INHABITANTS. 
227 
try of their forms, the singularity of their features, and the vigor 
and sprightliness of their character. The women are delicately 
made, mercurial, voluptuous, and full of vivacity. They are 
particularly remarkable for the exquisite grace of their carriage, 
the winning softness of their manner of expression, and their 
love of gay costumes. In morals, they are loose and full of in- 
trigue ; but in habits, they are temperate and industrious. Many 
of them weave admirable fabrics from the w T ild silk and cotton, 
and their manufacture of conserves is unequalled in Mexico. 
The town of Tehuantepec gives employment to persons of vari- 
ous occupations, and its appearance is enlivened by the shops 
of carpenters, silversmiths, tanners, shoemakers, saddlers, and 
bakers. The manufacture of soap is very considerable, and the 
export of buckskins constitutes a lucrative trade. 
The Indians of Juchitan, though numerically less than those 
of Tehuantepec, form an important part of the inhabitants of the 
Isthmus, as being superior in every respect. They are bold, inde- 
pendent, industrious, and temperate, possessing great muscular 
strength and a high degree of mental capacity. Of the value of 
their services, either as laborers in the construction of works, or 
as cultivators in the field, there can be no question. In aspect 
they are less pleasing than the Tehuantepecans, and in disposi- 
tion less docile — a fact which may be attributable to their impa- 
tient character, and their keen sense of mental and physical 
degradation. 
The Huaves, who according to their traditions came origin- 
ally from Peru, and once a powerful race, have, from their suc- 
cessive struggles for supremacy with the Zapotecos and Mijes, 
dwindled down to a little more than three thousand, scattered 
over the sandy peninsulas formed by the lakes and the Pacific. 
At present they occupy the four villages of San Mateo, Santa 
Maria, San Dionisio, and San Francisco. Mr. Moro, in his 
report of his surveys, says : " These natives are easily distin- 
guished by their aspect, which differs materially from that of 
the other inhabitants of the Isthmus. They are generally ro- 
bust, and well formed ; some of them evince a high degree of 
intelligence, but the majority are grossly ignorant. The Huaves 
of both sexes are habitually in a state of almost complete nudity. 
