By Maturin M. Ballou. 

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AZTEC LAND

BY

MATURIN M. BALLOU

 The dust is old upon my sandal-shoon, And still I am a pilgrim. 

 N. P. WILLIS. 

[Illustration]

 BOSTON AND NEW YORK HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY The Riverside Press, Cambridge 1890

 Copyright, 1890, BY MATURIN M. BALLOU. 

 _All rights reserved. _

 _The Riverside Press, Cambridge, Mass. , U. S. A. _ Electrotyped and Printed by H. O. Houghton & Company

PREFACE. 

Having resolved to visit Mexico, the question first to be considered washow to do so in the most advantageous manner. Repairing to the office ofMessrs. Raymond & Whitcomb, in Boston, after a brief consultation withthose experienced organizers of travel, the author handed the firm acheck for the cost of a round trip to Mexico and back. On the followingday he took his seat in a Pullman parlor car in Boston, to occupy thesame section until his return from an excursion of ten thousand miles. Aselect party of ladies and gentlemen came together at the same time inthe Fitchburg railroad station, most of whom were strangers to eachother, but who were united by the same purpose. The traveler lives, eats, and sleeps in the vestibule train, while _en route_, in which hefirst embarks, until his return to the starting-point, a dining-car, with reading and writing rooms, also forming a part of the train. Allcare regarding the routes to be followed, as to hotel accommodationswhile stopping in large cities, side excursions, and the providing ofdomestic necessities, are dismissed from his mind. He luxuriates in thepleasure of seeing a strange and beautiful land, without a thought as tothe _modus operandi_, or the means by which detail is conquered. Inshort, he dons Fortunatus's cap, and permits events to developthemselves to his intense delight. Such was the author's experience onthe occasion concerning which these wayside views of Mexico werewritten. It was a holiday journey, but it is hoped that a description ofit may impart to the general reader a portion of the pleasure and usefulinformation which the author realized from an excursion into Aztec Land, full of novel and uninterrupted enjoyment. 

 M. M. B. 

CONTENTS. 

 CHAPTER I. 

 Locality and Political Divisions of Aztec Land. --Spanish Historians. --Boundaries. --Climate. --Egyptian Resemblances. --Products of the Country. --Antiquities. --Origin of Races. --Early Civilization. --Pictorial Writings. --Aboriginal Money. --Aztec Religious Sacrifices. --A Voluptuous Court. --Mexican Independence. --European Civilization introduced by Cortez. -- Civil Wars. --The Maximilian Fiasco. --Revival of Mexican Progress. --A Country facing on Two Oceans. --A Native Writer's Statement. --Divorce of Church and State 1

 CHAPTER II. 

 Remarkably Fertile Soil. --Valuable Native Woods. --Mexican Flora. -- Coffee and Tobacco. --Mineral Products. --Silver Mines. --Sugar Lands. --Manufactories. --Cortez's Presents to Charles V. --Water Power. --Coal Measures. --Railroads. --Historic Locality. --Social Characteristics. --People divided into Castes. --Peonage. -- Radical Progress. --Education and the Priesthood. --A Threshing Machine. --Social Etiquette. --Political Organization of the Government. --Mexico the Synonym of Barbarism. --Production and Business Handicapped by an Excessive Tariff 23

 CHAPTER III. 

 The Route to Mexico. --Via the Mammoth Cave. --Across the Rio Grande. --A Large River. --Piedras Negras. --Characteristic Scene. --A Barren Prairie Land. --Castaño, a Native Village. --Adobe Cabins. --Indian Irrigation. --Sparsely Populated Country. -- Interior Haciendas. --Immigration. --City of Saltillo. --Battle of Buena Vista. --City of Monterey. --The Cacti and Yucca-Palm. --Capture by General Taylor. --Mexican Central Railroad. -- Jack-Rabbits. --A Dreary Region. --The Mesquite Bushes. --Lonely Graves 43

 CHAPTER IV. 

 Zacatecas. --Sand-Spouts. --Fertile Lands. --A Silver Mining Region. --Alpine Scenery. --Table-Land of Mexico. --An Aged Miner. -- Zacatecas Cathedral. --Church and People. --A Mountain Climb. -- Ownership of the Mines. --Want of Drainage. --A Battlefield. -- Civil War. --Local Market. --Peculiar Scenes. --Native Beauties. --City Tramway Experience. --Town of Guadalupe. --Organized Beggars. --A Noble and Successful Institution. --Market of Guadalupe. --Attractive Señoritas. --Private Gardens 62

 CHAPTER V. 

 A Mexican Watering Place. --Delightful Climate. --Aguas Calientes. --Young Señoritas. --Local City Scenes. --Convicts. --Churches. --A Mummified Monk. --Punishment is Swift and Sure. --Hot Springs. --Bathing in Public. --Caged Songsters. --"Antiquities. " --Delicious Fruits. --Market Scenes. --San Luis Potosi. --The Public Buildings. --City of Leon. --A Beautiful Plaza. --Local Manufactories. --Home Industries of Leon. --The City of Silao. --Defective Agriculture. --Objection to Machinery. --Fierce Sand Storm 76

 CHAPTER VI. 

 Guanajuato. --An Ex-President. --Richest Silver Mine in Mexico. -- Reducing the Ores. --Plenty of Silver. --Open Sewers. --A Venal Priesthood. --A Big Prison. --The Catholic Church. --Getting Rid of a Prisoner. --The Frog-Rock. --Idolaters. --A Strawberry Festival at Irapuato. --Salamanca. --City of Queretaro. --A Fine Old Capital. --Maximilian and His Fate. --A Charming Plaza. -- Mammoth Cotton Factory. --The Maguey Plant. --Pulque and Other Stimulants. --Beautiful Opals. --Honey Water. --Ancient Tula. -- A Freak of Tropical Weather 97

 CHAPTER VII. 

 City of Mexico. --Private Dwellings. --Thieves. --Old Mexico. -- Climate. --Tramways. --The Plaza Mayor. --City Streets. --The Grand Paseo. --Public Statues. --Scenes upon the Paseo. --The Paseo de la Viga. --Out-of-door Concerts. --A Mexican Caballero. --Lottery Ticket Venders. --High Noon. --Mexican Soldiers. -- Musicians. --Criminals as Soldiers. --The Grand Cathedral. --The Ancient Aztec Temple. --Magnificent View from the Towers of the Cathedral. --Cost of the Edifice. --Valley of Anahuac 126

 CHAPTER VIII. 

 An Extinct Volcano. --Mexican Mountains. --The Public Institutions of the Capital. --The Government Palace. --The Museum. -- Maximilian's State Carriage. --A Peculiar Plant. --The Academy of Fine Arts. --Choice Paintings. --Art School. --Picture Writing. --Native Artists. --Exquisite Pottery. --Cortez's Presents to Charles V. --A Special Aztec Art. --The Sacrificial Stone. --Spanish Historical Authorities. --Public Library. --The Plaza. --Flower Market. --A Morning Visit. --Public Market. -- Concealed Weapons 150

 CHAPTER IX. 

 A City of Vistas. --Want of Proper Drainage. --Unfortunate Site. -- Insecure Foundations. --A Boom in Building Lots. --Pleasant Suburbs. --Night Watchmen. --The Iturbide Hotel--A Would-be Emperor. --Domestic Arrangements. --A New Hotel wanted. -- Places of Public Entertainment. --The Bull Ring. --Repulsive Performance. --Monte de Piedad. --An English Syndicate purchase it. --The Alameda. --The Inquisition. --Festal Days. --Pulque Shops. --The Church Party. --Gilded Bar-Rooms. --Mexican Marriages. --Mothers and Infants. --A Family Group 170

 CHAPTER X. 

 Benito Juarez's Grandest Monument. --Hotel del Jardin. --General José Morelos. --Mexican Ex-Convents. --City Restaurants. --Lady Smokers. --Domestic Courtyards. --A Beautiful Bird. --The Grand Cathedral Interior. --A Devout Lottery Ticket Vender. -- Porcelain-Ornamented Houses. --Rogues in Church. --Expensive Justice. --Cemetery of San Fernando. --Juarez's Monument. -- Coffins to Let. --American and English Cemetery. --A Doleful Street and Trade 194

 CHAPTER XI. 

 The Shrine of Guadalupe. --Priestly Miracles. --A Remarkable Spring. --The Chapels about the Hill. --A Singular Votive Offering. --Church of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. --Costly Decorations. --A Campo Santo. --Tomb of Santa Anna. --Strange Contrasts. --Guadalupe-Hidalgo. --The Twelve Shrines on the Causeway. --The Viga Canal. --The Floating Islands. --Indian Gamblers. --Vegetable Market. --Flower Girls. --The "Noche- Triste" Tree. --Ridiculous Signs. --Queer Titles. --Floral Festival 205

 CHAPTER XII. 

 Castle of Chapultepec. --"Hill of the Grasshopper. "--Montezuma's Retreat. --Palace of the Aztec Kings. --West Point of Mexico. --Battles of Molino del Rey and Churubusco. --The Mexican White House. --High above Sea Level. --Village of Tacubaya. --Antique Carvings. --Ancient Toluca. --The Maguey. --Fine Scenery. --Cima. --Snowy Peaks. --Leon d'Oro. --The Bull-Ring and Cockpit. --A Literary Institution. --The Coral Tree. --Ancient Pyramids. -- Pachuca. --Silver Product of the Mines. --A Cornish Colony. -- Native Cabins. --Indian Endurance 220

 CHAPTER XIII. 

 Puebla, the Sacred City. --General Forey. --Battle-Ground. --View of the City. --Priestly Miracles. --The Cathedral. --Snow-Crowned Mountains. --A Cleanly Capital. --The Plaza Mayor. --A Typical Picture. --The Old Seller of Rosaries. --Mexican Ladies. --Palm Sunday. --Church Gala Day. --Education--Confiscation of Church Property. --A Curious Arch. --A Doll Image. --Use of Glazed Tiles. --Onyx a Staple Production. --Fine Work of Native Indian Women. --State of Puebla full of Rich Resources. --A Dynamite Bomb. --The Key of the Capital 241

 CHAPTER XIV. 

 Ancient Cholula. --A Grand Antiquity. --The Cheops of Mexico. -- Traditions relating to the Pyramid. --The Toltecs. --Cholula of To-Day. --Comprehensive View. --A Modern Tower of Babel. -- Multiplicity of Ruins. --Cortez's Exaggerations. --Sacrifices of Human Beings. --The Hateful Inquisition. --A Wholesale Murderous Scheme. --Unreliable Historians. --Spanish Falsification. -- Interesting Churches. --Off the Track. --Personal Relics of Cortez. --Torturing a Victim. --Aztec Antiquities. --Tlaxcala. -- Church of San Francisco. --Peon Dwellings. --Cortez and the Tlaxcalans 258

 CHAPTER XV. 

 Down into the Hot Lands. --Wonderful Mountain Scenery. --Parasitic Vines. --Luscious Fruits. --Orchids. --Orizaba. --State of Vera Cruz. --The Kodak. --Churches. --A Native Artist. --Schools. -- Climate. --Crystal Peak of Orizaba. --Grand Waterfall. --The American Flag. --Disappointed Climbers. --A Night Surprise. -- The French Invasion. --The Plaza. --Indian Characteristics. -- Early Morning Sights. --Maximilian in Council. --Difficult Engineering. --Wild Flowers. --A Cascade. --Cordova. --The Banana. --Coffee Plantations. --Fertile Soil. --Market Scenes 282

 CHAPTER XVI. 

 The City of Vera Cruz. --Defective Harbor. --The Dreaded and also Welcome Norther. --San Juan d'Ulloa. --Landing of Cortez. --His Expedition Piratical. --View of the City from the Sea. -- Cortez's Destruction of his Ships. --Anecdote of Charles V. --A Sickly Capital. --Street Scenes. --Trade. --The Mantilla. --Plaza de la Constitucion. --Typical Characters. --Brilliant Fireflies. --Well-To-Do Beggars. --Principal Edifices. --The Campo Santo. --City Dwelling-Houses. --The Dark-Plumed Buzzards. --A City Fountain. --A Varied History. --Medillin. --State of Vera Cruz 301

 CHAPTER XVII. 

