Mayer  very  appropriately  remarks,  yea  aie
wamed  c^  the  donUe  domini<m  of  the  army
and  the  church  ^  by  the  constant  sound  of
the  dram  and  the  bell,  whidilringinyonreaa
from  mom  to  midnight,  and  drown  the  sounds
of  industry  and  labor/'

In  the  variety  and  grossness  of  popular  su-
perstitions, Nwthem  Mexico  can  probably
compete  with  any  civilized  country  in  the
world  Others  may  have  their  extravagant
traditions,  their  fturiatical  prejudices,  their
priestly  inq>ostures,  but  here  the  popular  creed
seems  to  he  the  embodiment  of  as  much  that
is  fantastic  and  improbable  in  idolatrous  wo^
ship,  as  it  is  possible  to  clothe  in  the  garb  of
a  christian  faith.  It  would  fill  volumes  to  re*
late  one-half  of  the  wonderfiil  miracles  and
extraordinary  apparitions  said  to  have  oecwred
during  and  since  ^  conquest  of  the  ibulian
PuebkMS  and  their  conversion  to  the  Ronaidi
fiuth.  Tlieir  character  nmy  be  inferred  fiom
the  following  national  leg«id  ciLa  MamioiBiM
jAparicion  d$  Nmtira  S^iora  de  Gnadakp^--
angUcey  the  marvellous  nppmAaa  of  Our  Lft*
dy  of  Guadalupe, — ^which,  m  seme  one  of  ibi
many  traditioBary  shapes,  is  generally  beltei^
ed  throughout  the  republic  I  have  seen  bmM
half  a  dj^n  written  versions  of  this  eebbrat*
ed  teadttidn,  and  h^ud  AoxA  as  naay  <xd


MUEflTRA  SBJUMU   1>B  OUADALUPE.         M9

i;  but  no  two  agree  in  all  Uie  particiilank
However,  that  which  httB  leoeiTed  most  cur*
ttDcy  informs  us,  that,  on  the  12th  of  De*
(ember,  1631,  an  Indian  called  Joan  Diego,
vUle  passing  oy»  the  barren  hill  d  Tepeya*
caefabont  a  league  northward  from  die  city
cf  Mexico^,  in  quest  of  medicinal  herbs,  had
(m  attention  suddenly  arrested  by  the  fira-
gnmce  of  flowers,  and  the  sound  of  delightful
Wttie ;  and  on  looking  up,  he  saw  an  angelic
wrt  of  figure  directly  before  him.  Being  ter-
nfic^  he  attempted  to  flee ;  but  the  apparition
cdBag  to  him  by  name,  "  Juan  Diego,"  said
^  ^go  tell  the  bishop  to  have  me  a  place
if  wcHTship  erected  <m  this  very  spot"  The
li^^Ban  rei^i^  that  he  could  not  return,  as  he
^  seeting  remedies  for  a  dying  relative.
