2J3&2, About the cioor of a chapel built over the spring at the toot of 
Tl&lpam the h!31 Struggled a dense mass of people -with bottles and elav jugs 
(Mexico) 
and gourds all striving to get a supply of this holy water to take 
home -with them. 
A little beyond this, I noticed a crowd gathered in a circle and 
on approaching found that about a dozen Indians, men and women, wore at 
work executing a dance in honor of the Virgin. These Indians were 
dressed in tunic and trousers and sandals with a high crown-like head¬ 
dress of plumes stuck around the border of a stiff cap set all around 
with little square mirrors that flashed in the sunlight. The plumes 
wore ctyed red, green, and yellow;, A number of the Indians had a quiver 
of panther skin with bow and arrows thrown over their shoulders and 
wands in their hands. 
The dance was in fcim© to a small drum and consisted of stamping 
the fact, facing about from time to time, and certain changes of 
plaoes to effect obscure figures. It was under the direction of an 
old man who also took part, and is undoubtedly a survival of some 
ancient Aztec rite once exercised before the bloody altar of the god 
whose shrine was on this hill. 
A little later, when the dance 'Was concluded below, these dancers 
mounted to the broad stone—paved platform before the entrance of the 
Shrine and there, forming in a double line extending out from the door 
of the chapel, they performed another danse. These performers were all 
of rather strikingly Indian features, somewhat curved noses, and had a 
stern earnestness of expression characteristic of the deepest fanati¬ 
cism and such as might well have been warn by the thousands of their 
ancestors who went down into darkness under the blows of the Spaniards 
while trying to capture the latter alive for an offering to their god. 
The Catholic church is a kind mother to all paganism as long as it 
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