 Jalapa. --A Health Resort. --Birds, Flowers, and Fruits. --Cerro Gordo. --Cathedral. --Earthquakes. --Local Characteristics. -- Vanilla. --Ancient Ruins. --Tortillas. --Blondes in a City of Brunettes. --Curiosities of Mexican Courtship. --Caged Singing Birds. --Banditti Outwitted. --Socialistic Indians. --Traces of a Lost City. --Guadalajara. --On the Mexican Plateau. --A Progressive Capital. --Fine Modern Buildings. --The Cathedral. --Native Artists. --A Noble Institution. --Amusements. --San Pedro. --Evening in the Plaza. --A Ludicrous Carnival. --Judas Day 320

 CHAPTER XVIII. 

 Santa Rosalia. --Mineral Springs. --Chihuahua. --A Peculiar City. -- Cathedral. --Expensive Bells. --Aqueduct. --Alameda. --Hidalgo's Prison and his Fate. --Eulalia. --A Large State. --A Grand Avenue of Trees. --Local Artists. --Grotesque Signs. --Influence of Proximity to the United States. --Native Villages. --Dangerous Sand-Spouts. --Reflections on Approaching the Frontier. -- Pleasant Pictures photographed upon the Memory. --Juarez, the Border Town of Mexico. --City of El Paso, Texas. --Railroad Interests. --Crossing the Rio Grande. --Greeted by the Stars and Stripes 343

AZTEC LAND. 

CHAPTER I. 

Locality and Political Divisions of Aztec Land. --Spanish Historians. -- Boundaries. --Climate. --Egyptian Resemblances. --Products of the Country. --Antiquities. --Origin of Races. --Early Civilization. -- Pictorial Writings. --Aboriginal Money. --Aztec Religious Sacrifices. --A Voluptuous Court. --Mexican Independence. --European Civilization introduced by Cortez. --Civil Wars. --The Maximilian Fiasco. --Revival of Mexican Progress. --A Country facing on Two Oceans. --A Native Writer's Statement. --Divorce of Church and State. 

Bordering upon the United States on the extreme southwest, for adistance of more than two thousand miles, is a republic which representsa civilization possibly as old as that of Egypt; a land, notwithstandingits proximity to us, of which the average American knows less than hedoes of France or Italy, but which rivals them in naturalpicturesqueness, and nearly equals them in historic interest. 

It is a country which is much misunderstood and almost whollymisrepresented. It may be called the land of tradition and romance, whose true story is most poetic and sanguinary. Such is Mexico, with hertwenty-seven independent states, a federal district in which is situatedthe national capital, and the territory of Lower California, --awidespread country, containing in all a population of between ten andeleven millions. As in the instance of this Union, each state controlsits internal affairs so far as it can do so without conflicting with thelaws of the national government, which are explicitly defined. Thenature of the constitution, adopted in 1857 by the combined states, isthat of a republic pure and simple, thoroughly democratic in itsprovisions. The national power resides in the people, from whom emanatesall public authority. The glowing pen of Prescott has rendered us allfamiliar with the romantic side of Mexican history, but legitimateknowledge of her primitive story is, unfortunately, of the mostfragmentary character. Our information concerning the early inhabitantscomes almost solely through the writings of irresponsible monks andpriests who could neither see nor represent anything relative to anidolatrous people save in accordance with the special interests of theirown church; or from Spanish historians who had never set foot upon theterritory of which they wrote, and who consequently repeated withheightened color the legends, traditions, and exaggerations of others. "The general opinion may be expressed, " says Janvier, in his "MexicanGuide, " "in regard to the writings concerning this period that, as arule, a most gorgeous superstructure of fancy has been raised upon avery meagre foundation of fact. As romance, information of this highlyimaginative sort is entertaining, but it is not edifying. " One would beglad to get at the other side of the Aztec story, which, we suspect, would place the chivalric invaders in a very different light from thatof their own boastful records, and also enable us to form a more justand truthful opinion of the aborigines themselves. That their numbers, religious sacrifices, and barbaric excesses are generally overdrawn isperfectly manifest. Every fair-minded student of history frankly admitsthis. It was necessary for Cortez and his followers to paint thecharacter of the Aztecs in darkest hues to palliate and excuse, in ameasure, their own wholesale rapine and murder. It was the elder Dumaswho said, "Truth is liable to be left-handed in history. " As Cortez wasa champion of the Roman Catholic Church, that institution did nothesitate to represent his achievements so as to redound to its ownglory. "Posterity is too often deceived by the vague hyperboles of poetsand rhetoricians, " says Macaulay, "who mistake the splendor of a courtfor the happiness of a people. " No one can forget the magnificence ofMontezuma's household as represented by the chroniclers, and asmagnified by time and distance. 

Let us consider for a moment the geographical situation of this greatsouthland, which is separated from us only by a comparativelyinsignificant stream of water. 

The present republic of Mexico is bounded on the north by the UnitedStates, from which it is separated in part by the narrow Rio Grande; onthe south by Guatemala, Balize, and the Pacific Ocean; on the east bythe Gulf of Mexico; and on the west by the Pacific Ocean, extending asfar north as the Bay of San Diego, California. Of its nearly sixthousand miles of coast line, sixteen hundred are on the Gulf of Mexicoand forty-two hundred miles are on the Pacific. The topographical aspectof the country has been not inappropriately likened to an invertedcornucopia. Its greatest length from northwest to southeast is almostexactly two thousand miles, and its greatest width, which is at thetwenty-sixth degree of north latitude, is seven hundred and fifty miles. The minimum width is at the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, where it contractsto a hundred and fifty miles. The area of the entire republic isprobably a little less than eight hundred thousand square miles. Trustworthy statistics relating to Mexico are not attainable. Evenofficial reports are scarcely better than estimates. Carlos Butterfield, accredited statistician, makes the area of the republic aboutthirty-three thousand square miles less than the figures we have given. He also calculates that the density of the population is some ten oreleven to the square mile. Other authorities, however, give the areamuch nearer to our own figures. A detailed survey which would enable usto get at a satisfactory aggregate has never been made, so that acareful estimate is all we have to depend upon. 

The climate of the country is divided by common acceptation into threezones, each of which is well defined: it being hot in the _tierracaliente_, or hot lands, of the coast; temperate in the _tierratemplada_, or region between three thousand and six thousand feet abovethe level of the sea; and cold in the _tierra fria_, or region at anelevation exceeding six thousand feet. In the first named the extremeheat is 100° Fahr. ; in the last the extreme of cold is 20° above zero. In the national capital the mercury ranges between 65° and 75° Fahr. Throughout the year. In fact, every climate known to the traveler may bemet with between Vera Cruz and the capital of the republic. In theneighborhood of Orizaba one finds sugar-cane and Indian corn, tobaccoand palm-trees, bananas and peaches, growing side by side. 

Let us state in brief, for general information, the main products ofthese three geographical divisions. In the hot region we find cotton, vanilla, hemp, pepper, cocoa, oranges, bananas, indigo, rice, andvarious other tropical fruits. In the temperate region, tobacco, coffee, sugar, maize, the brown bean, peas, and most of the favorite northernfruits. Here extreme heat and frost are alike unknown. In the coldregion, all of the hardy vegetables, such as potatoes, beets, carrots, and the cereals, wheat growing at as high an elevation as eighty-fivehundred feet, while two crops annually are grown in various sections ofthe _tierra templada_. Tobacco is indigenous in Mexico, and derives itsname from Tabaco in Yucatan. Indian corn and brown beans, two of theprincipal sources of the food consumed by the natives, are grown in allthe states of the republic. 

Mexico is situated in the same degree of latitude in the WesternHemisphere that Egypt occupies in the Eastern, the Tropic of Cancerdividing both countries in the centre. There is a striking resemblancebetween them, also, in many other respects, such as architecture, vegetation, domestic utensils, mode of cultivating the land, ancientpyramids, and idols, while both afford abundant tokens of a historyantedating all accredited record. Toltec and Aztec antiquities bear aremarkable resemblance to the old Egyptian remains to be found in themuseums of Europe and America. Speaking of these evidences of a formerand unknown race still to be found in southern Mexico, especially inYucatan, Wilson the historian says: "In their solidity they strikinglyremind us of the best productions of Egyptian art. Nor are they lessvenerable in appearance than those which excite our admiration in thevalley of the Nile. Their points of resemblance, too, are so numerous, they carry to the beholder a conviction that the architects on this sideof the ocean were familiar with the models on the other. " Doubtless thevolcanic soil of Mexico conceals vast remains of the far past, even asPompeii was covered and continued unsuspected for centuries, untilaccident led to its being gradually exhumed. Whole cities are known tohave disappeared in various parts of Mexico, leaving no more evidence oftheir existence than may be found in a few broken columns or somehalf-disintegrated stones. Of this mutability we shall have ampleevidence as we progress on our route through the several states. When invarious parts of the country we see the native laborers irrigating theland in the style which prevailed thousands of years ago on the banks ofthe Nile, and behold the dark-hued women slightly clothed in a whitecotton fabric with faces half-concealed, while they bear water jars upontheir heads, we seem to breathe the very atmosphere of Asia. The rapidintroduction of railroads and the modern facilities for travel are fastrendering us as familiar with the characteristics of this land of theMontezumas as we have long been with that of the Pharaohs; and though ithas not the halo of Biblical story to recommend it to us, yet Mexico isnot lacking in numberless legends, poetic associations, and the charm ofa tragic history quite as picturesque and absorbing as that of anyportion of the East. Many intelligent students of history believe thatthe first inhabitants of this continent probably came from Asia by wayof Behring Strait or the Aleutian Islands, which may at some period inpast ages have extended across the north Pacific Ocean; the outermostisland of this group (Attoo), it will be remembered, is at this time butfour hundred miles from the Asiatic coast, whence it is believed to havebeen originally peopled. 

Relative to the early peopling of our continent, Bancroft says: "It isshown pretty conclusively that the American people and the Americancivilization, if not indigenous to the New World, were introduced fromthe Old at _a period long preceding any to which we are carried, by thetraditional or monumental annals of either continent_. We have found noevidence of any populating or civilizing migration across the ocean fromeast to west, north or south, within historic times. Nothing approachingidentity has been discovered between any two nations separated by theAtlantic or Pacific. No positive record appears even of communicationbetween America and the Old World, --intentionally by commercial, exploring, or warlike expeditions, or accidentally by shipwreck, --previous to thevoyages of the Northmen in the tenth century; yet that such communicationdid take place, in many instances and at different periods, is extremelyprobable. "

The emigrants of whom we have spoken are supposed to have been nomadic, to have first built cities in the north, --that is, the present UnitedStates; it is not improbable that they were the mound-builders of Ohioand the Mississippi valleys, and that they afterward migrated southwardinto Mexico. These pioneers were called Toltecs, and were settled southof the Rio Grande a thousand years ago, more or less, their capitalbeing what is known to-day as the city of Tula, forty miles northwest ofthe present capital of Mexico, where many antique and curious remainsstill interest the traveler. The names of the nine Toltec kings whoruled up to A. D. 1097 are well ascertained. It was the fourthking, if we may believe the chroniclers, who built the city ofTeotihuacan, that is, "the habitation of the gods, " the only visibleremains of which are the two earth pyramids of the sun and the moon. Ofthese we shall have occasion to treat more at length in a futurechapter. In speaking of the most ancient remains at Tula and elsewherein Mexico, Wilson pronounces them to be clearly Egyptian. It is madeplain by authentic writers upon the subject that this people enjoyed alarge degree of civilization; the ruins of temples supposed to havebeen built by them in various parts of the country, especially inYucatan, also prove this. Humboldt says that in 648 A. D. TheToltecs had a solar year more perfect than that of the Greeks andRomans. Other-writers tell us that they were a worthy people, averse towar, allied to virtue, to cleanliness, and good manners, detestingfalsehood and treachery. They introduced the cultivation of maize andcotton, constructed extensive irrigating ditches, built roads, and werea progressive race. "But where is the country, " asks Humboldt, "fromwhich the Toltecs and Mexicans issued?" They were well housed, and evenelegantly clothed, maintained public schools, and commemorated passingevents by elaborate sculpture and by picture-writing. So complete wastheir system of hieroglyphics that they wrote upon religion, history, geography, and the arts. These records were nearly all destroyed by themalicious and bigoted iniquity of a Spanish priest named Zumarrage, whomade it his business to seek for and burn all tokens, great and small, which related to the history of this extremely interesting people. A fewof these curious records, in the form of pictorial writing, yet remainin Mexico, principally in the National Museum at the capital, and somehave found their way across the ocean to adorn the shelves of Europeanlibraries. One of these documents, still extant, represents the countryas having first been settled by a race who came out of a great cave andtraveled over the realm on the backs of turtles, founding cities andtowns wherever they went. This will show that the traditions of theaborigines are so fabulous as scarcely to deserve mention. Touching thevandal act of the Catholic priest Zumarrage, Prescott says: "Wecontemplate with indignation the cruelties inflicted by the earlyconquerors. But indignation is qualified with contempt when we see themthus ruthlessly trampling out the sparks of knowledge, the common boonand property of all mankind. We may well doubt which has the strongestclaim to civilization, the victor or the vanquished. " We know that theearly inhabitants reared palaces, temples, and pyramids, that theyconstructed a grand system of aqueducts for irrigating purposes, and forthe liberal promotion of agriculture, being in many respects in advanceof the Mexicans of to-day in the cultivation of the soil, as well as insome productions of art. 

