ay in little heaps on the floor.

The _cura_ had ten churches in his charge. He says there are 2,000
people in Teposcolula, few of whom are indians. In his ten churches,
he has 12,000 parishioners. He seemed a devout man, and emphasized the
importance of his preaching to his congregation in their native tongue
and his. So convinced is he that the native idiom of the people is the
shortest road to their heart and understanding, that he has prepared a
catechism and Christian doctrine in the modern Mixtec, which has been
printed. The town itself is desolate; the _plaza_ is much too large,
and dwarfs the buildings which surround it, and signs of desolation
and decay mark everything. With the fondness which Mexicans show for
high-sounding and pious inscriptions, the municipality has painted,
upon the side of the town-house, in full sight for a long distance, the
words, "Nations to be great and free must be educated." From here to
Nochixtlan there was nothing of special interest. For some four leagues
the road was through a gorge; from this valley we mounted to the height,
just before reaching the town of Tiltepec, from which we caught an
extensive view down over the great valley in which Nochixtlan and this
town lie. From Tiltepec we had a rather tiresome, hot, and painful ride,
passing San Juan Tillo and Santiago Tillo. By half past one we were
again in the city of Nochixtlan.

[Illustration: TRIQUI CHILDREN; CHICAHUASTLA]

[Illustration: MIXTEC POTTER; CUQUILA]

CHAPTER XII

THE MIXES REVISITED

(1899)

After resting at Oaxaca, from our trip into the high Mixteca, we made
preparations for our new journey, leaving at three o'clock in the
afternoon for the land of the Zapotecs and Mixes. Our late start
compelled stopping at Tule for the night. In the morning we went on to
Tlacolula, where we nooned, in order to see the _jefe_ in regard to our
work. He is a competent man, showed great interest in our plan, and gave
valuable advice, in addition to the orders to his officials. He warned
us that we might meet some difficulty at Milta, where we were planning
to make our study of the Zapotecs, on account of the _fiesta_ then in
progress. He told us to notify him at once in case matters did not go
well there.

The _fiesta_ at Milta should have been a three days' affair. This year,
however, it began on Sunday with the result that it filled four days.
Reaching there in the afternoon of Monday, we found the whole tow