Part 75 (1/2)

[893] The opatas have 'grande respeto y veneracion que hasta hoy tienen a los hombrecitos pequenos y contrahechos, a quienes temen y franquean su casa y comida.' _Sonora_, _Descrip. Geog._, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, serie iii., tom. iv., p. 628. 'Angulis atque adytis angues complures reperti, peregrinum in modum conglobati, capitibus supra et infra exsertis, terribili rictu, si quis propuis accessisset, caeterum innocui; quos barbari vel maxime venerabantur, quod diabolus ipsis hac forma apparere consuesset: eosdem tamen et manibus contrectabant et nonnunquam iis vescebantur.' _De Laet_, _Novus...o...b..s_, p. 284. Further reference in _Ribas_, _Hist. de los Triumphos_, p. 472; _Oviedo_, _Hist. Gen._, tom.

iii., pp. 574-5; _Lachapelle_, _Raousset-Boulbon_, p. 79; _Cabeza de Vaca_, _Relation_, p. 169; _Arlegui_, _Chron. de Zacatecas_, pp. 166-7; _Sevin_, in _Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour._, vol. x.x.x., p. 26.

[894] 'Quando entre los Indios ay algun contagio, que es el de viruelas el mas continuo, de que mueren innumerables, mudan cada dia lugares, y se van a los mas retirados montes, buscando los sitios mas espinosos y enmaranados, para que de miedo de las espinas, no entren (segun juzgan, y como cierto lo afirman) las viruelas.' _Arlegui_, _Chron. de Zacatecas_, pp. 152-3, 182. See also, _Muhlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, tom.

ii., pt. ii., p. 431; _Berlandier y Thovel_, _Diario_, pp. 70-1; _Alegre_, _Hist. Comp. de Jesus_, tom. i., p. 399, tom. ii., pp. 213-4, 219-20; _Ribas_, _Hist. de los Triumphos_, pp. 17, 322-3; _Lowenstern_, _Mexique_, p. 411; _Hardy's Trav._, p. 282; _Sonora_, _Descrip. Geog._, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, serie iii., tom. iv., pp. 547-8.

[895] See _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. iii., p. 516; _Villa_, in _Prieto_, _Viajes_, p. 443.

[896] 'Las mas de las naciones referidas son totalmente barbaras, y de groseros entendimientos; gente baxa.' _Arlegui_, _Chron. de Zacatecas_, p. 149. The Yaquis: 'by far the most industrious and useful of all the other tribes in Sonora ... celebrated for the exuberance of their wit.'

_Hardy's Trav._, pp. 439, 442. 'Los opatas son tan honrados como valientes ... la nacion opata es pacifica, docil, y hasta cierto punto diferente de todas los demas indigenas del continente ... son amantes del trabajo.' _Zuniga_, in _Escudero_, _Noticias de Sonora y Sinaloa_, pp. 139-41. 'La tribu opata fue la que manifesto un caracter franco, docil, y con simpatias a los blancos ... siempre fue inclinada al orden y la paz.' _Velasco_, _Noticias de Sonora_, pp. 151, 117. The opatas 'son de genio malicioso, disimulados y en sumo grado vengativos; y en esto sobresalen las mujeres.' _Sonora_, _Descrip. Geog._, in _Doc. Hist.

Mex._, serie iii., tom. iv., pp. 629-30. See also: _Ribas_, _Hist. de los Triumphos_, pp. 237, 285, 358, 369, 385; _Bartlett's Pers. Nar._, vol. i., pp. 442-3; _Ward's Mexico_, vol. i., p. 583, vol. ii., p. 606; _Combier_, _Voy._, pp. 198-201; _Malte-Brun_, _Sonora_, pp. 13-14; _Browne's Apache Country_, p. 248; _Lachapelle_, _Raousset-Boulbon_, p.

79; _Cabeza de Vaca_, _Relation_, pp. 169, 176; _Arricivita_, _Cronica Serafica_, pp. 405, 442; _Alegre+, _Hist. Comp. de Jesus_, tom. i., pp.

284, 402-3, 405, 452, and tom. ii., p. 184; _Padilla_, _Conq. N.