This people, after several centuries of occupation, seem to have beendriven away, probably to South America, by the arrival of another racecalled Aztecs or Mexicans, about the year 1325, --some writers say muchearlier, --who finally, under the emperors known as the Montezumas, brought the country to a lofty height of barbaric and extravagantsplendor, though they were largely, if not almost entirely, indebted tothe discoveries and genius of their intelligent predecessors. The earlyfaith of the Toltecs, it is claimed, was the adoration of the sun, moon, and stars. They offered to their representative gods flowers, fruits, and the life-blood of small animals. The sacrifice of human beings waslater engrafted on their simple faith by other tribes. 

History tells us that these aboriginal races did not possess stampedcoin. They had certain signs of the value of different articles, whichtook the place of money. One of these, for example, is said to have beencacao beans counted into lots of eight thousand, or in sacks oftwenty-four thousand each. To exchange for articles of daily necessitythey used pieces of cotton cloth. Expensive objects were paid for ingrains of gold dust, which were carried in quills. For the cheapestarticles, copper pieces cut like the letter T were used. After theconquest, the earliest mint was established in Mexico, in 1538, by DonAntonio de Mendoza, who was the first viceroy. 

When Cortez came from--in the light of history we should say, ran awayfrom--Cuba to conquer and possess Mexico, in 1519, a hundred yearsbefore the Pilgrims lauded on the shore of Massachusetts Bay, heencountered a people who had reached, comparatively speaking, a highdegree of civilization, though weighted by an idolatrous worship whichwas most terrible in its wild and reckless practice of human sacrifice, as represented by Spanish authorities. Their imposing sculptures, curious arms, picture records, and rich, fanciful garments, filled theinvaders with surprise and whetted their gross avariciousness. There wasmuch that was strange and startling in their mythology, and even theiridol worship and sacrificial rites bore evidence of sincerity. Altogether, this western empire presented a strange and fascinatingspectacle to the eyes of the invaders, who flattered themselves thatthey would be doing God service by subjugating these idolaters, andsubstituting their own religion for that of the natives. At the timewhen the Spaniards arrived in the country, Montezuma II. Was on thethrone, one of the most extravagant of voluptuaries. According to theaccounts of the early Spanish chroniclers, the ornaments worn by himmust have been equal in elegance and value to the crown-jewels of anyimperial family of Europe. Asiatic pomp and luxury could not go togreater extremes than these writers attribute to the Aztec court and itsemperor. Cortez eagerly and unscrupulously possessed himself of theseroyal gems, and kept them concealed upon his person until his return toSpain. They are represented to have been worth "a nation's ransom, " butwere lost in the sea, where Cortez had thrown himself in a criticalemergency. The broad amphitheatre, in the midst of which the capital ofAnahuac--"by the waters"--was built, still remains; but the picturesquelake which beautified it, traversed by causeways and covered withfloating gardens laden with trees and flowers, has disappeared. Thoughthe conquered natives, roused at last to a spirit of madness by theunequaled cruelty and extortion of the victors, rose in a body andexpelled them from their capital, still the ruthless valor of Cortez andhis followers, aided by artful alliance with disaffected native tribes, together with the superiority of the Spanish weapons, finally proved toomuch for the reigning power, and, after a brave and protracted struggle, the star of the Aztec dynasty set in blood. 

Montezuma died a miserable death in the hands of Cortez; whileGuatemozin, the last of the Aztec emperors, was ignominiously treated, tortured, and afterwards hanged by the Spanish conqueror. 

Three hundred years of Spanish rule, extortion, rapacity, fraud, andbitter oppression followed, --a period of struggle for supremacy on thepart of the Roman Catholic Church, during which it relentlessly crushedevery vestige of opposition by means of that hideous monster, theInquisition. During these three centuries, the same selfish policyactuated the home government towards Mexico as was exercised towardsCuba, namely, to extort from the country and its people the largestpossible revenue for the Spanish treasury. Finally came the successfulrevolution which separated the country from continental Spain andachieved the independence of the nation. 

We must not, however, blind ourselves to facts. Hateful as the Spanishrule in Mexico appears to us, we must admit that Cortez introducedEuropean civilization, such as it was, into the country, and it hasvirtually continued until the present day. We see that under his rulegreat cities sprang into life, magnificent buildings were erected, national roads, viaducts, bridges, and aqueducts were built, on so granda scale as to still challenge our admiration. Silver and gold wereextracted from the mines, and together with ornamental woods, preciousstones, dyes and drugs were shipped in unlimited quantities to Spain, whereby her already richly endowed treasury became full to repletion. True, it was a period of false gods, of high living, and of vice; mightmade right; morality had not the same signification then as it has inour time. The conventionalities of one century become the vices of thenext. Virtue and vice must, in a certain degree, be construed inrelation to latitude and longitude. That which is sacred in Samoa to-daymay be considered impious in Boston. 

Cortez's expedition, which landed at Vera Cruz, April 21, 1519, was notthe first to discover the continent in this neighborhood; he had beenpreceded nearly two years by a rich merchant of Cuba, who fitted out acouple of small vessels on his own account, mainly for the purpose oftrading, and being also in search of that great lure, gold, which it wassupposed existed in large quantities among the native tribes of themainland. This adventurer, Francisco Hernandez de Cordova, landed nearthe present Cape Catoche, April 8, 1517, having brought with him onlyabout one hundred men. As to the final result of that enterprise we arenot informed, except that his landing was opposed by the natives, and abattle was fought in which fifteen or twenty Indians were killed and anumber of Spaniards were wounded. 

The fighting instinct of the people of Mexico was never exercised tobetter purpose than during the period between 1810 and 1821, in thegallant and successful war with the home government to establish theirfreedom. On the 15th day of September, 1810, a solemn declaration ofindependence was made, and for eleven years, under various patrioticleaders, such as Hidalgo--their Washington--and the truly great Morelos, the trying fortunes of a relentless war were experienced, until August24, 1821, when Spain was forced to give up the contest and retirehumiliated from the field. Not, however, until so late as 1838 did sheformally recognize the Mexican republic. 

It is natural to pause for a moment in this connection, and contrast thepast with the present status of Spain, a country which conquered, possessed, and misruled Mexico for so long a period. In the sixteenthcentury she threatened to become the mistress of the world. In art sheheld the foremost position. Murillo, Velasquez, and Ribiera were herhonored sons; in literature she was represented by Cervantes, Lope deVega, and Calderon; while of discoverers and conquerors she sent forthColumbus, Cortez, and Pizarro. The banners of Castile and Aragon floatedalike on the Pacific and the Indian Oceans. Her warriors wereadventurous and brave; her soldiers inherited the gallantry of thefollowers of Charles V. She was the court of Europe, the acknowledgedleader of chivalry. How rapid has been her decadence! As in theplenitude of her power she was ambitious, cruel, and perfidious, so hasthe measure which she meted to others been in turn accorded to herself. To-day there are none so humble as to do her honor. 

As years progressed, interstate struggles impoverished the land anddecimated the number of its ruling spirits. To recall a list of thenames of patriot leaders who laid down their lives during this halfcentury and more of civil wars makes one shudder for man's inhumanity toman. Little progress was made. The Romish Church held its parasiticclutch upon state and people, impoverishing and degrading both, untilthe burden became too great to bear; and, in 1857, the Laws of Reformwere enacted and the constitution amended, causing the church todisgorge its millions of ill-gotten wealth, and also depriving it of itspower for further national injury. 

A brief but decisive war with the United States ended in the humblesubmission of Mexico, causing her to lose a large portion of herterritory, amounting to more than one half its number of square miles. Probably very few of the readers of these pages could answer correctly, if they were asked what was the real cause of this war between theUnited States and Mexico. Let us briefly state the facts, since we shallincidentally refer more than once to the matter. In 1835, Texas, then apart of Mexico, rebelled against that government, and succeeded not onlyin achieving her independence, but also in being recognized as adistinct power by several of the nations of Europe, including Englandand France, as well as this country. After a lapse of nine or ten years, at the earnest solicitation of the inhabitants, Texas was admitted tothe American Union. The Mexican government expressed greatdissatisfaction at this, and sent troops to camp all along the RioGrande, which compelled the President to order a division of our arraythere to protect the national interests. The Mexican troops crossed overtheir border and attacked our soldiers on Texan soil, killing sixteenAmericans and capturing many prisoners. This was on April 24, 1846, andprecipitated hostilities at once. After the battles of Palo Alto, May8th, and Resaca de la Palma, May 9th, both fought on Texan soil, andboth defeats for the Mexicans, General Taylor crossed with his forcesinto Mexico and occupied Matamoras. The subsequent battles on Taylor'sand Scott's lines resulted in a series of hard-won victories for ourtroops in every instance; until, finally, the flag of the United Statesfloated triumphantly over the city of Mexico. It was not this country, but Mexico, which was the aggressor, and it was her foolhardiness andoutrageous insult which brought about the war. There is not a power inEurope which would not have done precisely as this country did when thusattacked. The author knows very well that it is the fashion to berateour government for the punishment it inflicted upon the aggressiveMexicans, but we are not among those who believe that when nations orindividuals are smitten upon one cheek they should turn the other for alike treatment. Mexico got what she deserved, that is, a thoroughdrubbing, and lost one half of her territorial possessions in return fora long series of aggressions. 

Though thus geographically curtailed, she is still of mammothproportions, exceeding in size Austria and Germany with Sweden, Norway, and the Netherlands combined; or, to make a more familiar comparison, Mexico is sixteen times larger than the State of New York, stretchingthrough seventeen degrees of latitude and thirty degrees of longitude. Finally, there came the ridiculous and abortive attempt of Napoleon theLittle to make a foreigner--Archduke Maximilian of Austria--Emperor ofMexico, in which Quixotic purpose he was at first abetted by England andSpain. After a bloody and fruitless struggle, backed by all the subtleinfluence of the Roman Catholic Church, the French withdrew from thecountry in utter disgrace, while the royal interloper, deceived, deserted, and cheated by the weak, scheming mountebank on the Frenchthrone, was condemned to death by a Mexican court martial, and with twoof his most notable and trusted generals was shot at Queretaro. Ill-advised as was the attempt to establish an empire on American soil, and although it resulted in such a bitter failure, involving the deathof its principal actors, and terrible waste of human life, it must beadmitted by every candid observer that Mexico made great materialadvance during the brief period of Maximilian's bastard government. Thenational capital was especially beautified, and it exhibits to-day theadvantages of many grand improvements instituted and completed byMaximilian and "poor" Carlotta, his devoted wife, and daughter ofLeopold I. , king of the Belgians. The Mexicans will long remember thatthey owe their magnificent boulevard, the Paseo de la Reforma, toMaximilian, and their charmingly arranged Plaza Mayor to the refined andwomanly taste of Carlotta. 

