MEXICAN DANCES AND MUSIC — GENIN. 675 



dressed as a Mexican cavalier, the woman as a peasant of Puebla 

 {China Poblana) or of Jalapa (Jalapena). The costume of the 

 man is generally of deerskin adorned with silver buttons, or black 

 trousers with a decoration of little pieces or figures of metal on the 

 outer seam, a leather vest, white shirt, red cravat, a wide felt som- 

 brero embroidered in gold and silver, and often spurs with rowels 

 as large as saucers, weighing half a kilogram each. The woman 

 wore a white waist adorned with lace and edging, showing her throat 

 and the upper part of her breast, arms bare, a woolen skirt red 

 at the top and green below, rebozo (scarf) of silk or cotton, accord- 

 ing to the means of the dancer, silk stockings, little shoes, and in her 

 hair, a wide tortoise-shell comb enriched with ornaments of gilded 

 copper and artificial gems. 



The orchestra is composed of the most diversified elements. We 

 see in it the chirivnias in imitation of the Aztecs, as well as drums 

 which have no reason to envy the ancient tcponaztli or the huehuetl, 

 and all the stringed and wind instruments invented by human genius, 

 with the exception of the biniou and the bagpipe, unknown to the 

 Indians or the Creoles. 



Of course, when they did not have such a complete orchestra, the 

 dancers contented themselves with a simple flute or with a poor 

 violin. But the spectators always accompanied the music by clap- 

 ping their hands and singing more or less harmoniously. 



As for the dancers they moved clumsily opposite one another, 

 sometimes changing places, sometimes turning in their own places, 

 body rigid and arms behind them. 



Sometimes the cavalier throws his sombrero between him and 

 his companion, and both gesticulate aroimd it. After all, their 

 dance is reduced to keeping the step in time. 



The boleros, imitating the Spanish dance of that name, are danced 

 especially at Oaxaca. They are charming when executed by the 

 Spaniards, who have the rhythm of it in their blood, and who put 

 into their play all the feeling, the lightness, and the grace of which 

 they are capable; in Mexico, it is confined, as with the Jarabe, to 

 marking the step, but this time with an accompaniment of castanets. 



The Jota is another dance imported from Spain, accompanied by 

 gestures and poses which are far from being in good taste, and seem 

 to me more indecent than artistic. 



The danza is a kind of polka, which is interrupted at fixed inter- 

 vals during which two couples join hands and make a turn in time, 

 then each man takes his partner again or the partner of the second 

 man, and begins again. 



The Zapateo is more interesting. It is truly a national dance, and 

 consists of the following : Under a shed, they place a small movable 

 floor, la tarima, around which the men group themselves; a guitar 



