SUNDAY OCCUPATIONS. 



199 



an oblong form, with a hole in the middle to re- 

 ceive the head. In Mexico these cloaks are ge- 

 nerally made of fine cloth, richly ornamentlft 

 round the neck with gold embroidery. The stir- 

 rups are made of wood, taken no doubt from the 

 Spanish box stirrup, but they are more neatly 

 made than in Spain, and are lighter, and fit the 

 foot better. Every gentleman rides with a pair 

 of silver spurs of immoderate length and weight ; 

 and, instead of a whip, holds in his hand a long 

 and curiously twisted set of thongs, which are 

 merely a tapered continuation of the slender strips 

 of hide of which the bridle is made, plaited into 

 a round cord. 



']th of April. — Sunday. — The public were kept 

 in full employment all this day, first, by high 

 mass ; next, by feats of horsemanship in an open 

 circus ; and, lastly, by a play. The theatre was 

 rude enough, but the greater number of the party, 

 having seen no other, were perfectly satisfied. 

 The audience were seated on benches placed on 

 the ground, in a large court open to the sky. 

 The stage was formed of loose planks ; the walls 

 of cane and plaster, covered by a roof formed of 