At last it would seem as though the energies of this much distractedcountry, so long the victim of the priesthood, professional brigandage, and civil and foreign wars, have become diverted into channels ofproductive industry, developing resources of wealth and stability whichhave heretofore been unrecognized. A country facing upon two oceans, andhaving seven or eight railroad lines intersecting it in variousdirections, cannot remain _in statu quo_; it must take its place more orless promptly in the grand line of nations, all of whom are movingforward under the influence of the progressive ideas of the nineteenthcentury. It is only since 1876 that Mexico has enjoyed anything like astable government; and as her constitution is modeled upon our own, letus sincerely hope for the best results. General Porfirio Diaz, Presidentof the republic, is a man whose official and private life commands therespect of the entire people. That his administration has given thecountry a grand impetus, has largely restored its credit, and insured acontinuance of peace, seems to be an undisputed fact. His principalpurpose is plainly to modernize Mexico. The twelve years from 1876, whenhe became president, until 1889, when his third term commenced, hasproved to be the progressive age of the republic. He is of native birth, and rose from the ranks of the masses. The only opposition to hisgovernment is that of the church party, led by the Archbishop of Mexico, and supported by that great army of non-producers, the useless priests, who fatten upon the poor and superstitious populace. At present thisparty has no political power or influence, but is working at all times, in secret, silently awaiting an opportunity to sacrifice anything oreverything to the sole interests of the Roman Catholic Church. "Thepolitical struggle in Mexico, " says United States Commissioner WilliamEleroy Curtis, "since the independence of the republic, has been andwill continue to be between antiquated, bigoted, and despotic Romanism, allied with the ancient aristocracy, under whose encouragementMaximilian came, on the one hand, and the spirit of intellectual, industrial, commercial, and social progress on the other. "

Here, as in European countries, where this form of faith prevails, it isthe women mostly--we might almost say solely, in Mexico--who give theirattendance upon the ceremonies of the church. The male population areseldom seen within its walls, though yielding a sort of tacitacquiescence to the faith. We are speaking of large communities in thecities and among the more intelligent classes. The peons of the ruraldistricts, the ignorant masses who do not think for themselves, but whoare yet full of superstitious fears, are easily impressed by churchparaphernalia, gorgeous trappings, and gilded images. This class, menand women, are completely under the guidance of the priesthood. "Although the clergy still exercise a powerful influence among thecommon people, " says Commissioner Curtis, "whose superstitious ignorancehas not yet been reached by the free schools and compulsory educationlaw, in politics they are powerless. " It was in 1857 that Mexicoformally divorced the church and state by an amendment to herconstitution, thereby granting unrestricted freedom of conscience andreligious worship to all persons, sects, and churches. Severaldenominations in the United States avail themselves of this privilege, and in some of the cities Protestant churches have been establishedwhere regular weekly services are held. "With the overthrow ofMontezuma's empire in 1520, " says that distinguished native Mexicanwriter, Riveray Rio, "began the rule of the Spaniard, which lasted justthree hundred years. During this time, Rome and Spain, priest and king, held this land and people as a joint possession. The greedy hand wasever reached out to seize alike the product of the mine and soil. Thepeople were enslaved for the aggrandizement and power of a foreignchurch and state. It was then that the Church of Rome fostered such avast army of friars, priests, and nuns, acquired those vast landedestates, and erected such an incredible number of stone churches, greatconvents, inquisitorial buildings, Jesuit colleges, and gathered suchvast stores of gold and silver. All this time the poor people were beingreduced to the utmost poverty, and every right and opportunity forpersonal and civil advancement was taken from them. They were left togrope on in intellectual darkness. They could have no commerce withforeign nations. If they made any advance in national wealth, it wasdrained away for royal and ecclesiastical tribute. Superstition reignedunder the false teachings of a corrupt priesthood, while the frightfulInquisition, by its cruel machinery, coerced the people to an abjectnessthat has scarcely had a parallel in human history. Under such adispensation of evil rule, Mexico became of less and less importanceamong the family of nations. "

This brief summary brings us to the peaceful and comparativelyprosperous condition of the republic to-day, and prepares the canvasupon which to sketch the proposed pen pictures of this interestingcountry, with which we are so intimately connected, both politically andgeographically. 

CHAPTER II. 

Remarkably Fertile Soil. --Valuable Native Woods. --Mexican Flora. --Coffee and Tobacco. --Mineral Products. --Silver Mines. --Sugar Lands. -- Manufactories. --Cortez's Presents to Charles V. --Water Power. --Coal Measures. --Railroads. --Historic Locality. --Social Characteristics. -- People divided into Castes. --Peonage. --Radical Progress. --Education and the Priesthood. --A Threshing Machine. --Social Etiquette. -- Political Organization of the Government. --Mexico the Synonym of Barbarism. --Production and Business Handicapped by an Excessive Tariff. 

Mexico is remarkable for the fertility and peculiar productiveness ofher soil, both of a vegetable and mineral character, though the formeris very largely dependent upon irrigation, and almost everywhere suffersfor want of intelligent treatment. As a striking proof of the fertilityof the soil, an able writer upon the subject tells us, among otherstatistical facts, that while wheat cultivated in France and some othercountries averages but six grains for one planted, Mexican soil gives anaverage product of twenty-two times the amount of seed which is sown. Humboldt was surprised at this when it was reported to him, and tookpains to verify the fact, finding the statement to be absolutelycorrect. Being situated partly in the tropics and partly in thetemperate zone, its vegetable products partake of both regions, and arevaried in the extreme. In the hot lands are dense forests of rosewood, mahogany, and ebony, together with dyewoods of great commercial value, while in the temperate and cooler districts the oak and pine arereasonably abundant. It must be admitted, however, that those districtssituated near populous neighborhoods have been nearly denuded of theirgrowth during centuries of waste and destruction by the conqueringSpaniards. From this scarcity of commercial wood arises the absence offramed houses, and the universal use of stone and clay, or adobe, forbuilding purposes. There is valuable wood enough in certain districts, which is still being wasted. The sleepers of the Monterey and MexicanGulf railway are nearly all of ebony. Attention having been called tothe fact, orders have been issued to save this wood for shipment to ourNorthern furniture manufacturers. Iron ties and sleepers are beingsubstituted on the trunk lines of the railways as fast as the woodenones decay, being found so much more durable. Those used on the VeraCruz line are imported from England; on the Mexican Central, from theUnited States. There is a low, scrubby growth of wood on the table-landsand mountain sides, which is converted by the peons into charcoal andtransported on the backs of the burros (jackasses) long distances foreconomical use in the cities and villages. All the delicious fruits ofthe West Indies are abundantly produced in the southern section, and allthe substantial favorites of our Northern and Western States thriveluxuriantly in her middle and northern divisions. Some of the cultivatedberries are remarkably developed; the strawberry, for instance, thrivesbeyond all precedent in central Mexico, and while larger, it is no lessdelicately flavored than our own choice varieties. The flora throughoutMexico is exceedingly rich and varied, botanists having recognized overten thousand families of plants indigenous to the soil. It appeared tothe writer, however, that while the color of the flowers was intensifiedabove that of our Northern States, their fragrance was not so welldefined. Even the soft green mosses threw out a star-like blossom oftiny proportions, which seemed almost as full of expression as humaneyes, while they emitted a subdued fragrance. The best-grown coffee ofthe country is in our estimation equal to the best grades of Mocha orJava, while the tobacco produced in several of the states comparesfavorably with the much-lauded brands of Cuba. The most fertile regionsof Mexico lie on the east and west, where the districts decline abruptlyfrom the great plateau, or table-land, towards the coast. 

The Monterey and Mexican Gulf railway has lately opened access to mostexcellent land, suitable for sugar plantations, equal to the best inLouisiana devoted to this purpose, and which can be bought for a meresong, as the saying is. These lands are better adapted to sugar raisingthan those of the State just named, because frost is here unknown. Inthe opening of these tropical districts by railroad, connected with ourSouthern system, we have offered us the opportunity to secure all theproducts which we now get from Cuba. These staples are equal in quality, and can be landed at our principal commercial centres at a much lesscost than is paid for shipments from that island. Such is the arbitraryrule of Spain in Cuba, and the miserable political condition of herpeople, that all business transacted in her ports is handicapped byregulations calculated to drive commerce away from her shores. The factshould also be recalled that while Mexico produces every article whichwe import from Cuba, she has over five times the population to consumeour manufactures and products, rendering her commercial intercourse withus just so much more important. At present, or rather heretofore, shehas sought to exchange her native products almost wholly with Europe, through the port of Vera Cruz; but on account of the excellentfacilities afforded by the Mexican Central Railroad the volume of tradehas already begun to set towards the United States. While upon thesubject it may be mentioned incidentally that the way business of thisrailroad has exceeded all calculations, and yet it is but partiallydeveloped, the rolling stock being quite inadequate to the demand forfreight transportation. 

In minerals it would seem as though the list of products was unequaled. At present the silver mines are undoubtedly the greatest source ofwealth to the country, though under proper conditions the agriculturalcapacity of the land would doubtless exceed all other interests inpecuniary value, as indeed is the case in most other gold and silverproducing countries. The principal mineral products of Mexico are iron, tin, cinnabar, silver, gold, alum, sulphur, and lead. In the state ofDurango, large masses of the best magnetic iron ore are found, which atsome future day will supply the material for a great and usefulindustry. Other iron mines exist, and some have been utilized to alimited extent. Coal is found in abundance, notably in the states ofOaxaca, Sonora, Nuevo Leon, and Coahuila. These coal measures areparticularly valuable in a country many parts of which are treeless andwithout economical fuel. The total coinage of silver ore in the mints ofMexico to this date, we were intelligently informed, amount to theenormous aggregate of three thousand millions of dollars, to which maybe added, in arriving at the total product of the mines, the amountexported in bars and the total value consumed in manufactures. This lastitem amounts to a much larger figure than one who has not given thesubject careful thought would be prepared to admit. 

Mexico can hardly be spoken of as a manufacturing country, in the usualacceptation of the term, though the Spaniards found that cotton clothhad been made here long before their advent. It is also a fact that suchdomestic goods as the masses of her population absolutely require sheproduces within her own limits by native industry, such as cotton cloth, blankets, woollen cloth, cotton shawls, leather goods, saddlery, boots, shoes, hats, and other articles of personal wear. There are over twentylarge woollen mills in the country, several for the production ofcarpeting, and many cotton mills, the product of the latter being almostwholly the unbleached article, which is universally worn by the masses. The cotton mills are many of them large, and worthy of specialcommendation for the healthful and beneficent system adopted in them, aswell as for the excellence of their output. The number of factories ofall sorts in the country is estimated at about one hundred. There isnearly enough sugar produced on the plantations to satisfy the homedemand, an industry which might be indefinitely extended. Climate, soil, and the rate of wages all favor such an idea. The Sandwich Islands, which have been so largely resorted to for the establishment of sugarplantations, cannot show one half the advantages which lie unimproved onthe new lines of the Mexican railways. If a capitalist were consideringthe purpose of establishing a large sugar plantation, the fact of cheapand easy transportation to market being here close at hand should alonesettle the question as between the islands referred to and thislocality. Hardware and cutlery, of excellent quality and in largequantities, are manufactured. The paper, household furniture, pottery, crockery, and even glass generally in use, are of home production, whichwill give the reader an idea of the present native resources of thecountry, developed not by fortuitous aid, but under the most depressingcircumstances. 

It will be remembered that Cortez, soon after he landed in Mexico, sentto Charles V. Specimens of native cotton fabrics, so that probablycotton was not only grown but manufactured here as early as in any othercountry. The historians tell us that the Aztecs made as large and asdelicate webs as those of Holland. Besides working in textile fabrics, this ancient people wrought metals, hewed stone, and manufacturedpottery of delicate forms and artistic finish. The misfortune of onecountry is the gain of another. The paucity of fuel wherewith to obtainsteam power, and the lack of rivers capable of giving water power, mustalways prevent Mexico from being a competing country, as tomanufactures, with the United States, where these essentials abound. Shehas, however, only to turn her attention to the export of fruits, andother products which are indigenous to her sunny land, to acquire amplemeans wherewith to purchase from this country whatever she may desire inthe line of luxuries or necessities. 