Galicia, MS._, pp. 80, 84; _Berlandier y Thovel_, _Diario_, pp. 69-70; _Garcia Conde_, in _Alb.u.m Mex._, tom. i., p. 93.

[Ill.u.s.tration: NATIVE RACES of the PACIFIC STATES MEXICAN GROUP]

CHAPTER VI.

WILD TRIBES OF MEXICO.

TERRITORIAL ASPECTS--TWO MAIN DIVISIONS; WILD TRIBES OF CENTRAL MEXICO, AND WILD TRIBES OF SOUTHERN MEXICO--THE CORAS AND OTHERS IN JALISCO--DESCENDANTS OF THE AZTECS--THE OTOMiS AND MAZAHUAS ADJACENT TO THE VALLEY OF MEXICO--THE PAMES--THE TARASCOS AND MATLALTZINCAS OF MICHOACAN--THE HUAZTECS AND TOTONACS OF VERA CRUZ AND TAMAULIPAS--THE CHONTALES, CHINANTECS, MAZATECS, CUICATECS, CHATINOS, MIZTECS, ZAPOTECS, MIJES, HUAVES, CHIAPANECS, ZOQUES, LACANDONES, CHOLES, MAMES, TZOTZILES, TZENDALES, CHOCHONES, AND OTHERS OF SOUTHERN MEXICO.

The term WILD TRIBES OF MEXICO, which I employ to distinguish this from the other groupal divisions of the Native Races of the Pacific States needs some explanation. The territory embraced under this t.i.tle extends from lat.i.tude 23 north, to the eighteenth parallel on the Atlantic, and the fifteenth on the Pacific; that is to the Central American line, including Yucatan and excluding Guatemala. At the time of the conquest, a large portion of this region as well as part of Central America was occupied by those nations that we call civilized, which are fully described in the second volume of this work. These several precincts of civilization may be likened to suns, s.h.i.+ning brightly at their respective centres, and radiating into the surrounding darkness with greater or less intensity according to distance and circ.u.mstances. The b.l.o.o.d.y conquest achieved, these suns were dimmed, their light went out; part of this civilization merged into that of the conquerors, and part fell back into the more distant darkness. Later many of the advanced aboriginals became more and more identified with the Spaniards; the other natives soon came to be regarded as savages, who, once pacified, spread over the seat of their nation's former grandeur, obliterating many of the traces of their peoples' former high advancement;--so that very shortly after the Spaniards became masters of the land, any description of its aborigines could but be a description of its savage nations, or of retrograded, or partially obliterated peoples of higher culture. And thus I find it, and thus must treat the subject, going over the whole territory almost as if there had been no civilization at all.

For variety and striking contrasts the climate and scenery of central and southern Mexico is surpa.s.sed by no region of equal extent in the world. It is here that the tierra caliente, or hot border-land of either ocean, the tierra templada, or temperate belt adjacent, and the tierra fria, or cool elevated table-land a.s.sume their most definite forms. The interior table-lands have an average elevation above the sea of from 5,000 to 8,000 feet. The geological formation is on a t.i.tanic scale; huge rocks of basalt, granite, and lava rise in fantastic shapes, intersected by deep barrancas or ravines presenting unparalleled scenes of grandeur. Prominent among the surrounding mountains tower the snow-clad crests of Orizaba and Popocatepetl,--volcanic piles whose slumbering fires appear to be taking but a temporary rest. The plateau is variegated with many lakes; the soil, almost everywhere fertile, is overspread with a mult.i.tudinous variety of nopal, maguey, and forests of evergreen, among which the graceful fir and umbrageous oak stand conspicuous. Seasons come and go and leave no mark behind; or it may be said that spring, satisfied with its abode, there takes up its perpetual rest; the temperature is ever mellow, with resplendent suns.h.i.+ne by day, while at night the stars s.h.i.+ne with a brilliancy nowhere excelled. The limits of the tierra templada it is impossible to define, as the term is used in a somewhat arbitrary manner by the inhabitants of different alt.i.tudes. On the lowlands along the coast known as the tierra caliente, the features of nature are changed; vegetation a.s.sumes a more luxuriant aspect; palms, parasitical plants and trees of a tropical character, take the place of the evergreens of a colder clime; the climate is not salubrious, and the heat is oppressive. On the Atlantic side furious storms, called 'northers,' spring up with a suddenness and violence unexampled in other places, often causing much destruction to both life and property.

