A TOLTEC BABYLON. 
73 
by the lords of the soil, who can do as 
they please with the poor creatures, and 
work them whenever and wherever they 
see fit. These debts descend from father 
to son ; in this manner they are continu¬ 
ally increasing, and so the chains are riv¬ 
eted. I suppose the system has many 
advantages as well as disadvantages, but 
certainly we see the disadvantages to the 
poor and simple people, who, having their 
immediate wants supplied, do not care to 
look beyond. Among the more intelli¬ 
gent this condition is very galling, but as 
a rule they are shrewd enough to avoid it. 
Standing a short distance from the 
inclosing wall of the hacienda, and in the 
midst of the poor quarter, was a dilapi¬ 
dated Roman Catholic church. There 
was no resident priest, but one came twice 
a year from a settlement farther south. 