That a portion of Mexico is utterly sterile and unavailable is just asmuch a fact as that we have such regions in the western part of theUnited States. There are large sections here which suffer from annualdroughts, but which might be redeemed by irrigation, the facilities forwhich in most cases are near enough at hand, only requiring to beproperly engineered. It is not correct to paint everything of rose-colorin the republic; it has its serious drawbacks, like all other landsunder the sun. The want of water is the prevailing trouble, but, likeAustralia, this country has enough of the precious liquid if properlyconserved and adapted. The Rio Grande produces more water in atwelvemonth than the great Murray River of Australia, which is floodedat certain seasons and is a "dry run" at others. As we have intimated, the absence of available wood and coal will prevent the growth ofmanufactures in Mexico, at least, until the coal deposits are opened upby railroads. The coal measures are not yet fully surveyed, ordeveloped, but sufficient has been shown to demonstrate their greatextent and valuable qualities. When these coal deposits shall be broughtby means of railroads, already projected or in course of construction, within the reach of the business centres, and deliverable to consumersat reasonable prices, a great impetus to manufactures will be realizedthrough this article of prime necessity. A company has lately beenformed in England to explore and develop these coal fields, for whichpurpose a liberal concession has been obtained from the Mexicangovernment. This is only one more evidence of the fact that foreigncapital and foreign enterprise are flowing towards the country. It willbe observed also that these new companies are mostly English; some areGerman; but there are comparatively few Americans engaged in theseenterprises. We have seen it in print that Mexico was fast becomingAmericanized, but this is a mistake; there are many more Europeans thanAmericans in Mexico, as we use the word Americans, that is, people ofthe United States. 

Where water power is to be obtained, it is improved to the utmost, as atQueretaro, where a small river is made to turn the largest overshotwheel which has ever been constructed, furnishing power in the famousHercules Cotton Factory of that city, which gives regular employment tomany hundred native men and women. 

An improved and stable system of government and increased railroadfacilities are doing wonders for our neighbors across the Rio Grande. The iron horse and steel rail are great promoters of civilization. Itwould be impossible to overestimate the importance of this branch ofprogress in the interests of both Mexico and the United States, by whichmeans we are constantly becoming more and more intimately united. TheMexican Central Railroad has lately completed its connection withTampico on the Gulf by a branch road running almost due east from itsmain trunk, starting near or at Aguas Calientes; another, running aboutdue west towards the port of San Blas on the Pacific, has already beencompleted as far as Guadalajara, starting from the main trunk atIrapuato. The former city being the present terminus of the road, isconsidered the second in importance in Mexico. When the narrow spacestill remaining is opened by rail, the continent will be crossed byrailway trains between the Atlantic and Pacific at a narrow and mostavailable point. The increase of way passengers and freight upon thisroad during the past two years is a source of surprise and ofgratification to the company. The rolling stock is being monthlyincreased, having proved to be inadequate to the business. 

The Tampico branch of this road passes through scenery which experiencedtravelers pronounce to be equal in grandeur to any on this continent. Indeed, had the appalling engineering difficulties to be encounteredbeen fully realized before the road was begun, it is doubtful if itwould have been built. The cost has slightly exceeded ten milliondollars. That which seemed easy enough, as designed upon paper, provedto be a herculean task in the consummation. It was a portion of theoriginal plan, when the Mexican Central Railroad was surveyed, to buildthis branch, and six years after the completion of the main trunk theTampico road was duly opened. The distance from this harbor on the Gulfof Mexico to Aguas Calientes is a trifle over four hundred miles. Withthe improvements already under way, it will be rendered the best seaporton the Gulf, infinitely superior, especially in point of safe anchorage, to the open roadstead of Vera Cruz. Every ton of freight is now landedat the latter port by lighters, and must continue to be so from thenature of the coast; while in a couple of years at farthest Tampico willhave a most excellent harbor, perfectly sheltered, where the largeststeamships can lie at the wharf and discharge their cargoes. We aresorry to say that San Blas, on the Pacific side, does not promise tomake so desirable a port. It is even suggested that Mazatalan, furthernorth, should be made the terminus of this branch road. Americanenterprise and progressive ideas are peacefully but surelyrevolutionizing a country where all previous change has beenaccomplished by the sword, and all advance has been from scaffold toscaffold. It would seem as though political convulsions formed one ofthe conditions of national progress. In our own instance, through whatseas of blood had we to wade in abolishing that long standing curse ofthis land, negro slavery. The Czar of Russia freed the millions ofserfs in his empire by a bold and manly ukase; but the nobility, whocounted their wealth by the number of human beings whom they held inthralldom, have not yet forgiven the Czar for doing so. Revenge for thatphilanthropic act is still the motive of the conspiracies whichoccasionally come to the surface in that country. "Every age has itsproblem, " says Heinrich Heine, "by solving which humanity is helpedforward. "

The federal capital of Mexico is in the centre of a country ofsurpassing richness and beauty, but from the day of its foundation, between seven and eight hundred years ago, it has been the theatre ofconstant revolutions and bitter warfare, where hecatombs of human beingshave been sacrificed upon idolatrous altars, where a foreign religionhas been established at the spear's point, through torture by fire andthe rack, and where rivers of blood have been ruthlessly spilled inbattle, sometimes in repelling a foreign foe, but only too often instill more cruel civil wars. Some idea of the chronic politicalupheavals of the country may be had from the brief statement that therehave been fifty-four presidents, one regency, and one emperor in thelast sixty-two years, and nearly every change of government has beeneffected by violence. Between 1821 and 1868, the form of government waschanged ten times. 

Politeness and courtesy are as a rule characteristics of the intelligentand middle classes of the people of Mexico, and are also observable inintercourse with the humbler ranks of the masses. They have heretoforelooked upon Americans as being hardly more than semi-civilized. Thosewith whom they have been most brought in contact have been reckless andadventurous frontiersmen, drovers, Texans, cow boys, often individualswho have left their homes in the Northern or Middle States with thestigma of crime upon them. The inference they have drawn from contactwith such representatives of our population has been but natural. IfMexicans travel abroad, they generally do so in Europe, sailing fromVera Cruz, and they know comparatively little of us socially. It isequally true that we have been in the habit of regarding the Mexicans inmuch the same light. This mutual feeling is born of ignorance, and thenearer relation into which the two countries are now brought by means ofthe excellent system of railroads is rapidly dispelling themisconception on both sides of the Rio Grande. The masses, especiallythe peons, are far more illiterate than in this country, and are easilyled by the higher intelligence of the few; nor have the Mexicans yetshown much real progress in the purpose of promoting general education, though incipient steps have been taken in that direction in most oftheir cities, affording substantial proof of the progressive tendenciesof the nation. We heard in the city of Mexico of free night schoolsbeing organized, designed for the improvement of adults. 

A division of the populace into castes rules here almost as imperiouslyas it does in India, and it will require generations of close contactwith a more cultured and democratic people before these servile ideascan be obliterated. Though we hear little or nothing said about thismatter, yet to an observant eye it has daily and hourly demonstration. The native Indians of Mexico are of a different race from theiremployers. Originally conquered and enslaved by the Spaniards, thoughthey have since been emancipated by law, they are still kept in a quasicondition of peonage by superior wit and finesse. The proprietor of alarge hacienda, who owns land, say ten miles square, manages, byadvancing money to them, to keep the neighboring people in his debt. They are compelled by necessity to purchase their domestic articles ofconsumption from the nearest available supply, which is the storehouseof the hacienda. Here they must pay the price which is demanded, let itbe never so unreasonable. This arrangement is all against the peon, andall in favor of the employer. The lesser party to such a system ispretty sure to be cheated right and left, especially as the estate isnearly always administered by an agent and not by the owner himself. There are some notable exceptions to this, but these only prove therule. So long as the employés owe the proprietor money, they are boundby law to remain in his service. Wages are so low--say from twenty-fiveto thirty-five cents per day--that were the natives of a thrifty, ambitious, and provident disposition, which is by no means the case, they could not save a dollar towards their pecuniary emancipation. Thelaboring classes seem to have no idea of economy or of providing for themorrow. Food, coarse food, and amusement for the present hour, that isall they desire, and is all about which they seriously concernthemselves. The next score of years, while they will probably do muchfor the country as regards commercial and intellectual improvement, willprove fatal in a degree to the picturesqueness which now renders Mexicoso attractive. Radical progress in one direction must needs bedestructive in another, and while some of the allurements of her strongindividuality will disappear, her moral and physical status will begreatly improved. Her ragged, half-naked people will don proper attire, sacrificing the gaudy colors which now make every out-door scenekaleidoscopic; a modern grain thresher will take the place of wearyanimals plodding in a circle, treading out the grain; half-clad women atthe fountains will disappear, and iron pipes will convey water fordomestic use to the place of consumption. The awkward branch of crookedwood now used to turn the soil will be replaced by the modern plough, and reaping machines will relieve the weary backs of men, women, andchildren, who slowly grub beneath a burning sun through the broad grainfields. Irrigating streams will be made to flow by their owngravitation, while the wooden bucket and well-sweep will become idle anduseless. Still, we are not among those who see only a bright side forthe future of the republic, nor do we believe so confidently as somewriters in her great natural resources. They are abundant, but not sovery exceptional as enthusiasts would have us believe. Aside from theproduction of silver, which all must admit to be inexhaustible, she hasvery little to boast of. It is doubtful if any other equal area in theworld possesses larger deposits of the precious metals, or has alreadyyielded to man more bountifully of them. We have seen it asserted bycareful and experienced writers, that one half of all the silver now inuse among the nations originally came from Mexico. Her real andpermanent progress is inevitable; but it will be very gradual, comingnot through her rich mines of gold and silver, but by the growth of heragricultural and manufacturing interests; and if in a score of years shecan assume a position of respect and importance in the line of nations, it is all that can reasonably be expected. If Mexico can but advance inprogressive ideas as rapidly during the next ten years as she has doneduring the decade just past, the period we have named will beabbreviated, and her condition will amount to a moral revolution. 

Our sister republic has yet to accomplish two special and importantobjects: first, the suppression of the secret and malign influence ofthe Roman Catholic priesthood; and, secondly, the promotion of educationamong the masses. Since the separation of church and state, in 1857, education has made slow but steady advances. Most of the states haveadopted the system of compulsory education, penalties being affixed tonon-compliance with the law, and rewards decreed for those whovoluntarily observe the same. Though shorn of so large a degree of itstemporal powers, the church is still secretly active in its machinationsfor evil. The vast army of non-producing, indolent priests is active inone direction, namely, that for the suppression of all intelligentprogress, and the complete subjugation of the common people throughsuperstition and ignorance. A realization of the condition of affairsmay be had from the following circumstance related to us by aresponsible American resident. It must be remembered that the wheat, which in some well-irrigated districts is the principal product, isthreshed by means of piling it up on the hard clay soil, and drivinggoats, sheep, and burros over it. These animals trudge round and round, with weary limbs, knee deep in the straw, for hours together, urgedforward by whips in the hands of men and boys, and thus the grain isseparated from the stalks. Of course the product threshed out in thismanner is contaminated with animal filth of all sorts. An enterprisingAmerican witnessed this primitive process not long since, and onreturning to his northern home resolved to take back with him to Mexicoa modern threshing machine; and being more desirous to introduce it forthe benefit of the people than to make any money out of the operation, he offered the machine at cost price. A native farmer was induced to putone on trial, when it was at once found that it not only took the placeof a dozen men and boys, but also of twice that number of animals. Thiswas not all; the machine performed the work in less than one quarter ofthe time required to do the same amount of work by the old method, besides rendering the grain in a perfectly clear condition. This wouldseem to be entirely satisfactory, and was so until it got to the ears ofthe priests. They came upon the ground to see the machine work, andwere amazed. This would not answer, according to their ideas; from theirstandpoint it was a dangerous innovation. What might it not lead to!They therefore declared that the devil was in the machine, andabsolutely forbade the peons to work with it! Their threats and warningsfrightened their ignorant, servile parishioners out of their wits. Themachine was accordingly shipped north of the Rio Grande, whence it came, to prevent the natives from destroying it, and cattle still tread outthe grain, which they render dirty and unfit for food, except in themost populous centres, where modern machinery is being graduallyintroduced. 

