. The Spanish-American republics . g about the streets with redearthen water-pots on their heads. The form of these pots, theirrough ornamentation of coarsely-painted flowers, the dark skins of thewomen, and their white burnoose-like costumes combined, remind oneof the women of Biskra. Inside the market, besides the various stalls for the sale of vege-tables, provisions ofall kinds, and dry-goods, there are sev-eral restaurants,where smoking cal-drons of stew arepresided over by act-ive matrons ; andalong all the alleysthe pavement is oc-cupied by women ofall ages squatting ingroups, mostly Gu
. The Spanish-American republics . g about the streets with redearthen water-pots on their heads. The form of these pots, theirrough ornamentation of coarsely-painted flowers, the dark skins of thewomen, and their white burnoose-like costumes combined, remind oneof the women of Biskra. Inside the market, besides the various stalls for the sale of vege-tables, provisions ofall kinds, and dry-goods, there are sev-eral restaurants,where smoking cal-drons of stew arepresided over by act-ive matrons ; andalong all the alleysthe pavement is oc-cupied by women ofall ages squatting ingroups, mostly Gua-rani Indians, inter-spersed with a fewnegresses and mu-lattoes, all smoking,looking sad, thin,andmiserable, and, withvery few exceptions,exceedingly , how-ever, you see a Gua-rani girl with a se-rene face, fine eyes, well-formed and even beautiful features. But, on the whole, it wouldbe difficult to find a more complete collection of ugly and lean oldwomen than that to be seen in the market of Asuncion. They sit. INSIDE THE MARKET. 393 THE SPANISH-AMERICAN REPUBLICS. there comparatively silent, abandoned to their fate, with their merchan-dise spread out on the floor in front of them—a few cobs of maize, afew bundles of rough cigars tied up with sewing-cotton, little piles ofmandioca, sweet-potatoes, oranges, peanuts, sugar-cane, some vegeta-bles and salad, two or three cheeses badly made, a bunch of bananas, or what not. Some of them sell charcoal tiedup in little sacks about six inches long thatlook like toys. All these women speak in awhining, deprecatory tone. If you ask theprice of a thing, they answer almost whimper-ingly, as if it pained them to tell you. Outsidethe market, under the colonnade, you see sim-ilar groups of young and old women squattingin front of little heaps of produce and wait-ing for customers; and other groups of wom-en gliding along barefooted and noiselessly,indolent and ruminative, each one with a ci-gar between her lips. The baz
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookidgrispanishameri00chil
