een in the streets. Most of the sellers in the market are
indians; they bring fruits and vegetables, dried fish from the Pacific,
_jicaras_ and strainers of gourds, beautifully painted and polished
gourds from Ocotopec, honey, sugar--both the crude brown and the refined
yellow cakes--and pottery. The indian pottery here sold is famous. Three
kinds of wares are well known--a dull plain red, an unglazed but highly
polished black, and a brilliant glazed green. The black ware is made
into useful vessels, and also into a variety of toys, chiefly whistles
and bells. Pottery would seem to be one of the least suitable materials
for bells. Here, however, bells of pottery in many shapes are
found--little bells, with handles like the upper part of a human figure;
larger bells, with curious flat handles set transversely; others, still
larger, like cow-bells in size and tone, and curious cross-shaped bells,
really a group of four united. Among the whistles some are made into the
shape of animals and birds and curious human figures; among the latter,
some closely resemble ancient whistles from the prehistoric graves. This
black ware is made at Coyotepec, and when the objects are first taken
from the kiln they are almost white; before they are cold, they
are exposed to dense smoke, and thus assume their black color. The
brilliantly glazed green ware is the most attractive. Vessels made from
it are thin, and, in the parts which are unglazed, resemble common
flower-pot ware. The larger portion of their surfaces, however, is
covered with a rich, thick, emerald-green glaze. Cups, bowls, saucers,
plates, sugar-bowls, tea-pots, flasks, and censers are among the forms
commonly made in this ware. The shapes are often graceful and the
prices low. Most beautiful, however, and relatively expensive, are the
miniature vessels made in this ware--scarcely an inch in height, but
formed with the greatest care, and in such variety of dainty forms that
one may seek some time to duplicate a piece which he has found; these
little pieces are completely covered with the rich green glaze both
outside and inside.

Our plan of journey for the year was first to make an expedition from
Oaxaca to the north-west, into the Mixteca Alta; returning to Oaxaca,
to strike eastward by way of Mitla, and the land of the Mixes, to
Tehuantepec, from which place we should make a brief trip to the Juaves;
returning to Tehuantepec, we should take the high road, by way of San
Ca