88 



SIX MONTHS LN MEXICO. 



Indians who accompanied us called him, Nos- 

 tras Boueno Amigo (our good friend). 



The church was gaudily ornamented with 

 pictures and statues, and had that day been 

 dressed with fruits, flowers, palm blossoms, 

 &c, disposed in arches, chaplets, and a va- 

 riety of other pretty devices, in honour of 

 their patron saint. 



Opposite the door, under a venerable cedar 

 of great size, was a small temple and altar, 

 decorated in a similar manner, with the ad- 

 dition of several human skulls, quite clean, 

 and as white as ivory. Round the great tree 

 some men were employed in splitting pieces of 

 candle- wood, a species of pine which contains 

 a considerable quantity of resin, and which, 

 being lighted, burns with a clear flame like a 

 candle. 



I rambled through the village and the 

 surrounding plantations of the maguey or 

 aloe: many of the plants were then pro- 



