186 
GUATEMALA. 
a man would satisfy us. But we were not to see any¬ 
thing of the kind ; and after the bulls had trotted about 
the Plaza until half-past five, the show was over, and the 
unsatisfied audience dispersed. What w T ould a Roman 
audience have done in the Flavian amphitheatre, had 
their wild-beast propensities been thus excited and disap¬ 
pointed ? So far as the City of Guatemala is concerned, 
the bull-fight is growing unfashionable, and even with the 
populace such uninteresting shows cannot long attract. 
The Guatemaltecans should import some of the fashion¬ 
able “Cribb Clubs” of our Northern cities, if they still 
wish to see human blood flow. At present there is more 
brutality in the sparring exhibitions of Boston than in 
the bull-fights of the Central American city. 
Our day was not yet ended ; and as w~e crossed the Plaza 
in the evening, on returning from a call on a friend, we 
found the pavement crowded with people and dotted with 
little fires, over which various Indios were cooking dough¬ 
nuts, fritters, and chocolate. The fritters were eaten 
with plenty of honey, and were very palatable. 
Another night we had an opportunity to see one of the 
religious processions so common in former days, — after¬ 
wards prohibited by law, but now occasionally allowed, as 
there is little danger of a renewal of the priestly pow r er, and 
these spectacles please the priests, women, and children. 
This particular one, which we attended in part, was in 
honor of u Nuestra Senora de Guadeloupe.” A huge doll, 
all lace and tinsel, was carried through the streets with 
music, flowers, and fireworks. It was a miracle that the 
image was not set on fire, — especially when the u toro,” 
all blazing with squibs and Roman candles, ran through 
the crowd; but no accident befell, so far as I knew. I 
