402 



THREE YEARS IN THE PACIFIC. 



The gourds from which chicha is drunk, are called mat^s. 

 Gourds grow here to an astonishing size, and are converted into 

 all kinds of household utensils required by the Indians. The 

 small ones are made into bottles, drinking cups, and plates, and 

 the large ones into dishes, and even into wash tubs ! 



The Indians and common people pay less attention to per- 

 sonal cleanliness than at any other place I have visited. The 

 better classes, though slovenly in their dress, are extremely 

 careful to wash and bathe frequently in the river. In our walks, 

 we often saw men and women bathing together, in a paucity 

 of clothing ; and children of both sexes, of eight or ten years 

 of age, are seen plunging in the river, and even playing through 

 the streets entirely naked. 



The food of the Indians consists of a little fish, salted or fresh, 

 parched corn, and chicha. They sometimes indulge in eggs, 

 but not often, for it is like eating up their own gold ! These 

 people still bear the impress of the Spanish domination, evinced 

 in their silent, tolerant manners. They are extremely supersti- 

 tious, and resort to witchcraft for the cure of diseases, and give 

 a large portion of their gains to the church ; they spend every 

 thing in wax, for religious ceremonies, and chicha. The women 

 carry heavy loads of wood, and great jars of water, enough in 

 appearance to weigh down a man. They are a short, square 

 built people, possessed of mild countenances, but an ugly race 

 withal. Honesty is a rare virtue among them. I am told they 

 were in the habit of placing combustibles against store doors, 

 and silently burning their way in ; to avoid which, many doors 

 were made double, having the interstitial space filled with 

 rockets to give alarm. Both in Lambayeque and Chiclayo, a 

 town about five miles distant, there are Indians who trace their 

 genealogy back to the Caciques ; and one old man in the latter 

 village is familiarly styled *'el Cacique.^^ 



The town of Lambayeque contains at present about twelve 

 thousand inhabitants, including whites, blacks, sambos, In- 

 dians, and castes. The streets are narrow, and intersect each 

 other nearly at right angles. The houses are generally one 

 story high, and resemble those of Lima in their architecture. 

 There are no wheeled carriages in the place, with the exeep- 



