silver, or,
generally, success in mining.

[16] In Mexican houses of the more opulent class, a woman-servant is kept
for the sole purpose of preparing and baking the tortillas or maize cakes.
She is called a tortillera.

[17] _Que se tenga por blanco._ Let him consider himself white. The usual
form of the emancipation certificates which the Mexican Audiencia was
accustomed to sell at high prices to the coloured races. These
certificates were originally confined to the quadroons and quinteroons,
and other castes that had only a small admixture of Indian blood.

[18] To dine with St Antonio--on bread and water.

[19] La Virgen de los Remedios was the especial patroness of the Spaniards
in Mexico. Her picture was found by one of Cortes' soldiers, and she
proved herself on various occasions a warm partisan of the Spaniards.
During the fight of Otumba, she was seen to hover over the Spanish troops
and scatter dust in the eyes of the Indians. In other battles she also
fought against the Mexicans. The Spaniards, out of gratitude, built her a
chapel. Suddenly, however, to their exceeding sorrow, her portrait
disappeared. Half a year elapsed, and then an Indian, in stripping an aloe
plant, found the picture between leaf and stem. It was carried in triumph,
and so grateful did the Virgin show herself for this attention, that she
sent an abundant rain, which happened just then to be greatly needed. In
consideration of the innumerable miracles she had wrought in their favour,
the Spaniards chose her for their patroness, and gave her the command of
their armies. She struggled valiantly against the Virgin of Guadalupe,
whom the Mexicans had elected to be their leader.

The original and miraculously discovered picture of the Virgin of
Guadalupe is preserved in her magnificent church, two leagues from Mexico.
It is on coarse bast, canvass made up of the fibres of the agave, but in a
magnificent frame, and was found soon after the conquest of Mexico on a
barren hill, by an Indian whom strains of heavenly music attracted
thither. The Indian related the circumstance to the archbishop, who
refused to credit it; whereupon the discoverer repaired to the hill a
second time, and saw the harmonious picture lying amongst a heap of roses.
It spoke to him, and commanded him to return to the archbishop, which he
did, and now found him as eager to believe as he had before been
incredulous. The prelate greeted the picture with the title of Our L