One of the religious processions at Quito was so novel to me, and altogether so strange, that I cannot forbear to describe it. At a small village, about a league from the city, there is an image of the Virgin Mary, which the pious inhabitants have been induced to believe protected them against the destructive fury of the earthquakes that ruined Riobamba and Tacunga; in consequence of which, they voted two annual feasts to the image, to be celebrated in the cathedral of the city. Application was made to the court at Madrid, that the procession might be solemnized with the assistance of the whole military force; the royal grant exceeded the humble request, for his Catholic Majesty conferred on the Virgin of Guapulo the commission of a captain-general of his armies, with a right to the enjoyment of all the pay and privileges during the ten days' stay in Quito; consequently, on the day of her approach to the city, the whole military force line the streets, present their arms, and the drums beat a march.
The virgin is brought to the city on a stand, enclosed with crimson velvet curtains, carried on the shoulders of some of the principal inhabitants, preceded by part of the chapter, and members of the corporation. The image, being on duty, becomes a captain-general, and appears in full uniform; on the arms two sleeves are drawn, bearing the embroidery of her rank; on her head is placed a gold laced cocked hat, with a red cockade and feather, and in her hand she holds the baton, or insignia of command. The image of the infant Jesus participates in the honours; a gold laced hat, small gold sword, and red cloak, adorn the young hero, and in this stile they are carried to the cathedral, where they are arrayed in their customary robes, but the baton is left in the hand of the Virgin till she leaves the city. Although loath to ridicule any thing that may, however distant, be connected with religion, even the ceremonious part of it, I could never view this in any other light than an ecclesiastical puppet show, a disgraceful piece of mummery.
Quito is also famous for many other religious processions, and these times present a very favourable opportunity for seeing the best works both of the pencil and the chisel, particularly at the procession of Corpus Christi, when several altars are erected in the plasa mayor, on which are displayed all the curiosities that the natives can collect.
The market of Quito is well provided with good beef, mutton, pork, and poultry, the prices of which are low. The beef is supplied by the principal landholders, who are bound to kill a stipulated number of fat oxen daily throughout the year, and to sell the beef at an appointed price; for this purpose there is a public butchery, where an officer belonging to the corporation attends to see that the agreement is properly fulfilled.
The vegetable and fruit markets are remarkably abundant; the climates are so various in the neighbourhood of the city, (indeed, it may be said, that they vary at every step we take) that the vegetables and fruits of Europe grow among those of the tropics. From the valleys and yungas, sides of mountains, are brought camotes, yucas, aracachas, palemettos, bananas, pine-apples, oranges, lemons, limes, citrons, paltas, chirimoyas, guavas, granadillas; and from the cooler parts they bring potatoes, cabbages, beets, apples, pears, guinds, peaches, apricots, melons, strawberries, as well as various sallads and pot herbs: maize and other pulse are grown in the different climates, and many of the vegetables and esculents may be had in perfection during the whole year. Several kinds of bread are brought to market at certain hours of the day, for the purpose of serving whilst quite fresh at the meals of the inhabitants: it is always made into small loaves, or rather cakes. After twelve o'clock the bread begins to fall in price; and at five o'clock six cakes may be bought for the same money that three of the same kind would have cost in the morning: this arises from the custom of never eating old bread. Many varieties of sweet cakes are also sold in the market, some of which are particularly delicate.
The spirits usually drunk in Quito are rum and a small quantity of brandy: from the rum, which is distilled here, many liqueurs are made. It has probably been observed, that rum is not so noxious to the health of the Quiteños as it is supposed to be to that of the Peruvians; but, on the contrary, brandy is here considered by the careful government to be possessed of deleterious qualities. The truth is, that the distilling of rum is a royal monopoly in Quito; whereas that of brandy is not so in Peru: thus, for the purpose of increasing the consumption of rum, which augments the royal revenue, brandy is one of the pisco or aguardiente, contraband articles. Among the lower classes the use of chicha made of maize is very common, and its intoxicating qualities are but too visible among the indians, who are passionately fond of it: for the purpose of stimulating a species of thirst or forcing the appetite, they eat very large quantities of capsicum, aji: it is not uncommon, indeed, for an indian to make a meal of twenty or thirty pods of capsicum, a little salt, a piece of bread, and two or three quarts of chicha.
Quito is famous for the delicate ices and iced beverages which are made by the inhabitants; a service of ices, when a dinner or supper is given to a large party, is considered the greatest ornament of the table. These ices are generally prepared by the nuns, who, for the purpose, have pewter moulds, made to imitate several kinds of fruit; these are in two pieces, which are first united with wax and tied together: at a small aperture at one end the liquor is poured in, a fluid prepared from the juice of the fruit which the mould is made to imitate; when full, the hole is closed with wax, and the mould is put into a heap of broken ice mixed with salt, and allowed to remain till the liquor is congealed; the two parts of the mould are then separated, and the solid contents placed on a dish: thus a service of ices is made to consist of perfect imitations of pine-apples, oranges, melons, figs, and other fruits. When milk or cream is iced it is poured into a mould formed like a cheese. These imitations, placed on dishes, and ornamented with leaves, &c. are with difficulty distinguished from fruit, and when fruit is mixed with them, I have frequently seen strangers completely deceived.
The natives of Quito are very skilful in cooking some of the produce of the country; so much so, that I have often been assured by them, that forty-six different kinds of cakes and dishes are made of maize, or at least in which maize is the principal ingredient: of potatoes thirty-two are made in the same manner, without counting many others, in which maize or potatoes are mixed.
Some of the confectionary is very delicate, particularly dry or candied sweetmeats. These are often made of the pulp or jelly of different fruits, in imitation of those fruits, and not larger than hazel nuts: thus oranges, lemons, and limes are often taken from the trees when about the size of nuts, and delicately preserved and candied over. The same kinds of fruit are also taken when ripe, and the rinds preserved; they are filled with the flowers, after they have been preserved, and the whole candied over, and put into a dry place, where they may be kept for a long time. What is justly considered a master piece of confectionary in Quito is to preserve the rind of a very large citron, then to fill it with small candied oranges, lemons, limes, figs, &c., and afterwards to candy the outside of the citron.
The enormous quantity of cheese consumed in this city almost exceeds belief, the cost price not being less than from eighty to ninety thousand dollars a year. The estimate is made as to the price, because cheese, like many other commodities, is bought by the lump, not by the weight; and the price seldom varies. I have weighed several cheeses that cost a dollar each, and found them to weigh on an average seven or eight pounds when fresh (for in this state the cheese is always brought to market), so that the quantity consumed annually amounts to about six hundred and forty thousand pounds weight, or upwards of two hundred and eighty five tons. This may partly be accounted for from the number of dishes made with potatoes, pumpkins, gourds, maize, wheat, and many other kinds of vegetables and pulse mixed with cheese. As the custom of eating toasted cheese is prevalent, a whole one, weighing from three to four pounds, is generally placed on the tables of wealthy citizens both at breakfast and supper; and many of these being land proprietors and farmers derive the greater part of the profits of their farms from the cheese which is made on them.