JOURNEY TO GUATEMALA. 



159 



cent not unlike that of the natives of Andalusia in Spain. 

 In common conversation, they use a number of words that 

 are foreign to the Castilian language, and are mostly de- 

 rived from the Indian. Thus they use the word : — 



Mecate, for soga, a rope ; 



Chilillo, 11 latigo, a whip ; 



Galapo, " silla de montar, a saddle ; 



Caycos, " alpargattas, sandals ; 



Milpa, 11 plantio de maiz, a corn-field ; 

 and a number of other words which have escaped my 

 memory. Once, on asking for a wash-bason, I used the 

 four names given to that article in Spanish without being 

 understood, but on saying ponchera, a word suggested to 

 me by a native, my wants were attended to. Another of 

 their peculiarities in language, is that they often speak in 

 the third person plural, and use the pronoun vos instead of 

 usted, as que decis vos ? (what do you say?) for que dice 

 usted? This is the old Castilian mode of speaking, 

 which has long since been abandoned in Spain, though it 

 is infinitely preferable to the present mode, as being much 

 more graceful. Their pronunciation of the c and z is also 

 different from that of the Spaniards of Europe. These 

 letters, the sound of which ought to be nearly like th, they 

 pronounce like s, and consequently make no difference, in 

 the pronunciation of casa, a house, and caza, the chase. 



Their amusements consist chiefly in dancing and riding 

 on horseback, of both which they are very fond. For 

 walking, there are many pleasant places in the suburbs 

 and environs of the city, especially a little Indian village, 

 called Jocotenango, which is ingrafted, as it were, on the 

 city, and forms a curious contrast with it. There are no 

 carriages of any land in Guatemala. The only vehicles 

 I saw there, were two coaches that were not in use, either 

 of which had wood enough in it to make three modern 

 carriages, and was heavy enough to require six stout 

 mules to draw it. Almost every house is open to visitors. 



