arranged in transverse bands.  Belts are of wool, red in color, and broad, but not long.  Over their shoulders the women wear, particularly in cool weather, a red and blue striped cotton shawl or wrap.  The red worn—­whether in belts, wraps, or hair-strings—­is all of one shade, a dull crimson-red.  As night fell, dozens of little bonfires were lighted in the plaza, made from cobwork piles of fat-pine.  People were already gathering from other pueblos for market, and many of them slept through the night in the open market-place.  The band played a mournful piece, repeatedly, during the evening, and some rockets were fired—­no doubt, the tailing-off of the late fiesta.

[Illustration:  CLOSE OF MARKET, TENEJAPA]

Market had begun in the morning, as we prepared to leave, but the great plaza was not more than half-full, and there was little that was characteristic.  Noteworthy, however, were the great loaves of salt made at Ixtapa; about the size of old-fashioned sugar-loaves, they were shaped in rush-mats, and showed the marks of the matting on their surface; saws were used to cut off pieces for purchasers.  The agente said that it was not good, being mixed with earth or sand.  He, himself, came from the neighborhood of Tapachula, where quantities of salt are made from the lagoon water.  The salt-water and the salt-soaked earth from the bottom of the lagoon are put into vats and leached, and the resulting saline is boiled in ovens, each of which contains an olla.  The industry is conducted by ladinos, as well as indians, but the salt is poor.

It was 8:45 when we started, and almost immediately we began a hard climb over limestone, giving a severe test to our poor animals.  At the summit we found a group of indian carriers, who, as usual, stopped at the pass to rest and look upon the landscape.  The view was really beautiful, the little town lying in a curious, level valley, which was encircled by an abrupt slope, and which had been excavated from an almost level plateau.  For some time, we followed this high level, but finally plunged down into a deep gully, where our road passed away to the left in a dry gorge, while to the right, the valley deepened abruptly by a great vertical wall.  When we reached the point of sudden deepening, in the gorge below, we saw water, bursting in volume from the cliff’s base.  Dismounting from our horses, and climbing down, we found a magnificent arch of limestone over the emerging stream, the water of which was fresh and cold, and clear as crystal.  The shallow portion of the valley marks the ancient level of the stream.  In some past time, the stream had sunk, cutting a subterranean channel under its old bed, which was left high and dry.  The deep part of the valley may be due to the falling of the roof of rock above the subterranean stream.  Following up the ancient valley, we presently turned into one of its old tributary gorges, coming out into a country well-wooded with