The dowry was furnished by the man, being given by his parents. The
wife furnished nothing for the marriage, until she had inherited it
from her parents. The solemnity of the marriage consisted in nothing
more than the agreement between the parents and relatives of the
contracting parties, the payment of the dowry agreed upon to the father
of the bride, [148] and the assembling at the wife's parents' house of
all the relatives to eat and drink until they would fall down. At night
the man took the woman to his house and into his power, and there she
remained. These marriages were annulled and dissolved for slight cause,
with the examination and judgment of the relatives of both parties,
and of the old men, who acted as mediators in the affairs. At such
a time the man took the dowry (which they call _vigadicaya_), [149]
unless it happened that they separated through the husband's fault;
for then it was not returned to him, and the wife's parents kept
it. The property that they had acquired together was divided into
halves, and each one disposed of his own.
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