TO LA MAGDALENA. 
427 
In the evening I visited the church again, when I 
witnessed the ceremony of consecrating ribbons. The 
space around the image was crowded as in the morn- 
ing with devotees, each provided with a piece of rib- 
bon. The mode of consecrating it depended upon the 
ailment of the applicant. If he or she had a pain in 
the head, the ribbon was passed several times across 
the forehead of the figure by the officiating Franciscans. 
If blind, the ribbon was passed across the eyes; if 
latne, or afflicted with rheumatism, it was passed over 
the arms or legs; and in many instances I saw it 
drawn between the toes of the Saint. Had some of 
our turtle-fed aldermen been the applicants for the 
latter process, one might have believed it to be for 
the gout ; but I fancy that a diet of frijoles and tortil- 
las does not often engender that disease in Mexico. 
Some of the worshippers were provided with long 
pieces of ribbon, which they applied in turn to every 
part, a knot being tied after each application, making, 
probably, as one of the gentlemen observed, “ a sort 
of family medicine chest.” The faith of the people in 
this thing of wood and paint is astonishing. An old 
man told us with the utmost seriousness, that last May, 
when the cholera visited the place, and was cutting 
off twenty a day, they had only to bring the image 
into the street, and the disease at once disappeared. 
He was asked what he would have thought if the dis- 
ease continued. He replied, “ That it was the will of 
the Saint, and we must submit.” 
In our rambles, we dropped into an attractive- 
looking shop to make inquiries about such provisions 
as we required. The proprietor, Senor Gonzales, was 