[Sidenote: TRIBES OF CENTRAL MEXICO.]

For the purpose of description, I separate the Wild Tribes of Mexico in two parts,--the _Wild Tribes of Central Mexico_, and the _Wild Tribes of Southern Mexico_. The first of these divisions extends from 23 north lat.i.tude to the northern boundary of the state of Oajaca, or rather to an imaginary line, taking as its base said boundary and running from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, that is to say from Vera Cruz to Acapulco.

To enumerate and locate all the nations and tribes within this territory, to separate the uncivilized from the civilized, the mythical from the real, is not possible. I have therefore deferred to the end of this chapter such authorities as I have on the subject, where they will be found ranged in proper order under the head of Tribal Boundaries. Of the tribes that are known to have possessed no civilization, such as was found among the Aztecs and other cultivated nations, I will only mention the people denominated _Chichimecs_, under which general name were designated a mult.i.tude of tribes inhabiting the mountains north of the valley of Mexico, all of which were prominently dependent on the result of the chase for their subsistence; the ancient _Otomis_ who mostly occupied the mountains which inclose the valley of Mexico; and the _Pames_ in Queretaro. South of Mexico were numerous other nations who were more or less intermixed with those more civilized. Finally, I shall describe those people who, since they came in contact with the whites, have retrograded in such a degree, that their manners and customs can only be given in connection with those of the Wild Tribes, and which comprise a large proportion of all the present aborigines of Mexico.[897]

[Sidenote: PHYSICAL FEATURES IN NORTHERN MEXICO.]

The natives of the valley of Mexico are represented by some authorities as tall, by others as of short stature; but from what I gather we may conclude that on the whole they are over rather than under the middle height, well made and robust. In Vera Cruz they are somewhat shorter, say from four feet six inches to five feet at most, and clumsily made, having their knees further apart than Europeans and walking with their toes turned in; the women are shorter than the men and become fully developed at a very early age. In Jalis...o...b..th s.e.xes are tall; they are also well built, and among the women are found many forms of such perfection that they might well serve as models for sculpture.

Throughout the table-lands, the men are muscular and well proportioned.

Their skin is very thick and conceals the action of the muscles; they are out-kneed, turn their toes well in, and their carriage is anything but graceful.[898] Various opinions have been advanced by competent persons in regard to the features of the natives of Mexico. Baron Von Humboldt describes them as resembling the aborigines of Canada, Peru, Florida, and Brazil; having elongated eyes, the corners turned towards the temples, prominent cheek-bones, large lips, and a sweet expression about the mouth, forming a strong contrast with their otherwise gloomy and severe aspect. Rossi says that their eyes are oval, and that their physiognomy resembles that of the Asiatics. According to Prescott, they bear a strong resemblance to the Egyptians, and Viollet le Duc a.s.serts that the Malay type predominates. They have generally a very narrow forehead, an oval face, long black eyes set wide apart, large mouth with thick lips, teeth white and regular, the nose small and rather flat. The general expression of the countenance is melancholy, and exhibits a strange combination of moroseness and gentleness. Although some very handsome women are to be found among them, the majority of the race, both men and women, are ugly, and in old age, which with the women begins early, their faces are much wrinkled and their features quite harsh. They have acute senses, especially that of sight, which remains unimpaired to a very advanced age. Long, straight, black, thick, and glossy hair is common to all; their beard is thin, and most of them, especially in the capital and its vicinity, have a small moustache; but very few, if any, have hair on their legs, thighs, or arms. It is very seldom that a gray-haired native is found. All the people referred to, are remarkable for their strength and endurance, which may be judged of by the heavy burdens they carry on their backs. The inhabitants of the table-lands are of various hues; some are olive, some brown, others of a red copper color. In the Sierras some have a bluish tint as if dyed with indigo. The natives of the tierras calientes are of a darker complexion, inclining to black. There are some called _Indios Pintos_, whose cuticle is of a less deep color, inclining more to yellowish and marked with dark copper-colored spots.[899]

[Sidenote: MEXICAN COSTUMES.]

