some incomprehensible way, without the aid of strings or
pins, and falls from the hips a little below the knees. The guipil and
nagua are however adopted in nearly all the large towns, and are
everywhere worn on festival days and Sundays. The men wear a kind of
cotton drawers, fastened above the hips, but frequently reaching no
lower than the knees. Sandals supplys the place of shoes, but for the
most part both sexes go with their feet bare. The taste for ornament is
universal; and a rosary, to which is attached a little golden, silver,
or ebony cross, is suspended from the necks of male and female, old and
young. They are also fond of flowers, and the girls are seldom without
some of them entwined amongst the luxuriant locks of their long, black
hair, or braided in a chaplet and encircling their foreheads.
[Illustration: AN INDIAN GIRL OF SUBTIABA IN HOLIDAY COSTUME.]
The municipality of Subtiaba, in common with the barrios of some of the
towns, holds lands, as I have said, in virtue of royal grants, in its
corporate capacity. These lands are inalienable, and are leased to the
inhabitants at low and almost nominal rates. Every citizen is entitled
to a sufficient quantity to enable him to support himself and his
family; for which he pays from four rials (half a dollar,) to two
dollars a year. This practice seems to have been of aboriginal
institution; for under the ancient Indian organization, the _right to
live_ was recognized as a fundamental principle in the civil and social
system. No man was supposed to be entitled to more land than was
necessary to his support; nor was he permitted to hold more than that,
to the exclusion or injury of others.
In fact, many of the institutions of the Indians in this country were
recognized, and have been perpetuated by the Spaniards. Some of the
ceremonies of the aboriginal ritual have also been incorporated amongst
the rites of the Catholic Church. In many respects it is hard to say
whether the conquerors have assimilated most to the Indians, or the
Indians to the Spaniards. For, however rude and subverting the first
shock of Spanish conquest in America, the subsequent policy of Spain,
framed and directed by the famous Council of the Indies, was that of
conciliation. In common with the church, it conceded much to the habits
and feelings of the aborigines, and to a certain extent conformed to
them.
The conquest of Nicaragua was effected with no less violence than that
of Mexico and Peru; and if we may credit the account of Las Casas, the
pious bishop of Chiapa, who visited the country in person, it was both
attended and followed by extraordinary cruelties. He charges the
enormity chiefly upon Pedro Arias de Avila, Governor of Darien, who sent
Cordova to subdue the country, and who himself afterwards became its
governor.
“The Indians of this province,” he says, “were naturally of a mild and
peaceable temper; yet notwithstanding this, the Governor, or rather
Tyrant, with the ministers of his cruelty, treated them in the same
manner as they did those of the other kingdoms. They committed murders
and robberies, more than it is possible for pen to relate. Upon the
slightest pretexts, the soldiers massacred the inhabitants without
regard to age, sex, or condition. They exacted from them certain
measures of corn, and certain numbers of slaves, and if these were not
rendered, hesitated not to kill the delinquents. And the country being
plain, the people were unable to escape to the mountains as they did
elsewhere, and were consequently at the mercy of the Spanish horse. They
carried off many thousands as slaves, slaying those who fainted or
wearied on the march.
“The Governor once arbitrarily changed the distribution of the Indians,
conveying most of them to his favorites, to the exclusion of those with
whom he was displeased. The result of this was a great scarcity of food;
and the Spaniards seizing upon the provisions of the Indians, caused a
great distress, and induced a disorder which destroyed upwards of thirty
thousand of the people.
“All the cities, and fields around them, were like pleasant gardens,
which the Spaniards cultivated according to the share which each one had
assigned him by lot; and to save their own revenues, supported
themselves from the stores of the Indians, thus consuming, in a short
time, what these poor people had got together with great care and toil.
Nobles, women, and children were all compelled to work day and and
night; many died under the burthens which were imposed upon them. For
they obliged them to carry on their shoulders to the ports, which were
in some cases distant thirty leagues, the plank and timbers used in
building vessels.”
