12 ARCH^OLOGICAL AND ETHNOLOGICAL 



race. There I was hung in effigy by the constables (alguacils). Taking the town 

 hall, (cabildo), as is customary, for my quarters, the ahjuacils had, by virtue of the 

 letter of recommendation from the government, to attend to my wants. Out of 

 spite for this, the people suspended one of their official staves, which was six feet 

 long with a rounded top and a cross on it, and called my attention to it, swinging 

 it and crying out "/ato." 



The village of Tacena furnished an evidence how favorably the Indians can be 

 influenced by a well-meaning person. Through the efforts of the curate there were 

 four schools ; one of them for teaching music, and the others for sewing. In con- 

 sequence of this he was able to say mass, accompanied by an orchestra performing 

 tlie works of Mozart and otlier great composers. He himself was instructing two 

 boys in carpentry. 



Entering the State of Chiapas, I advanced as far as the hacienda Espiritu Santo. 

 I had to wait two days till the mayor domo, who Avas living in the building with 

 his wife and a cow-boy (vaqitero), was obliging enough to transport me back to 

 the nearest estate. On the hacienda Espiritu Santo Avere 1 500 head of cattle, and 

 notwithstanding this number, not one drop of milk could be obtained, nor any 

 butter or cheese. The food consisted of tortillas and sun-dried meat. There was, 

 of course, not the least sign of any kind of fruit. The cattle are raised for the sole 

 purpose of being sold to the butchers in tlie distant cities of Guatemala. During 

 my stay the people asked me what kind of work I could perform, and could not 

 believe that I was unable to cut even a pair of pantaloons, in the performance of 

 which the woman was engaged, and would have liked my assistance. Another 

 mystery to them was that there was nothing in my trunk to sell. 



In the State of Chiapas are very few communities ; the most of tlie country is " 

 divided into large estates, exclusively for raising animals, cattle as well as horses and 

 mules. A great number of these, if not all, are exported to Guatemala, where they 

 are considered to be of a superior breed. On one of the other estates is a small 

 settlement where tlie men have to perform all the work required to be done, and 

 are only tenants, not owners, of the land they occupy. 



Having been convinced of the impossibihty of my reaching Otosingo, in the 

 disturbed condition of the country, I fell back on the hacienda La Xueva, from 

 which I first started, in order to get other animals, and a guide to conduct me in 

 another direction to Guatemala. Tliis time I got as far as the hacienda Eincon 

 Tigre, where my guide deserted me, for fear of being pressed into the revolutionary 

 army, the headquarters of which I had to pass. The proprietor of the hacienda 

 was so obliging as to have my luggage transported the following day to the next 

 village, Agua Sarca, in Guatemala, the headquarters of the revolutionary general; 

 but he would not sell me either horse or mule, saying, he had none for sale, 

 although quite a herd of them were in sight. 



Tlie General received me hospitably in the cahildo of the small village where 

 he was quartered. His staff consisted of about half a dozen young men, and 

 he was staying in Agua Sarca for the purpose of collecting the men and animals 

 necessary for the contemplated assault on the capital of Chiapas. Tlie men 

 were busily engaged in shoeing horses and mules, and forging lances, which 