"The clogging influence of the Romish Church, " says Hon. John H. Rice, "upon civilization and progress are seen in its opposition to theeducation and elevation of the common people; in its intolerant warfareagainst freedom of conscience, and all other forms of religious worship, frequently displayed in persecutions, and sometimes in personalinjuries; and in its stolid opposition to the onward march ofdevelopment and improvement, unless directed to its own advantage. "

The stranger who comes to Mexico with the expectation of enjoying hisvisit must bring with him a liberal and tolerant spirit. He must beprepared to encounter a marked difference of race, of social andbusiness life, together with the absence of many of such domesticcomforts as habit has rendered almost necessities. The exercise of alittle philosophy will reconcile him to the exigencies of the case, andrender endurable here what would be inadmissible at home. A coarse, ill-cooked dinner, untidy service, and an unappeased appetite must becompensated by active interest in grand and peculiar scenery; a hard bedand a sleepless night, by the intelligent enjoyment of famous placesclothed with historic interest; foul smells and rank odors, by thecharming study of a unique people, extraordinarily interesting in theirwretched squalor and nakedness. Though the stranger is brought butlittle in contact therewith, owing to the briefness of his visit to thecountry, quite enough is casually seen and experienced to show thatthere is no lack of culture and refinement, no absence of warmth ofheart and gracious hospitality, among the more favored classes ofMexico, both in the northern and southern sections of the country. Underneath the exaggerated expressions so common to Spanish etiquette, there is yet a real cordiality which the discriminating visitor will notfail to recognize. If, on a first introduction and visit, he is toldthat the house and all it contains is his own, and that the proprietoris entirely at his service, he will neither take this literally nor as aburlesque, but will receive the assurance for what it really signifies, that is, as conveying a spirit of cordiality. These expressions are aspurely conventional as though the host asked simply and pleasantly afterhis guest's health, and mean no more. 

If progress is and has been slow in Mexico, it must be remembered thatevery advance has been consummated under most discouragingcircumstances, and yet that the charitable, educational, artistic, andtechnological institutions already firmly established, are quietlyrevolutionizing the people through the most peaceful but effectiveagencies. 

As to government organization, the several states are represented incongress by two senators each, with one representative to the lowerhouse from each section comprising a population of forty thousand. Thefederal district is under the exclusive jurisdiction of congress. Thedivision of power as accorded to the several states is almost preciselylike that of our own government. The federal authority is administeredby a president, aided by six cabinet ministers at the head of theseveral departments of state, such as the minister of foreign affairs, of the treasury, secretary of war, and so on. Thus it will be seen thatthe republic of Mexico has adopted our own constitution as her modelthroughout. 

As long as heavy and almost prohibitory duties exist in Mexico, and areexacted on nearly everything except the production of the preciousmetals, the development of her other resources must be circumscribed. With a rich soil and plenty of cheap labor, she ought to be able toexport many staples which would command our markets, especially asregards coffee, cotton, and wool. If the custom-houses on each side ofthe boundary between this country and Mexico could be abolished, bothwould reap an immense pecuniary benefit, while the sister republic wouldrealize an impetus in every desirable respect which nothing else couldso quickly bring about. Wealth and population would rapidly flow intothis southern land, whose agriculture would thrive as it has never yetdone, and its manufactories would double in number as well as inpecuniary gain. It requires no argument to show that our neighbors couldnot be thus largely benefited without our own country also reaping anequivalent advantage. 

The very name of Mexico has been for years the synonym of barbarism; butthe traveled and reading public have gradually come to realize that itis a country embracing many large and populous cities, where theamenities of modern civilization abound, where elegance and culture arefreely manifested, and where great wealth has been accumulated in thepursuit of legitimate business by the leading citizens. The nationalcapital will ere-long contain a population of half a million, while themany new and costly edifices now erecting in the immediate environs areof a spacious and elegant character, adapted, of course, to the climate, but yet combining many European and American elements of advanceddomestic architecture. 

CHAPTER III. 

The Route to Mexico. --Via the Mammoth Cave. --Across the Rio Grande. --A Large River. --Piedras Negras. --Characteristic Scene. --A Barren Prairie Land. --Castaño, a Native Village. --Adobe Cabins. --Indian Irrigation. --Sparsely Populated Country. --Interior Haciendas. -- Immigration. --City of Saltillo. --Battle of Buena Vista. --City of Monterey. --The Cacti and Yucca-Palm. --Capture by General Taylor. -- Mexican Central Railroad. --Jack-Rabbits. --A Dreary Region. --The Mesquite Bushes. --Lonely Graves. 

Although it is of Mexico exclusively that we propose to treat in thesepages, still the reader may naturally feel some interest to know theroute by which the Rio Grande was reached, and thus follow our coursesomewhat consecutively from Boston through the Middle and SouthernStates to the borders of the sister republic. The road which was chosentook us first westward, through the Hoosac Tunnel, to Niagara Falls, --aview of which one cannot too often enjoy; thence southward via Detroitto Cincinnati, Ohio. The next point of special interest was Louisville, Ky. That great national marvel, the Mammoth Cave, was visited, which, next to Niagara, the wonderland of the Yellowstone Park, and the grandscenic beauty of the Yosemite Valley, is the greatest curiosity of thiscountry. The vast interior, with its domes, abysses, grottoes, rivers, and cataracts profitably entertain the visitor for hours. It is saidthat one might travel a hundred miles underground if all of theturnings were followed to their terminations. Echo River alone may betraversed for three quarters of a mile by boat in a straight course. Much might be written about the cave, but our objective point is Mexico. 

Resuming our journey, and keeping still southward, Nashville, Tenn. , Montgomery, Ala. , Mobile, and New Orleans were reached respectively, andon schedule time. The Crescent City is the greatest cotton mart in theworld, and is situated about a hundred miles from the Gulf of Mexico, within a great bend of the Mississippi River, and hence its title of the"Crescent City. " It has over a quarter of a million of inhabitants. Itspeculiar situation makes it liable to floods each recurring spring. Following what is known as the "Sunset Route" westward, we passedthrough Texas by way of Houston, Galveston, and San Antonio. 

A few hours were devoted to the latter place, in order to see the famousAlamo, the old fort which, in 1836, the Texans so gallantly defendedwhile fighting for their independence. There were less than one hundredand fifty men in the Alamo when it was besieged by four thousand Mexicantroops under Santa Anna. The Mexicans had artillery, the Texans hadnone. They were summoned to surrender, but knowing what Mexican "mercy"meant, they refused, and resolved to defend themselves to the very end. The siege lasted for thirteen days, during which Santa Anna's soldiersthrew over two hundred shells into the Alamo, injuring no one. In themean time, the Texan sharpshooters picked off a great number of theMexicans. No shots were thrown away. If a gun was fired from the Alamo, one of the besiegers was sure to fall. Santa Anna made several assaults, but was driven back each time with great loss, until, it is represented, he become frenzied by his want of success. At last, on the 6th of May, afinal and successful assault was made. When the fort was captured, everyTexan fell, fighting to the last. To be exact, there were just onehundred and forty-four men inside the fort at the beginning of thesiege, and this handful of men either killed or wounded about one halfof the besieging force. It is said that over fifteen hundred Mexicanswere killed! This was about seven weeks before the battle of SanJacinto, on which occasion General Houston captured, with a muchinferior force, the entire Mexican army, including Santa Anna himself, who was running away in the disguise of a common infantry soldier. Itwas with difficulty that his life was saved from the just fury of theTexan soldiers. This decisive battle ended the war, and made Texasindependent of Mexico. It was a large slice to cut off the territory ofMexico, as it would make, so far as size goes, over thirty States aslarge as Massachusetts. It contains at this writing about two millioninhabitants, and the value of its taxable property is nearly or quiteeight hundred millions of dollars. 

Finally we reached Eagle Pass, which is the American town on the northbank of the Rio Grande, Piedras Negras being its Mexican neighbor on theother side of the shallow river. Previous to the opening of the MexicanCentral Railroad, which was completed March 8, 1884, nine tenths of thetravelers who visited the country entered it from the south, at the portof Vera Cruz, journeying northward to the city of Mexico by way ofOrizaba and Puebla, and returning by the same route; but the completionand perfection of the railroad system between the north and the southhas changed this. Since 1888, when the International Branch Railroad wasopened, the favorite plan is to cross the border from the north, say atEagle Pass; and on the homeward route, after visiting the central andsouthern portions of the republic, to recross the dividing river at Pasodel Norte. This was the route followed by the author, the Rio Grandebeing crossed at the international bridge, and Mexican territory enteredat the town of Piedras Negras in the State of Coahuila, a thriving placeof some four thousand inhabitants. 

One pauses thoughtfully for a moment to contrast the present means ofcrossing the dividing river with the primitive rope ferry which answeredthe purpose here not long since. A little flutter of anticipation alsomoves us when it is realized that the territory of another country isreached, that we are actually on a foreign soil, where a strange tongueis spoken, where a new emblem floats from the flagstaffs, and whereanother race possesses the land. The Rio Grande, which we cross at thispoint, is not a navigable stream; in fact, river navigation ispractically unknown in Mexico, though some of the watercourses are ofconsiderable size. The Rio Grande has a total length of fifteen hundredmiles, rising in Colorado and emptying into the Gulf of Mexico. In therainy season, and when the snow melts in the mountains, the Rio Grandeis flooded to its full capacity, often overflowing its banks in marshyregions. The first bridge built by the railway company at this point wasof wood, which was swept away like chaff by the next flood of the river. The present substantial iron structure bids fair to last for many years. The river, such as it is, belongs to the two nations, the boundaryagreed upon being the middle of the stream. 

As we drew up at the railroad station, a lazy, listless, bareheaded, dark-skinned crowd of men, women, and children welcomed us with staringeyes to Mexican soil. The first idea which strikes one is that soap andfine-tooth combs are not yet in use on the south side of the Rio Grande. 

Piedras Negras boasts a spacious stone hotel, two stories in height, which is quite American in appearance. The town is spread over so broadan area as to have the effect of being sparsely peopled, but it isthrifty in aspect and growing rapidly. From the manner in which scoresof men wrapped in scarlet blankets and mounted on little wiry Mexicanhorses dashed hither and thither, one would think some startling eventwas to transpire; but this was not the case--all was peaceful and quietin Piedras Negras. 

The section of country through which the route first takes us is perhapsone of the least interesting and most unproductive in the republic, withan occasional mud hut here and there, and a few half-naked peons. What adreary region it is! What emptiness! How bare the serrated mountains, how inhospitable the scenery, how brown, baked, and dusty! At theInternational Bridge we are about seven hundred feet above the sea. Herewe take the International Railway, and from this point to Jaral, adistance of two hundred and fifty miles almost due south, the cars areconstantly climbing an up-grade until the great Mexican plateau isfinally reached. It should be remembered, however, that this vasttable-land, covering nearly three quarters of the republic, is by nomeans level, but is interspersed with hills, valleys, gulches, canyons, and mountains of the loftiest character, in many places duplicating ourRocky Mountain scenery both in height and grandeur. 

A stop of a few hours was made at the quaint little adobe-builttown--cabins formed of sun-dried bricks--known by the name of Castaño, situated on the trunk line of the Mexican Central road, near the city ofMonclova, which is a considerable mining centre. This small nativevillage is the first typical object of the sort which greets thetraveler who enters the country from the north. It lies in a nearlylevel valley between the two spurs of the Sierra Madre, where beautifulgreen fields delight the eye, where fruit trees are in gorgeous bloom, and where wild flowers add a charm in the very midst of cheerless, aridsurroundings. This inviting and thrifty aspect is produced entirely bythe hoe in the hands of the simple, industrious natives, with no otheraid than that of water. The peons are most efficient though unconsciousengineers, diverting a supply of water from the distant mountainstreams with marvelous ingenuity and success. No practical operator, with every modern appliance and the most delicate instruments, couldstrike more correct levels than do these natives with the eye and thehoe alone. Upon entering one of the adobe cabins at the ever-opendoor, --there are no windows, --we found the flat roof to be slightlyslanted to throw off the rain, having four or five wooden beams uponwhich a few boards and rough sticks were nailed. On the top of these afoot or more of earth is deposited. This primitive covering Natureenamels with moss and dainty wild flowers. But this represents thebetter class of cabin, the majority having only a thatched coveringsupported by small branches of trees trimmed for the purpose, over whichare placed dried banana and maguey leaves. Some of the floors had stonetiles, but most of them consisted of the uncovered earth. These lastmust be wretchedly unwholesome in the brief rainy season. Swarthy, unclad children were as numerous and active as young chickens. In morethan one of the cabins, dark-hued native women, wearing only a cottoncloth wound around the lower part of their bodies from the middle, and ashort cotton waist over the shoulders without sleeves, knelt upon theground kneading tortillas between a flat, inclined stone and a long, narrow one, just as their ancestors had done for centuries. Indeed, allthrough Mexico one is surprised to see how little change has probablytaken place in the features of the people, their manner of living, theirdress and customs, since the days of the Montezumas. The traveler isstruck with the strong resemblance of Castaño to an Egyptian village. One sees its counterpart almost anywhere between Cairo and the firstcataract on the Nile. Clouds of black, long-tailed jackdaws flew overour heads and settled abruptly here and there. Goats and donkeys disputethe dusty roadway with the curious stranger, while women, with babieshanging upon their backs, half concealed their dark-brown faces in redor light blue rebosas, and peered at us with eyes of wonderful blacknessand fire. The rebosa, the universal garment of the common class of womenin Mexico, is utilized as a carry-all for baby or bundles. It is wornover the head and shoulders in the daytime, when not otherwise in use, and at night is the one blanket or covering while the owner is asleep. The donkey, or burro, as it is called, is to be seen everywhere in thiscountry. Poor, overburdened, beaten, patient animal! How so small acreature can possibly carry such heavy loads is a constant puzzle. Whenits full strength would seem to be taxed, the lazy owner often adds hisown weight by bestriding the animal, sitting far back upon its hips. Before the coming of the Spaniards there were no beasts of burden inMexico; everything that required transportation was moved by humanmuscles. It was not until the eighteenth century that the jackass wasintroduced; cattle, sheep, horses, and hogs long preceded them. 

