Ch. V. SOUTH AMERICA. ±6^ 



The Indians who have acquired some fortune, 

 particularly the barbers and phlebotomistSj are very 

 careful to distinguish themselves from their country- 

 men, both by the fineness of their drawers, and also 

 by wearing a shirt, though without sleeves. Round 

 the neck of the shirt they wear a lace four or five fin- 

 gers in breadth, hanging entirely round like a kind of 

 rufFor band. One favourite piece of finery is silver 

 or gold buckles for their shoes ; but they wear no 

 stockings or other coverings on their legs. Instead of 

 the mean capisayo, they wear a cloak of fine cloth, and 

 often adorned with gold or silver lace. 



The dress of the ladies of the first rank consists of 

 a petticoat already described in our account of Guaya- 

 quil. On the upper parts of their body they wear a 

 shift, on that a loose jacket laced, and over all a kind 

 of bays, but made into no form, being worn just as 

 cut from the piece. Every part of their dress is, as 

 it v/ere, covered with lace; and those which they wear 

 on. days of ceremony are always of the richest stuiFs, 

 with a prokision of ornaments. Their hair is gene- 

 rally made up in tresses, which they form into a kind 

 of cross, on the nape of the neck; tying a rich rib- 

 band, called balaca, twice round their heads, and with 

 the ends form a kiad of rose at their temples. These 

 roses are elegantly intermixed with diamonds and flow- 

 ■ers. When chey go to church, they sometimes wear 

 a full petticoat; but the most usual dress on these oc- 

 casions is the veil. 



The iVTestizo women affect to dress in the same 

 manner as tne Spanish, though they cannot equal them 

 in the richness oi'their stuffs. The meaner sort go bare- 

 footed. Two kii)ds of dresses are worn by the. Indian 

 women; but both of them made in the same plain 

 manner with those worn by the men: the whole con- 

 sisting of a short petticoat, and a veil of American 

 bays. The dress of the lowest class of Indian women is 

 in effect only a bag of the same make and stuff cs the 



ñ'ocks 



