1892 
Zapotlan 
(Jalisco) 
Apr* 24 
to 
May 1 
Remained here working on reports and doing a little collecting. 
A single Ilasua was secured here that was very much paler than those 
from the coast and considerably paler than those from near Colima. 
During this week in Zapotlan another church festival was ushered 
in by a great din of rockets and fire crackers, and in the evening 
the entire square of the large plaza was lighted up by a series of 
iron cressets on stakes in which pitch-pine was burned. At the 
large gateway of the churchyard on each side stood a couple of men 
playing on a long, slender drum and a curious wailing, fife-like 
instrument. The people crowded into the church and services were 
held until nearly 11 p.m. During all the evening there was a con¬ 
tinual firing of rockets from the roof of the new church just in 
front of the one where the services were being held. 
At 10 p,m. on the night of the first, nine of us were packed 
into a stage or "diligeneia” and nine mules were put on, 2 at wheel, 
4 in front, and 3 in front again. The driver gathered up his reins 
and his assistant scrambled up beside him holding aloft a large pre¬ 
pared torch of pitch and maguey fiber and so we went at a gallop 
out of the town, the torch casting a wild flickering light and shade 
over the house fronts showing momentary glimpses of faces at windows 
or doors and an occasional wayfarer flattened against a wall to let 
us by in the narrow street. Then we plunged into the great void of 
the night and for hours went bumping and jolting over the rocks and 
deep ruts of the road. For about an hour we were on the descent of 
a very steep hill and the torch—bearer went slowly ahead to light 
the way. At Sayula we changed animals and then away again through 
the night until we came to Zacoaloo where we stopped for breakfast 
and I remained over for a couple of nights, 
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