PEOPLE OF MEXICO. 101 



city, its widespread environs, the church of Guadalupe, the 

 village-dotted plain, stretching away in every direction, the 

 distant lakes burnished by the sun's rays, and the back- 

 ground toward the east of the two snow-clad mountains. 



On the left of Chapultepec lies the suburban village of 

 Tacubaya, where the wealthy citizens of the capital have 

 their summer residences, many of which are very elegant. 

 These* are thrown open to strangers on certain days, to ex- 

 hibit their collections of rare and beautiful objects of art. 

 As the tourist leaves Chapultepec, by a narrow road wind- 

 ing through a grove of noble trees, attention is called to the 

 ancient inscriptions upon the rocks at the eastern base of 

 the hill near the roadside. They are in half relief, and are 

 graven on the natural rock. As yet, no one has been able 

 to decipher their meaning. 



Of the twelve million people comprising the popula- 

 tion of Mexico, about one-lhird are pure natives, one-sixth 

 of the remainder Europeans, and the balance Mestizos, or 

 half-breeds. The natives are of a brown or olive color,and are 

 beardless, or nearly so; they are of medium height, stout 

 or corpulent, have muscular thighs, a broad chest, and rather 

 slender arms; they are not very- strong, but are very endur- 

 ing. The native retains his national dress, which consists 

 of short, wide drawers of cotton cloth, or deer-skin, reach- 

 ing to the knee, and a sort of frock of coarse woolen cloth, 

 fastened around the hips by a belt; a straw hat and sandals 

 complete his dress. The women wrap themselves twice 

 around with a piece of woolen stuff, which is girded around 

 the waist by a broad band, and reaches to her bare feet. 

 In addition she wears a wide garment, called a huipile, 

 closed on all sides, which reaches to her knees. Her hair 

 is wound around her head in a roll and tied with a brightly 

 colored ribbon, or hangs down in two plaits. • Many wear 