Las Casas, however, regards the practice of exacting slaves from the
caziques, for transportation and sale elsewhere, as one of the chief
causes of the depopulation of the country. Five or six ship-loads were
annually taken to Peru and Panama, and sold there. He calculates that
half a million of Indians were thus drawn out of Nicaragua alone; but
this number appears incredible. The statement that from fifty to sixty
thousand perished in the wars of the Conquest is perhaps, nearer the
truth; for, as he observes, “this was one of the best peopled countries
in all America.”
When the Council of the Indies began to repress the cruelties of the
conquerors, the governors of Nicaragua proved themselves refractory;
indeed, Rodrigo de Contreras openly disobeyed his instructions in this
respect, which was the proximate cause of the insurrection headed by his
son, to which I have elsewhere alluded.
The following incident, related by Oviedo, will illustrate the severe
and repulsive measures which were practised towards the Indians at this
early period. “In 1528, the treasurer, Alonzo de Peralta, and a man
named Zurita, and the brothers Ballas, left the city of Leon, each to
visit the villages and Indians belonging to him. They never returned,
having been destroyed by their own vassals. Hereupon Pedro Arias de
Avila sent out soldiers to bring in some of the malefactors. They
arrested seventeen or eighteen _caziques_ whom Pedro Arias caused to be
strangled by dogs. The execution took place in the following manner, on
Tuesday, the 16th of June of the same year, in the public square of
Leon. Each cazique was armed with a stick, and told to defend himself
against the dogs, and to kill them if he could. Five or six young dogs
were first set upon them, which their masters wished to train, as they
were yet without experience. They ran baying around the Indian, who
easily kept them off with his stick; but the moment he thought himself
conqueror, a couple of mastiffs, or well-trained hounds, were sent
against him, who threw him in a moment. The other dogs then fell upon
him, biting and choking him, tearing out his entrails, and devouring
him, as it were. In this manner the eighteen were soon disposed of. They
were from the valley of Olocoton, and its vicinity. When the dogs were
satiated, the dead bodies remained in the same place, it being forbidden
to carry them off, under penalty of being served in like manner;
otherwise the Indians would have taken them away. They were thus left in
order to frighten the natives; but on the second day the stench of the
dead bodies became insupportable. And on the fourth, it was so horrible
that, being compelled to pass there in going to the house of the
governor, I begged him to give permission to have them carried away;
which he did the more readily, since his house was situated near the
square.”
But whatever their former condition, the Indians of Nicaragua no longer
labor under any disabilities. They enjoy equal privileges with the
whites, and may aspire to any position, however high, both in the Church
and State. The system of _peonage_ (slavery under a less repugnant name)
is here unknown. Yet the Indian retains his traditionary deference for
the white man, and tacitly admits his superiority. In some of the States
of Central America, a jealousy of caste has been artfully excited by
unscrupulous partisans, for unworthy purposes, which has led to most
deplorable results; but in Nicaragua, if this feeling exists at all, it
is only in a latent form. At any rate, it has never displayed itself in
any of those frightful demonstrations which have almost desolated
Guatemala and portions of Peru, and which threaten the entire extinction
of the white race in Yucatan. This quiet, however, may be that of the
slumbering volcano; and its continuance may depend very much upon the
judicious encouragement of white emigration from the United States and
from Europe.
The original inhabitants of Nicaragua, and of Central America generally,
seem to have been of the true Toltecan stock. So too were the nations of
Anahuac, the Aztecs or Mexicans, but modified and deteriorated by
association and intermixture with the barbarous Chichemecas. From this
source they derived the fiercer and more savage traits in their
characters; and even now, notwithstanding that they have to a great
extent adopted new customs, and been subjected to the influences of
Spanish association for more than three hundred years, the
distinguishing traits of the two families are easily to be recognized.
