Chap. III. THE CENTRAL AMERICAN INDIAN. 33 
children in the costume of nature, are playing in intimate 
fellowship with pigs, dogs, and chickens, under the shade 
of some orange or mango trees, between shrubs covered 
with flowers ; while brown women, busy in their domestic 
occupations, are seen through the open door. 
In the population of the suburbs and of the scattered 
habitations of the environs of Granada, the Indian element 
is predominant — in part even exclusive. Amongst the 
lower classes of the town, a considerable proportion of 
African blood is mixed with it. But to what an extent the 
Indian element, even as a pure unmixed race, predomi- 
nates, may be seen every morning on the market-place 
of Granada. Without the Indians, it would be empty. 
Early in the morning they are seen arriving in long files, 
one after the other, men, women and children, bringing 
fruits and vegetables, chickens and eggs, venison and fish, 
wild honey, starch prepared from the yucca or mandioca 
root, maize and rice, hammocs, water-jars, drinking-cups 
made from the jicara or fruit of the calabash tree, and with 
other productions of their small plantations and of their 
industry. It is altogether an erroneous opinion, which, 
however, seems to be very general, that this people is 
naturally lazy. Whatever may be said of the descendants 
of the Spaniards in this, or in any other American country, 
and however unwilling the free negro may be to work, the 
Central-American Indian is naturally industrious, and is, 
without any doubt, the most useful and the most respect- 
able component in the Central- American population. He 
is of a short frame, stout and robust, well-built, with an 
intelligent and agreeable countenance. His mouth is well- 
formed, with a beautiful set of teeth. His eyes are jet 
black, with a peculiar want of transparency or superficial 
lustre, but often with a strange interrogatory expression, 
D 
