216 EANCHERA DRESS. 



worn by the lower classes. A Mexican fe- 

 male is scarcely ever seen without her rebozo 

 or shawl, except when it is laid aside for the 

 dance. In-doors, it is loosely thrown about 

 her person, but in the promenade it is coquet- 

 tishly drawn over the head, and one end of it 

 brought round, and gracefully hooked over 

 the opposite shoulder. As a favorite modern 

 authoress justly remarks, however, in speak- 

 ing of the rebozo and the sarape, an important 

 objection to their use, in this unsettled society, 

 is the facility they afford for the concealment 

 of the person, as well as secret weapons of the 

 wearer. Pistols, knives, and even swords are 

 carried unsuspected under the sarape, while 

 a lady fashionably muffled with a rebozo, may 

 pass a crowd of famihar acquaintances with- 

 out being recognized. 



The ordinary apparel of the female pea- 

 santry and the rancheras, is the enagnas or pet- 

 ticoat of home-made flannel ; or, when they 

 are able to procure it, of coarse blue or scar- 

 let cloth, connected to a wide hst of some 

 contrasting-colorcd stuff, bound around the 

 waist over a loose white chemise, which is 

 the only covering for the body, except the re- 

 bozo. Uncouth as this costume may appear 

 at first, it constitutes nevertheless a very grace- 

 ful sort of undress — in which capacity it is 

 used even by ladies of rank. 



The New Mexican ladies are all passionate- 

 ly fond of jewelry ; and they may commonly 

 be seen, with their necks, arms and fingers 

 loaded with massive appendages of a valua- 