The mild, brave but not warlike, industrious, intelligent, and
law-abiding Indians about Leon, of the purer Toltecan blood, furnish in
their smaller and more rounded forms, their regular features, clear
eyes, and cheerful expression, a decided contrast to the restless,
treacherous, and cruel Indians round the ancient city of Nicaragua. The
latter are taller, more bony, with sharper and often irregular features,
and with an always reserved if not sullen expression. The contrast is
hardly greater than between the French and the Dutch. Yet none of these
Indians could ever be confounded with the roving tribes of our latitude.
They have certain generic or radical identities, but in most physical
and mental features, are widely different. Those of Central America are
capable of high improvement, and have a facility of assimilation or
adaptation. They constitute, when favorably situated, the best class of
citizens, and would anywhere make what in Europe is called a good rural
or working population. I have found some really comprehensive minds
amongst them,—men of quick and acute apprehension, and great decision
and energy of character.
In brief, the better I become acquainted with the various aboriginal
families of the continent, the higher position I am disposed to award
them, and the less I am disposed to assent to the relative rank assigned
them by the systematic writers.
I have already mentioned the interview between our American friend in
Granada, and the rebel chief, Somoza. Soon after our arrival in Leon,
positive information was received that he had been successful in his
descent upon San Carlos, and had got possession of the arms and
ammunition which had been deposited there. He, however, did not attempt
to retain possession of the place, but returned immediately with his
spoils to the city of Nicaragua. Meantime, nevertheless, as I have
already intimated, the support which he had received from the party
opposed to the government, had been entirely withdrawn, in consequence
of the excesses which he had committed, and he came back to find his
adherents dispirited and rapidly diminishing. The decision and energy of
the government further contributed to weaken his power; and when the
General-in-chief arrived in his neighborhood, he was left with less than
half his original forces. His spirit, however, never failed him, and he
boldly advanced to meet the troops of the government. The first battle
was at a place called the “Obraje.” Here he was worsted, and compelled
to fall back upon his original position, at the town of San George,
about a league distant from the city of Rivas, or Nicaragua. General
Muñoz, having effected a junction with the volunteers from Granada, who
had proceeded by water, attacked him here the next day, (July 14th,)
completely routed his forces, and took him and his principal followers
prisoners. It is hardly necessary to add that they were tried by
court-martial, and shot.
The information of these events was received in Leon with extravagant
demonstrations of joy, and for a whole day we were stunned by the firing
of guns and the ringing of bells. In the evening the following Bulletin
was issued:
“Bernabé Somoza, the author of misfortunes and the cause of evils
which can never be repaired, was captured in San Jorge on the evening
of the 14th inst., after the defeat of his forces by the army of the
Government. Subsequently to the action he was taken to the city of
Rivas, tried according to martial law, sentenced to death, and shot
(fué pasado por las armas), on the morning of the 17th, in the
presence of the entire army. The General in Chief then harangued the
troops in the following impressive terms:
“‘SOLDIERS! We have, in a very few days, completed a glorious
campaign. This happy result is due to your valor, constancy,
subordination, and endurance. The monster, Somoza, the terror of the
innocent inhabitants of this department, has suffered the just
punishment of his crimes. The robber, the incendiary, the desecrator
of temples, the violator of female innocence, the murderer, has passed
from beneath the sword of human justice to the awful presence of an
offended God! Soldiers, you have saved the honor and preserved the
integrity of the State, vindicated humanity, and avenged the violated
laws. For this I thank you; you have merited and will receive the
gratitude of your country. Should the occasion arise, (which God
forbid!) I shall be proud to lead you again to victory. Long live the
Government! God save the Republic!’
“Thus has triumphed the cause of order, of progress, and of reason!
Thanks to the illustrious General Muñoz and his brave soldiers, the
bulwark and safeguard of the State! Their deeds speak for themselves;
they need no encomiums. They teach us an impressive lesson of
patriotism and virtue.”
