e
11,000 persons, more than three-fourths claim to be full Otomis. There
are no truly poor in the whole town. Every family has its field, its
house, its bit of woodland. All the people still speak the native
tongue, and many speak no other. The town is picturesquely situated upon
the crest and flank of a long, narrow ridge, which is enclosed by a
grand sweeping curve of lofty mountains. The flanks of the enclosed
ridge and the whole slope of the surrounding mountains are occupied by
the little fields of the indians, long narrow patches separated by lines
of _maguey_ or century-plants. The houses are built of adobe bricks with
thick and solid walls, which are usually plastered on the outside and
tinted white or pink. The roofs are pitched, but with a gentle slope.
They consist of frameworks of poles upon which long narrow shingles are
laid, and pegged in place with wooden pegs which project both above and
below for several inches in a formidable, bristling way. Sometimes the
shingles, instead of being pegged in place, are held by stones, which
in some cases weigh several pounds, and are laid in regular horizontal
lines.

When we were there, great stacks of corn-husks were to be seen in
almost every yard; these were placed on floorings, raised by posts some
distance above the ground to keep them from animals. A long ladder
usually leaned against one side of the stack and a light cross of sticks
stuck into the top of the stack kept off evil influences. Sometimes this
cross was cut in relief on the smooth, carefully trimmed end of the
stack itself. More striking than these stacks, and quite characteristic
of the Otomi country, were the queer corn-bins or granaries called by
the Aztec name _cincalote_. They rose in all directions like great
square columns. The floor of boards was slightly raised from the ground
by stones, and measured some 4 or 5 feet on a side; from its corners
rose 4 poles, sometimes to the height of 20 feet; these were connected
at the top and held firm by ropes. The sides of the bin were built up
of a cobwork of slender staves laid horizontally. The vertical bin thus
formed was filled with ears of corn roofed about with a light thatch or
shingled roof. Later in the season, as the corn was taken from these
bins, the sides would have been removed piecemeal to keep progress with
the diminishing hoard. When the time of planting should be near, the
whole structure but the floor and upright poles would have di