19th C. Wives‘ Etiquette of Mexico and Spain

An 1891 advertisement for mourning dresses. — The etiquette of funerals in Mexico does not permit the female relations of deceased to attend. Only men attend the departed to the church and the tomb. 

The etiquette of funerals in Mexico does not permit the female relations of deceased to attend. Only men attend the departed to the church and the tomb. Funerals are so expensive that they often ruin business men. All female relatives, even to cousins and children, must wear deep mourning for two years. During the mourning none of the ladies of the household must be seen in public. Bodies are buried encased in laces and decked with precious stones. 

In Mexico, as in Spain and other southern countries, a lady retains her maiden name after marriage, and though she annexes to it, that of her husband by means of a “de,” she is universally known by her own family name. It is considered more courteous to address even elderly married ladies Señorita (Miss), instead of Señora (Madame.) The lady of the house is always called by her servants and dependents La Niña (the little girl), though she may have attained the age of eighty. — From ‘Of General Interest,’ 1884

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