These events put an end to the internal disturbances of the State. The
followers of Somoza at once disbanded, and returned to their homes. A
few arrests were made; but with a moderation which reflected honor upon
the government, and commended it to the people at large, a general
amnesty was conceded to all who had participated in the insurrection,
upon the condition of the surrender of their arms, and the restitution
of the property and valuables which they had taken, and which
commissioners were appointed to receive, and to restore to their
rightful owners.
Upon the 16th of August following, having completely reëstablished
order, and taken proper precautions against further disturbances, Gen.
Muñoz returned with his forces to Leon. He was met by a deputation from
the city at the “Convento,” where speeches were made, and
congratulations exchanged, and whence the troops marched in triumph to
the city. They were received with great enthusiasm, and proceeded in a
body to the Cathedral, where the “Te Deum” was sung in acknowledgment of
their safe return. The extraordinary battalion was at once disbanded,
and the regulars only retained in the service. It was some months,
however, before the vigilance of the government was at all diminished,
and not until every revolutionary symptom seemed to have died out.
Subsequently a medal was voted to the General, “for the excellent
services which, under God,” he had rendered the State. It was ordered to
be of gold, and to contain upon one side a laurel wreath, with the
words, “TO THE DEFENDER OF LIBERTY AND ORDER IN NICARAGUA;” and upon the
reverse a naked sword, with the inscription, “FOR HIS TRIUMPH OF JULY
14, 1849.” Medals were also voted to the subordinate officers who had
particularly distinguished themselves on the same occasion; and the
“soldiers and patriots” who had fought in the ranks, were decorated upon
the left shoulder with a shield, bordered with gold, containing a palm
tree in the centre, with two swords crossed below, and the words “RIVAS,
JULY 14, 1849.” The State also voted a pension “to the wounded, and to
the _fathers_, widows, and children of those who had fallen in the
service.” And at the same time decreed “that in profound recognition of
his visible protection, the corporations and authorities of the State,
civil and military, would unite in a public and solemn manifestation of
thanks to God, in the holy Cathedral, on the 2d of September.”
And while upon this subject, I may anticipate events a little, and
describe the ceremonial, for which great preparations were made, and
which was conducted with great solemnity. Upon the morning of the day
high mass was said in the Cathedral, in presence of all the officers of
State, and the army. The soldiers occupied the grand aisle, and the
citizens filled the outer ones. After this was concluded, a procession
was formed, preceded by a large silver cross, beneath which drooped the
flag of the State. Then came the military band, next the host, borne by
the Bishop in person, beneath a heavy crimson canopy of velvet. He was
surrounded by the higher dignitaries of the church, and followed by the
officers of the State and army, bare-headed, and all moving in a hollow
square of soldiers, also with heads uncovered and guns reversed. Then
came the chanters of the Cathedral, the soldiers, and the citizens. But
the most singular features of the procession were the statues of the
saints, which, borne on men’s shoulders, were distributed at intervals
throughout the line. Many of these were of the size of life, and in
their golden, tinselled, and fantastic robes, produced a very singular
effect. Amongst them was San Benito, a little black fellow, canonized,
doubtless, by a far-seeing and politic church to conciliate the colored
population. He is, by the way, the most popular saint in Nicaragua, and
has a grand annual festival at Masaya, to which devotees flock from all
parts of Central America. Men, women, and children alike joined in the
“Procession of Peace,” which moved slowly through the principal streets,
stopping in front of each of the churches to chant a prayer of thanks.
It finally returned to the Cathedral, where the “Te Deum” was sung, and
the assemblage dismissed under a benediction from the Bishop. No sooner
was this more sober part of the ceremony over, than the everlasting
ringing of bells and the firing of guns commenced again, and was kept up
until dark, when there was an exhibition of fireworks in the plaza.
Thus ended the insurrection of Somoza, and thenceforward Leon wore a
more cheerful aspect. The conduct of the government, from its
commencement to its close, was marked with great justice and moderation,
and afforded, in these respects, a striking and most favorable contrast
to that which has for many years distinguished military operations in
Central America.
[Illustration: INNER COURT OF “OUR HOUSE” IN LEON.]