May 1827. RELIGIOUS CEREMONY. 91 
stamped upon different parts of her body, rubbing the paint, 
and marking the crosses afresh, after every stamp was made. 
The men, after having marked themselves in a similar man- 
ner (to do which some stripped to the waist and covered all 
their body with impressions), proceeded to do the same to the 
boys, who were not permitted to perform this part of the 
ceremony themselves. Manuel, Maria’s husband, who seemed 
to be her chief assistant on the occasion, then took from the 
folds of the sacred wrapper an awl, and with it pierced either 
the arms or ears of all the party ; each of whom presented in 
turn, pinched up between the finger and thumb, that portion 
of flesh which was to be perforated. The object evidently 
was to lose blood, and those from whom the blood flowed 
freely showed marks of satisfaction, while some whose wounds 
bled but little underwent the operation a second time. . 
When Manuel had finished, he gave the awl to Maria, who 
pierced his arm, and then, with great solemnity and care, mut- 
tering and talking to herself in Spanish (not two words of 
which could I catch, although I knelt down close to her and 
listened with the greatest attention), she removed two or three 
wrappers, and exposed to our view a small figure, carved in 
wood, representing a dead person, stretched out. After ex- 
posing the image, to which all paid the greatest attention, and 
contemplating it for some moments in silence, Maria began to 
descant upon the virtues of her Christ, telling us it had a good 
heart (‘ buen corazon’), and that it was very fond of tobacco. 
“Mucho quiere mi Cristo tabaco, da me mas,” (my Christ 
loves tobacco very much, give me some). Such an appeal, on 
such an occasion, I could not refuse ; and after agreeing with 
her in praise of the figure, I said I would send on board for 
some. Having gained her point, she began to talk to herself 
for some minutes, during which she looked up, after repeating 
the words “ muy bueno es mi Cristo, muy bueno corazon 
tiene,” and slowly and solemnly packed up the figure, deposit- 
ing it in the place whence it had been taken. This ceremony 
ended, the traffic, which had been suspended, recommenced 
with redoubled activity. 
