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. 



