Ex. Doc. No. 41. 455 



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pleasantly upon the ear, and was frequently mingled with the 

 sound of the tinkling bell. 



October 5. — The plaza w^as now our place of daily promenadej as 

 one sees more of character displayed in the market place than at 

 any other public assembly. No one can visit this country without 

 being struck with the inveterate habit of the people for gambling. 

 The word " monte" is one of the first a stranger learns. In the 

 market place, by the road sidcj nay, almost everywhere, you will 

 see the '' villanos" seated around, in little gr6ups, deeply absorbed 

 in their games. But, although they carry this vice to great excess, 

 they are extremely temperate in their meats and drink. The term 

 borrachon (drunkard) is considered one of the. most opprobrious 

 epithets in their language. 



The Spanish women make excellent bread, and great quantities 

 are exposed for sale in the plaza. I understand that the flour is 

 sifted by hand, and, instead of yeast, they use the dough from a 

 previous day's mixing. One kind of flour is quite coarse and dark; 

 this sells in Taos for $2 50 the fanega, (144 pounds.) 



In the evening I made a sketch of • the parroquia, although mud 

 walls are not generally remarkable; still, the great size of the 

 building, compared with those around, produces an imposing- 

 eff'ect. 



seen lying close on the top of a high bluffy and 

 behind it rises the tops of magnificent mountains. 



The house of Padre Ortiz, on the right hand side of the church, 



has a fine portail in front, being one of the best dwelling houses in 

 the city. 



October 6. — This morning I visited the ^^ Capella de los Soldados," 

 or military chapel. I was told that this chapel was in use some 



Mexico. It 

 (our lady of light;) 



M 



^ras dedicated to " Nuestra Senora de la luz,'' ^ _^ ^_..^^ 



m the facade, above the door, there, is a large rectangular slab of 

 freestone elaborately carved. It represents ^^ our lady of light" 

 in the act of rescuing a human being from the jaws of Satan, 

 whilst angels are crowning her; the whole is executed in basso 

 relievo. One here finds human bones and sculls scattered about 

 the church; these belonged to wealthy individuals who could afl*ord 

 to purchase the privilege of being deposited beneath the floor of a 

 building in which so many orisons would be off^ered to Heaven, 

 boping that these prayers would procure absolution for their sins. 

 But a few years ago the roof of the church fell in; no more prayers 

 have since then been offered there, and the wealthy have not even 

 found a quiet resting place. 



To-day I gained much information with reference to the ruins of 

 OS, but it does not diff^er from the accounts given in that excel* 



P 



lent work called ^^ Commerce of the Prairies,'' by Gregg. I asked 

 bow it happened that the old church should have been built in the 

 form of a cross, and was told that it was erected under the direc- 

 tion of the Jesuits, who founded schools there, and who labored 

 much to reclaim the Pecos Indians from their superstitions. 

 Strange what influence these superstitions have on eahghtenea 



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