Rain falls at Castaño only for three weeks, or so, during the year, about the early part of May; the dust is consequently very deep andfills the air at the slightest atmospheric movement. The general viewis broken now and again by the Spanish bayonet tree, ten or twelve feetin height, and by broad clusters of grotesque cactus plants, whichthrive so wonderfully in spite of drought, hanging like vines along thebase of the adobe cabins and creeping up their low sides, the leavesedged here and there by a dainty ruffle of scentless yellow flowers. Beside a very lowly mud cabin was a tall oleander, branches and leaveshidden in gorgeous bloom, imparting a cheerful, joyous aspect even amidall this squalor and poverty. Close at hand upon the adobe wall hung awillow cage imprisoning a tropical bird of gaudy plumage; but thefeathered beauty did not seem to have any spare notes with which togreet us. From another cabin came the pleasant sound of a guitar, accompanied by a human voice. So this people love birds, flowers, andmusic. The half-effaced image of God must be still upon their hearts!The little town has four or five broad, unpaved streets, and is asprimitive as nature herself in all its domestic surroundings. 

Except on the immediate line of the railways, one may travel thirty orforty miles in almost any part of Mexico without seeing adwelling-house. The people live mostly in towns and cities, and are verylittle dispersed over the country, that is, compared with our own land. Occasional haciendas or large farmhouses, built of adobe and stone, areseen; but isolated dwellings are not common. On these estates there isusually less farming or raising of cereals carried on than there is ofstock raising, which seems to pay better. Large droves of cattle areseen grazing, sheep, burros, and mules roam at large, and all seem to begetting food from most unpromising land, such as produces in its normalcondition cactus only. It is the true climate and soil for this speciesof vegetation, of which there are hundreds of varieties, flat, ribbed, and cylindrical. No matter how dry and arid the region, the cactithrive, and are themselves full of moisture. Even these haciendas, rectangular structures forming the headquarters of large landed estates, are semi-fortifications, capable of a stout defense against rovingbanditti, who have long been the dread and curse of the country and arenot yet obliterated. These structures are sometimes surrounded by amoat, the angles being protected by turrets pierced for musketry. As incontinental Spain, the population live mostly in villages for mutualprotection, being compelled to walk long distances to work in the fieldsat seed time and harvest. The owners of the large haciendas, we weretold, seldom live upon them. Like the landlords of Ireland, they are abody of absentees, mostly wealthy men who make their homes with theirfamilies in the city of Mexico, some even living in Europe, entrustingthe management of their large estates to well-paid superintendents. There are not a few Americans thus employed by Mexican owners, who areprompt to recognize good executive ability in such a position, and valuetheir estates only for the amount of income they can realize from them. A hacienda ten or fifteen miles square is not considered extraordinaryas to size, and there are many twice as large. The proprietorship ofthese haciendas dates back to the old Spanish times when Mexico wasunder the viceroys. Little can be hoped for as to improvement in thecondition of the poor peons of the country, until these immense estatesare broken up and divided into small available farms, which may be ownedand operated by them for their sole benefit. No lesson is more clearlyor forcibly taught us by the light of experience than that the ownershipof the soil by its cultivator is the only way to insure successful andprofitable agriculture. There is nothing to induce emigration to Mexiconow. Foreigners prefer to seek a country where they can purchase theland cheaply, and, when they have improved it, be certain that theirtitle is good and secure. At present there is virtually no immigrationat all into the republic, though the climate in many places is perhapsthe most desirable known to man. The Mexican government not long sincemade an effort to encourage immigration, offering a bonus of fiftydollars a head for _bona fide_ immigrants, and even partial supportuntil occupation was secured. Many Italians availed themselves of thisoffer; but it was found that the criminal class was too largelyrepresented in the ranks of these immigrants, and other abuses became somanifest that the government abandoned the purpose. 

In passing through the country, one wearies of the long reaches ofbrown, arid soil which would seem to be beyond the redeeming power evenof irrigation. Occasionally the scene is varied by a few yucca palmsdotting the prairies at long intervals. Now and again a small herd ofantelope dashed away from our neighborhood, and an occasional flock ofwild turkeys were flushed from the low-growing bushes. These wereexciting moments for one member of our party, who is a keen sportsman. At long distances from each other small groups of the pear-cactus, fullof deep yellow bloom, lighted up the barren waste. Here and there asimple wooden cross indicated a grave, the burial place of some lonetraveler who had been murdered and robbed by banditti, and over whosebody a Christian hand had reared this unpretentious emblem. As we gotfurther and further southward, the graceful pepper tree, with myriads ofred fruit, began to appear, and afterwards became a prominent feature ofthe scenery. 

Saltillo, which lies some seventy miles to the eastward of Jaral, is nowthe capital of the State of Coahuila. Before the separation of Texasfrom Mexico it was the capital of that State. It is situated fivethousand feet above the sea level, on the northeastern edge of thetable-land already spoken of, and has a population of about eighteenthousand. The table-land, as it is termed, declines more or lessabruptly on the east towards the Gulf of Mexico, and on the west towardsthe Pacific Ocean. Saltillo is a manufacturing town, built almost whollyof sun-dried bricks, and is noted for the production of rebosas andserapes. The people living south of this region and on the lower landsmake of Saltillo a summer resort. It is humorously said that peoplenever die here; they grow old, dry up, and disappear. The place iscertainly very healthy. It is over three hundred years old, and looks asthough it had existed in prehistoric times. It has, like all Mexicancities, its alameda, its bull ring, and its plaza, the latterparticularly well-cared for, beautiful in flowers and charming shadetrees, together with well-trimmed shrubbery. The Calle Real is theprincipal thoroughfare, over which the traveler will find his way to thefamous battlefield of Buena Vista (pronounced Wana Veesta), about eightmiles from the city proper. This was one of the fiercest battles everfought on Mexican soil. General Taylor had only forty-five hundred menof all arms, while Santa Anna's army numbered twenty-two thousand! TheAmericans had the most advantageous position, but were at timesoverwhelmed by numbers. Notwithstanding this, at the end of the secondday, February 23, 1847, the American flag waved in triumph over thefield, and the Mexicans were utterly routed. It was of this hard-foughtbattle that Santa Anna said: "We whipped the Americans half a dozentimes, and once completely surrounded them; but they would not staywhipped. " The battle of Buena Vista was fought at a great altitude, nearly as high above the level of the sea as the summit of MountWashington in New England. 

The baths of San Lorenzo, a league from the city, are worth visiting, being cleanly and enjoyable. 

About seventy-five miles to the eastward of Saltillo, and eight hundredmiles, more or less, from the national capital, on the line of theMexican International Railroad, which crosses the Rio Grande at Laredo, is the city of Monterey, --"King Mountain, "--capital of the State ofNuevo Leon. It is eighteen hundred feet above the sea and containsnearly twenty thousand inhabitants. It was founded three hundred yearsago, and its history is especially blended with that of the RomanCatholic Church during the intervening period. Here one finds quite alarge American colony; but still the place is essentially Mexican in itsmanners and customs. The city stands upon very uneven ground, in themiddle of an extensive plain, with grand mountains rising to view in thedistance on all sides. The Rio de Santa Catarina flows through the town. In coming hither from Saltillo we descend thirty-five hundred feet, orabout an average of fifty feet to the mile. It is considered to be ahealthy locality, and invalids from the Northern States of this countryhave often resorted to Monterey in winter; but the public accommodationsare so poor that one should hesitate about sending an invalid there whomust necessarily leave most of the ordinary domestic comforts behind. Mexican hotels may answer for people in vigorous health who have robuststomachs, but not for one in delicate health. In no other part of thecountry is there a greater variety of the cactus family to be seen, illustrating its prominent peculiarity, namely, that it seems to growbest in the poorest soil. Several of the varieties have within theirflowers a mass of edible substance, which the natives gather and bringto market daily. The flowers of the cactus are of various colors, whiteand yellow being the prevailing hues. 

There is a very highly prized and remarkable water supply afforded thecitizens by an inexhaustible spring, situated in the heart of the town, known as the Ojo de Agua. The cathedral is interesting, though it is notnearly so old as the Church of San Francisco. It was converted into apowder magazine during the war with this country. When General Taylorattacked the city, its remarkably thick walls alone saved it from beingblown up, as it was repeatedly struck by shot and shell. Monterey is afiner and better built city than Saltillo. No stranger should fail tovisit the curious Campo Santo, a burial place lying to the northwest ofthe city, and reached by the way of the alameda, which latterthoroughfare is hardly worthy of the name. The few notable buildings inthe city are the municipal palace, the state government edifice, and theepiscopal palace near the cathedral. All are situated about the PlazaMayor, or Plaza de Zaragoza as it is called by the people here. Agraceful fountain with spouting dolphins occupies the centre, supplemented by two lesser fountains, all very appropriate and artistic. Of the two confiscated convents, one is occupied for a jail, the otheras a hospital. It will be remembered that General Taylor, with less thanseven thousand men, took the city by storm in 1846, after three days ofhard fighting, it being gallantly defended by ten thousand Mexicansunder command of General Ampudia. General Worth, who on two occasionsled desperate storming parties, was pronounced the hero of theoccasion. General Grant, then only a lieutenant of infantry, distinguished himself in the taking of what was known as the Bishop'sPalace, but which was in fact a citadel. The Americans carried thecitadel by assault, and, planting their guns in position upon its wall, commanded the city, which was forced to surrender. The fighting lastedfour days. The Americans lost in killed one hundred and twenty-six, andhad three hundred and sixty-three wounded. The Mexicans lost fivehundred killed, but the number of wounded was not made public. Inrecognition of the gallant defense made by the Mexicans, Taylor allowedthem to retain their arms and equipments, and when they evacuated thecity to salute their own colors. 

Resuming our course westward by the way of Jaral, and having arrived atTorreon Junction, a distance of about three hundred and eighty milesfrom the International Bridge, connection is made with the grand trunkline of the Mexican Central Railroad, which will take us direct to thenational capital. This important road extends from Juarez (formerly Pasodel Norte), on the Rio Grande, to the city of Mexico, a distance of overtwelve hundred miles. It is a standard-gauge road, well built and wellequipped, --the growth, in fact, of American enterprise, and reallynothing more or less than an extension of the Santa Fé Railroad system. Track-laying began upon this road from both ends of the line inSeptember, 1880, that is, from the city of Mexico and from the RioGrande at Juarez, and upon the completion of the bridge at LaEncarnation, the north and south tracks met, March 8, 1884. The line wasformally opened on April 10 following. 

