OF SPANISH BLOOD.
"In such a beautiful city we have looked for beautiful inhabitants, but haven't found a great many, though it is proper to say we haven't been able to hold a review of the whole population. While walking in one of the gardens we saw several pretty girls of Spanish blood, accompanied by their duennas; for, according to Spanish custom, no young girl is allowed to walk out alone. They were dressed much after the fashion of Paris or New York, except that they wore the lace veil or mantilla over their heads, instead of the bonnet, which is the fashion with us. Their taste seems inclined to gaudy colors, derived perhaps from the luxuriance of nature around them.
"The lower classes of the people are much more picturesque than the upper, and the women more so than the men. Their skins are dark, and their hair and eyes are invariably black. They keep their teeth white, and are said to do so by a vigorous application of the juice of the soap-plant. A piece of the stalk of this plant is chewed until it forms a sort of brush; it contains a soapy juice that has cleansing properties beneficial to the teeth. Many of the young women are pleasing to look upon, but they are said to lose their good looks before reaching middle life, for the reason, no doubt, that they have to do a great deal of hard work. Their dress is a cheap calico, short in the skirt and generally bright in color, with a loose jacket or waist. If their heads are covered, it is with the rebozo chiquito, a scarf of silk or cotton that is wrapped around the head and shoulders, and has a long fringe, which falls down the back. The rebozo is very convenient for carrying a baby, who is suspended there exactly as babies are carried in Japan."
INDIAN GIRLS AT A SPRING.