The suburbs, or “barrios” as they are locally called, are five in number; each having a church and its attendant priest. The population, with a very few exceptions, is composed of poor Indians, the major part of whom, of both sexes, go habitually in puris naturalibus, or nearly so; living in mean huts, and supporting large and expensive churches; while they themselves appear to be contented to subsist alone upon corn and water.
In the barrio Sisal is the ruin of an old convent. Its crumbling walls tell of changes that are slowly developing themselves in the civilized world. It was an immense structure in its time, covering a space of two acres, enclosed within a high stone wall; and remains a painful monument of the mighty power which the order of Loyola, its original proprietors, once exercised upon the destinies of this country. All that is now left is the church, and the house of the priest. The cloisters, corridors, and squares, are all fast going to pieces; and fragments of them are lying about in every direction. Its spacious halls are now the abode of the poor Indian, who aspires to a portion of the hallowed influence which is reputed to hang around its dilapidated walls. The crumbling turrets and blackened domes are covered with a wild vegetation, and have become a perch for the buzzard, and the hiding-place for loathsome reptiles. One of the wells connected with the monastery is dug through a solid rock to the depth of one hundred and fifty feet, when it opens upon a subterraneous river of pure water. In former times, a handsome temple was erected over it; the remains of a part of its dome still exist. There are not many pleasing associations connected with these places.
The other barrios have nothing of interest. They are thickly populated by the listless natives, who, as usual, live in their small huts, constructed with poles and mud. Nothing was to be observed like thrift or industry. They were the most wretched specimen of human beings that I saw in the country. The churches, too, like all things else around them, are growing old. Literally, every thing appears to be left here to take care of itself. The roads in the vicinity are narrow, broken, rocky pathways for mules.
During my walks about the city I came to a sonato, reputed to be the largest in the province, supposed to be a portion of a subterraneous river; and caused, as I judged, by some great convulsion of nature. It presents a fine spectacle, resembling the mouth of a cavern, with its overhanging rocks and broken fragments left or worn away into the shape of inverted cones. Evidently, it was once hidden; and when or how it effected an opening, no one hereabouts can tell. All that the Indian knows is, that it affords him an abundant and good supply of water. The average depth of the water is twelve fathoms; while the distance from its surface to the surface of the ground above, is full fifty feet. The well itself has no perceptible outlet, and is about fifty feet in circumference. The surrounding rocks are principally calcareous, with a silicious intermixture. These sonatos are held in superstitious reverence by the Indians. They are reputed to be the places where most of their religious legends had their origin.
SONATO near VALLADOLID.
The Indians and Mestizos here still hold on to some of the old customs and amusements of their forefathers, upon which they pride themselves. Among the latter, that of dancing appears to be most popular in Valladolid, and usually takes place every fair evening, during the festivals, in or near one of the squares. Around the place designated for the entertainment, as I frequently observed, were placed benches for the dancing-girls, who arrange themselves in a row, separated from the crowd. They are chosen in regular rotation, and led out to dance. Their toilet was of the olden time, but it set off their plain features and low stature to good advantage. Their head-gear was a black silk hat, of the style usually worn by gentlemen, with gold and silver bands, intermixed with roses and long plumes of feathers; and their rich black hair, neatly braided, hung down the back, and almost swept the ground. The dress consisted of a loose white garment, suspended gracefully from the shoulders, ornamented at the top and bottom with various colored needlework, and white silk stockings and shoes—the whole beautiful and chaste. They danced with much skill and taste. The men wore shirts and trousers made of calico, with sash and blanket. The latter article is thrown over the shoulder, and carried with a grace which one looks for in vain out of Mexico. The sight was altogether enchanting; and I imagined for the moment that I beheld before me the royal abundance and Indian simplicity of the court of Montezuma.
The three days of masquerade before lent, (Ash-Wednesday,) commenced on Sunday, the sixth of February. The riband, or pole dance, among the masqueraders, excited the most attention. A pole, about twenty feet long, was raised perpendicularly, from the top of which were fastened fifteen or twenty pieces of wide, variously-colored ribands. Each dancer, laying hold of a piece and extending it, formed a wide circle around the pole. The dancing commenced at a given signal, all joining. They crossed each other with the greatest precision, and in such order as to form a beautiful lattice or network with the ribands, until they were wound up. The figure then suddenly changes, and the ribands, by a reverse movement, are unwound. This they continue until they are tired. The evenings of the three days were finished by balls at the house of some one of the citizens, where the most respectable part of the population was to be seen.
The market-places of the interior, generally, present a singular appearance to the eye of a stranger. The sellers are principally Indians, squatted about upon the ground, with small pieces of meat laid out in piles, and vegetables displayed in the same manner, upon benches beside them, in the public square. The currency, of cacao seed, is also counted out in small parcels, ready to make change to customers. The market-place is vacated at an early hour in the morning by both customers and venders, to be occupied, for the remainder of the day, by turkey-buzzards and dogs; which are suffered to legislate upon, negotiate for, and try as best they may, any disputed claims which may arise to the property left behind by their predecessors of the morning.
The country in the vicinity of Valladolid is much broken and rocky, and carries unequivocal indications of earthquakes and convulsions. The soil is very thin, but good crops of corn are taken from it. The fruit-trees of the tropics are abundant, and yet no attention is paid to their cultivation, either for use or for ornament.