The Scouting Expeditions of McCulloch's Texas Rangers; or, the Summer and Fall Campaign of the Army of the United States in Mexico--1846; including Skirmishes with the Mexicans, and an accurate detail of the Storming of Monterey; also the Daring Scouts at Buena Vista together with anecdotes, incidents, descriptions of country, and sketches of the lives of the celebrated partisan chiefs, Hays, McCulloch, and Walker. Page: 35
251 p. : ill. ; 20 cm.View a full description of this book.
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VISIT TO THE CATHEDRAL. 35
choir, we thought we would see if we could fancy ourself back
there by taking a look into the Comargo cathedral. So we strolled
up to the main plaza, and entered the church, but we were
doomed to be disappointed. Picture to yourself a good-looking
building outside, built of a brown lime-stone, with a very neat
and pretty white steeple and spire which reminded one of a
church in New England. The church is about sixty feet long,
with two wings at the rear, leading to which is a very narrow
aisle about twelve feet wide, where stands the altar, which was
decorated with wax figures and crosses. On one side was a figure
of the Holy Virgin, and on the other a figure representing the
Saviour on the cross. The tinsel gilt ornaments that surrounded
them had the appearance of a worn-out player's wardrobe. The
Seioritas were all kneeling on the left-hand side of the aisle,
while the greasers, or Mexican citizens stood up on the right,
there being no seats or pews. Over the front door of the church
was placed a small gallery, containing the choir, which was composed
of one bass, and one tenor singer, one clarion, and a mandolin.
There were no female singers. And such exquisite screeching,
and strange jumbling of sounds as was produced by their
combined efforts, we thought was most admirably adapted for the
sheet iron band, or for one of our southern negro congo dances.
We could not be made to believe that it was sacred music! and
so far from being piously impressed, it was as much as we could
do tokeep from laughing outright. The priest did not pretend
to preach a sermon; but after prayers were said he went through
a ceremony that we never before witnessed. His robes were of
the most fantastical colours, rudely embroidered and trimmed with
gold. At a given signal, four little boys approached, each holding
a pole, which supported the four corners of a red canopy trimmed
with gold edging, which the priest got under, when they marched
down the aisle; the choir at the same time struck up a regular
iig, for we can compare it to nothing else, and as they reached
the door, there was not room for them to turn round, so they
marched out into the street, and re-entered marching back to the
altar. The music then ceased, when the priest took off his robes,
and without pronouncing a Benedicite, his flock were dismissed.
The Mexican girls here are nearly the same in feature as our
Choctaw Indians. Now and then you see one rather pretty.
They generally dress in calicoes, some few in silks: their dresses
are all very short waisted, which make them look somewhat like
Dutch girls. They wear over their heads a light scarf, which
hangs down at the sides, and which they frequently make use of
as a veil, called ribosa. They wear no bonnets, nor know what
they are, the fashion not yet having been introduced among them
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Reid, Samuel C., Jr. The Scouting Expeditions of McCulloch's Texas Rangers; or, the Summer and Fall Campaign of the Army of the United States in Mexico--1846; including Skirmishes with the Mexicans, and an accurate detail of the Storming of Monterey; also the Daring Scouts at Buena Vista together with anecdotes, incidents, descriptions of country, and sketches of the lives of the celebrated partisan chiefs, Hays, McCulloch, and Walker., book, 1859; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth38096/m1/39/: accessed May 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Austin History Center, Austin Public Library.