Identifier: landofdons00willuoft (find matches)
Title: The land of the Dons
Year: 1902 (1900s)
Authors: Williams, Leonard, b. 1871
Subjects: Civilization, Spanish Spain -- Social life and customs
Publisher: London, Cassell
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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le. It might be saidthat among four-footed creatures God created, asmodel of perfect elegance of movement, the gazelle;and then, among the humans, as a shame to thegazelle, the Andaluza. Nor even in the lustre of alovely pair of eyes would the gazelle emerge victoriousfrom the contrast. Of course these national costumes are mainlyof the peasantry and lower middle class ; and not theseveral regions only, but even various of the Spanishcities possess their special fashion. The number,in a word, is so overwhelming, and the peculiaritiesare so many, that I have merely outlined the generalcostume of each region^ and time and space fail me todescribe as they deserve, the Madrid chiila, the cJiarraof Salamanca, whose gala dress is vivid with rainbowhues and smothered in shining spangles; or thecurious and sober-habited maragatos, hailing from theneighbourhood of Astorga, in Old Castile, wdth theirquaint, low-crowned hats and extravagantly roomybreeches. Their principal occupation is the sale
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O J-:l i. :.(.< i i<<m a phntorjraph by Laurent, Madrid.) MARAGATOS. MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 55 of fish ; and numbers of them who loyally retain thepeculiarities, both moral and external, of their nativeprovince, are to be seen about the streets andmarkets of Madrid. It is strange to Northern imaginations that watershould come to be regarded as a precious liquid ; yetthis emergency in Spain is not infrequent. In Aragon,La Mancha, and other thirsty parts, instances areeven cited of a load of wine being readily given inexchange for a load of water. But without inves-tigating these or similar facts or fables, I may truth-fully affirm that water has its market value, anda fat one, especially throughout the summer monthsand in the central districts of the country. Thefountains in the cities are thronged at almost everyhour by troops of servants jealously awaiting theirturn (tomando cola) to fill their vessels, and policemen,as many as two and three together, are told off topreserve o

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