[Sidenote: DRESS IN MICHOACAN.]

In the valley of Mexico the natives wear the _ichapilli_, or a sort of s.h.i.+rt without sleeves, made of white and blue striped cotton, which reaches to the knees and is gathered round the waist with a belt. This is frequently the only garment worn by the aborigines of the Mexican valley. In lieu of the ancient feather ornaments for the head, they now use large felt or straw hats, the rim of which is about nine inches in width; or they bind round the head a colored handkerchief. Most of the men and women go barefooted, and those who have coverings for their feet, use the _cacles_, or _huaraches_, (sandals) made of tanned leather and tied with thongs to the ankles. The dress of the women has undergone even less change than that of the men, since the time of the Spanish conquest. Many of them wear over the ichapilli a cotton or woolen cloth, bound by a belt just above the hips; this answers the purpose of a petticoat; it is woven in stripes of dark colors or embellished with figures. The ichapilli is white, with figures worked on the breast, and is longer than that worn by the men. In Puebla the women wear very narrow petticoats and elegant _quichemels_ covering the breast and back and embroidered all over with silk and worsted. In the state of Vera Cruz and other parts of the tierra caliente the men's apparel consists of a short white cotton jacket or a dark-colored woolen tunic, with broad open sleeves fastened round the waist with a sash, and short blue or white breeches open at the sides near the knee; these are a Spanish innovation, but they continue to wear the square short cloak, _tilma_ or _tilmatli_, with the end tied on one of the shoulders or across the breast. Sometimes a pair of shorter breeches made of goat or deer skin are worn over the cotton ones, and also a jacket of the same material.

The women wear a coa.r.s.e cotton s.h.i.+ft with large open sleeves, often worked about the neck in bright colored worsted, to suit the wearer's fancy; a blue woolen petticoat is gathered round the waist, very full below, and a blue or brown rebozo is used as a wrapper for the shoulders. Sometimes a m.u.f.fler is used for the head and face.[900] They bestow great care on their luxuriant hair, which they arrange in two long braids that fall from the back of the head, neatly painted and interwoven with worsted of lively colors, and the ends tied at the waist-band or joined behind; others bind the braids tightly round the head, and occasionally add some wild flowers.[901] In the tierra fria, a thick dark woolen blanket with a hole in the centre through which pa.s.ses the head protects the wearer during the day from the cold and rain, and serves at night for a covering and often for the bed itself. This garment has in some places taken the place of the tilmatli. Children are kept in a nude state until they are eight or ten years old, and infants are enveloped in a coa.r.s.e cotton cloth, leaving the head and limbs exposed. The Huicholas of Jalisco have a peculiar dress; the men wear a short tunic made of coa.r.s.e brown or blue woolen fabric, tightened at the waist with a girdle hanging down in front and behind, and very short breeches of poorly dressed goat or deer skin without hair, at the lower edges of which are strung a number of leathern thongs. Married men and women wear straw hats with high pointed crowns and broad turned-up rims; near the top is a narrow and handsomely woven band of many colors, with long ta.s.sels. Their long bushy hair is secured tightly round the crown of the head with a bright woolen ribbon. Many of the men do up the hair in queues with worsted ribbons, with heavy ta.s.sels that hang below the waist.[902] De Laet, describing the natives of Jalisco early in the seventeenth century, speaks of square cloths made of cotton and maguey tied on the right or left shoulder, and small pebbles or sh.e.l.ls strung together as necklaces. Mota Padilla, in his history of New Galicia, says that the Chichimecs at Xalost.i.tlan, in 1530, went naked. The inhabitants of Alzatlan about that time adorned themselves with feathers. In Zacualco, the common dress of the women about the same period, particularly widows, was the _huipil_, made of fine cotton cloth, generally black. The natives of the province of Panuco, for many years after the Spanish Conquest, continued to go naked; they pulled out the beard, perforated the nose and ears, and, filing their teeth to a sharp point, bored holes in them and dyed them black. The slayer of a human being used to hang a piece of the skin and hair of the slain at the waist, considering such things as very valuable ornaments. Their hair they dyed in various colors, and wore it in different forms. Their women adorned themselves profusely, and braided their hair with feathers.