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SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 



also expensive; the great Spanish saddle, 

 with its broad flaps, is richly embroidered with 

 silk, gold and silver, and the high-raised front 

 covered with the same metals. The stirrups 

 are often of silver, but those of the lower 

 classes are of wood. The bridle is small, with 

 a very large and powerful bit, by means of 

 which the riders suddenly stop their fine little 

 horses when at full speed. 



The dresses of the country ladies are 

 showy, but not elegant : — worked shifts, with 

 a light open jacket, and a richly embroidered 

 or spangled petticoat, of bright coloured soft 

 cloth (often scarlet or pink), seem to be the 

 unvarying costume. 



The dresses of the poorer classes and In- 

 dians vary in the different provinces. The 

 mixed descendants of the Spaniards, in the 

 capital, and in Tolluca, and other cities, have 

 little more than a blanket, worn much in the 

 fashion of the Roman toga; whilst the garb 