From this point southward, towards the mountain city of Zacatecas, wepass through a most uninviting country, where the mesquite bush and thecactus mostly prevail, a region so bereft of moisture as to seem likethe desert of Sahara. Here again the cactus is seen in great abundance. As we have intimated, there are several hundred varieties known tobotanists, most of which can be identified on Mexican soil, this beingtheir native climate. No matter how dry the season, they are alwaysjuicy. It is said that when cattle can get no water to drink, they willbreak down the cacti with their horns and chew the thick leaves andstalks to quench their thirst. The variety of shapes assumed by thispeculiar growth almost exceeds belief; some seen in Mexico assumed theform of trees from forty to fifty feet in height, while others, vinelike, run along the ground bearing leaves as round as cannon balls. Another variety, closely hugging the earth, twists about like avegetable serpent. The great marvel relating to this plant has been, howit could keep alive and remain full of sap and moisture when otherneighboring vegetation was killed by drought. But this is easilyexplained. It is protected by a thick epidermis which preventsevaporation, so that the store of moisture which it absorbs during thewet season is retained within its circulation. One sort of the cactusknown as the _cereus grandiflorus_ blooms only in the night; the frailflower it bears dies at the coming of morning. The cochineal insect ofMexico and Central America is solely nurtured by the native growth ofcacti. The yucca palm, fifteen to twenty feet in height, with its largemilk-white cluster of blossoms, resembling huge crocuses, dotted theexpanse here and there. Occasional flocks of sheep were seen striving togain a sufficiency of food from the unwilling soil, while tended by ashepherd clothed in brilliant colored rags, accompanied by a dog. Nowand then scores of jack-rabbits put in an appearance among thelow-growing mesquite bushes and the thick-leaved cactus. These littleanimals are called jack-rabbits because their tall, straight earsresemble those of the burros or jackasses. The mesquite bushes, so oftenseen on the Mexican plains, belong to the acacia family. They yield asweet edible pulp, used to some extent as food by the poorer classes ofnatives and by the jack-rabbits. The burros eat the small, tender twigs. Indeed, they will apparently eat anything but stones. We have seen themmunching plain straw with infinite relish, in which it seemed impossiblethere could be any nutrition whatever. This is a far-reaching, drearyregion, almost uninhabitable for human beings, and where water isunattainable three-quarters of the year. The broad prairie extends oneither side of the railroad as far as the eye can reach, ending at thefoothills of the Sierra Madre--"Mother Mountains. " Here and there, asalready instanced, the burial place of some murdered individual isindicated by a cross, before which the pious peon breathes a prayer andadds a stone to the pile, so that finally quite a mound is raised tomark the murdered man's grave. Towards the twilight hour, while werejoice that our lot has not been cast in such a dreary place, more thanone hawk is seen to swoop from its lofty course and fly away with ayoung rabbit which it will eventually drop and thus kill before itbegins to devour the carcase. Thus animals, like human beings, constantly prey upon each other. So prolific are these rabbits that theywill soon prove to be as great a nuisance as they are in New Zealand, unless some active means are taken to prevent their increase. The wonderis that the half-starved natives do not make a business of trapping andeating them; but the poor, ignorant peons seem to be actually devoid ofall ingenuity or enterprise outside of their beaten track. 

CHAPTER IV. 

Zacatecas. --Sand-Spouts. --Fertile Lands. --A Silver Mining Region. --Alpine Scenery. --Table-Land of Mexico. --An Aged Miner. --Zacatecas Cathedral. --Church and People. --A Mountain Climb. --Ownership of the Mines. -- --Want of Drainage. --A Battlefield. --Civil War. --Local Market. -- Peculiar Scenes. --Native Beauties. --City Tramway Experience. --Town of Guadalupe. --Organized Beggars. --A Noble and Successful Institution. --Market of Guadalupe. --Attractive Señoritas. --Private Gardens. 

The first place of special interest on the line of the Mexican CentralRailroad after leaving Torreon is Zacatecas, the largest town betweenthe Rio Grande and the city of Mexico, being nearly eight hundred milessouth of the river and four hundred and forty north of the capital. Itsname is derived from the Indian tribe who inhabited this region longbefore the coming of the Spaniards. Between Torreon and this city, for adistance of some three hundred miles, as we have described, the countryis lonely, prairie-like, and almost uninhabited, forming a broad plainover a hundred miles wide, with ranges of the Sierra Madre on eitherside. On these dry and sterile plains sand-spouts are frequently seen;indeed, half a dozen were counted at the same time from the car windows. These are created just as water-spouts are formed on the ocean, and toencounter one is almost equally serious. One must visit either Egypt orMexico to witness this singular phenomenon. As Zacatecas is approached, large flocks of sheep and herds of mules and horses are grouped in thefields, overlooked by picturesquely draped horsemen. The cultivation ofthe land and its apparent fertility improve, and many one-handledploughs, consisting of a crooked stick, sometimes shod with iron, arebeing used. The marvel is that anything satisfactory can be accomplishedwith such an awkward instrument, and yet these fields in some instancesshow grand results. 

We expressed surprise to an intelligent citizen at seeing long lines ofburros laden with freight beside the railroad, and going in the samedirection, remarking to him that the railway ought to be able to competewith the jackasses. "You must take into consideration, " said ourinformant, "that a man who owns a score of these cheap animals canhimself drive them all to market or any given point. His time he countsas nothing; his burros feed beside the way, and their sustenance costshim nothing. Wages average throughout the country something less thanthirty cents per day, and the cost of living among the peons isproportionately low. A railway is an expensive system to support, andmust charge accordingly; consequently the burros, as a means oftransportation for a certain class of goods, are quite able to competewith the locomotive and the rail. " Of course, as other avenues forremunerative employment are opened to the common people, this antiquatedstyle of transportation will gradually go out of use, and the locomotivewill take the goods which are now carried by these patient andeconomical animals. 

Zacatecas is the capital of the state of the same name, and has apopulation of nearly fifty thousand. This is one of the oldest and mostproductive silver mining regions in Mexico. The town seems actually tobe built on a huge vein of silver, which has been penetrated in scoresof places. Eight or ten miles below the city the cars begin to climblaboriously a grade of one hundred and seventy-five feet to the mile, presenting some of the most abrupt curves we have ever seen in a railwaytrack. Here we are in the midst of Rocky Mountain scenery. One caneasily imagine himself on the Northern or Canadian Pacific road, amongtheir giant peaks, hazardous roadbeds, and narrow defiles. The hugeengine pants and trembles like an animal, in its struggle to drag thelong train up the incline and around the sharp bends, until finally thesummit is reached. To mount this remarkable grade a double engine hasbeen specially built, having two sets of driving wheels; but it is oftennecessary to stop for a few moments to generate sufficient steam toovercome the resistance of the steep grade. 

Here we are on the great table-land of the country, about eight thousandfeet above the level of the sea, in a narrow valley surrounded by groupsof hills all teeming with the precious ore. These rich mines ofZacatecas have been worked with little intermission for over threehundred years, and are considered to be inexhaustible. "There is anative laborer, " said an intelligent superintendent to us, "who is overseventy years old, " pointing out a hale and hearty Indian. "He enteredthe mines at about ten years of age, so he has seen sixty years ofmining life, and he may be good for ten years more. " These menconstantly climb the steep ladders, bearing heavy loads of ore upontheir backs, for which hard labor they are paid about thirty-five orforty cents a day. The most productive districts, as relates to mineralproducts, especially of silver, lie in the northern part of therepublic, but metalliferous deposits are found in every state of theconfederation. 

There are a number of important edifices in the city, among which is themunicipal palace, the cathedral, and the mint. The courtyard of thefirst-named forms a lovely picture, with its garden of fragrant flowers, tropical trees, and delicate columns supporting a veranda half hiddenwith creeping vines. Both the interior and exterior of the cathedral areextremely interesting and worthy of careful study, though one cannot butremember how much of the wages of the poor populace has been cunninglydiverted from their family support to supply this useless ornamentation. For this object indulgences are sold to the rich, and the poor peons aremade to believe their future salvation depends upon their liberalcontributions to support empty forms and extravagance. In his "Throughthe Heart of Mexico, " lately published, Rev. J. N. McCarty, D. D. , says:"If ever any people on earth were stripped of their clothing and starvedto array the priesthood in rich and gaudy apparel, and to furnish themthe fat of the land, these poor Mexicans are the people. Where thechurches are the richest and most numerous, as a rule the people are thepoorest. Their earnings have gone to the church, leaving them only rags, huts, and the cheapest and coarsest of food. "

An ancient stone aqueduct supplies the town with excellent water, but itis distributed to consumers by men who make a regular business of thisservice, and who form picturesque objects with their large earthen jarsstrapped across their foreheads, one behind and one in front to balanceeach other. We are struck with the aspect of barrenness caused by theabsence of vegetation. The nature of the soil is such as not to affordsustenance to trees, or even sufficient for the hardy cactus. Thegrounds are honeycombed in all directions with mines; silver is king. 

Mines in Mexico are individual property, and do not, as we have seenstated, belong to the government, unless they are abandoned, when theyrevert to the state, and are very promptly sold for the benefit of thepublic treasury. In order to keep good the title, a mine must beabsolutely worked during four months of the year. If this rule is in anyway evaded, the government confiscates the property and at once offersit for sale, so that those on the lookout for such chances often obtaina good title at a merely nominal price. But there are mines and mines inthis country, as in our western districts; some will pay to work andsome will not. As a rule it depends as much upon the management of sucha property as upon the richness of the native ore, whether it yields aprofitable return for the money invested in the enterprise. 

In climbing to the level of the city from the plain below, the railroadsometimes doubles upon itself horseshoe fashion, like a huge serpentgathering its body in coils for a forward spring, winding about thehills and among the mines, affording here and there glimpses of grandand attractive scenery embracing the fertile plains of Fresnillo, and inthe blue distance the main range of the Sierra Madre. The color of thesedistant mountain ranges changes constantly, varying with the morning, noon, and twilight hues, producing effects which one does not weary ofquietly watching by the hour together. 

Vegetables, charcoal, fruit, and market produce generally are broughtinto the town from various distances on the backs of the natives. TheseIndians will tire the best horse in the distance they can cover in thesame length of time, while carrying a hundred pounds and more upon theirbacks. Mules and donkeys are also much in use, but the lower classes ofboth sexes universally carry heavy burdens upon their backs from earlyyouth. Some of the Indian women are seen bearing loads of pottery orjars of water upon their shoulders with seeming ease, under which anordinary Irish laborer would stagger. Comparatively few wheeled vehiclesare in use, and these are of the rudest character, the wheel beingcomposed of three pieces of timber, so secured together as to form acircle, but having no spokes or tire, very like the ancient African andEgyptian models. To such a vehicle a couple of oxen are attached by awooden bar reaching across their frontlets and lashed to the roots ofthe horns by leather thongs. The skins of animals, such as goats, sheep, and swine, are universally employed for transporting and storingliquids, precisely as in Egypt thousands of years ago. The daily supplyof pulque is brought to market on the natives' backs in pig-skins, thefour legs protruding from the body in a ludicrous manner when the skinis full of liquid. Everything in and about the city is quaint, thoughthe telephone, electric lights, and street tramways all speak of moderncivilization. The insufficient water supply is the cause of muchinconvenience, not to say suffering, and partly accounts for the untidycondition of the place and the prevalence of offensive smells. Thelatter are so disgusting as to be almost unbearable by a stranger. Nowonder that typhoid fever and kindred diseases prevail, and that thedeath rate exceeds, as we were told is the case, that of any otherdistrict in the republic. 

There is an article of pottery manufactured in this vicinity, of a deepred color, hard-baked and glazed inside and out, having rude buteffective ornamentation. Almost every large town in Mexico has one ormore pottery manufactories, each district producing ware which is soindividualized in the shape and finish as to distinctly mark its origin, so that experts can tell exactly whence each specimen has been brought. The manufacture of pottery is most frequently carried on by individuals, each Indian with his primitive tools turning out work from his mudcabin sometimes fit to grace the choicest and most refined homes. Theaccuracy of eye and hand gained by long practice produces marvelousresults. 

Overlooking the city, on a mountain ridge known as the Büfa, is a quaintand curious church, Los Remedios. From this point one obtains a verycomprehensive view of the entire valley and the surrounding ruggedhills. One of the most bloody battles of the civil wars was fought onthe Büfa in 1871, between a revolutionary force under General Trevinoand the Juarez army, which resulted in the defeat of the revolutionists. "Both sides fought with unprecedented frenzy, " said a resident to us. "From those steep rocks, " he continued, pointing to the abruptdeclivities, "absolutely ran streams of blood, while dead bodies rolleddown into the gulch below by hundreds. " We ventured to ask what thisquarrel between, fellow countrymen was about that caused such a loss oflife and induced such a display of enthusiastic devotion. "That is aquestion, " he replied, "which the rank and file of either army could nothave answered, though of course the leaders had their personal schemesto subserve, --schemes of self-aggrandizement. " It was Lamartine who saidsignificantly, "Civil wars leave nothing but tombs. "

It is the custom for a stranger to descend one or more of the silvermines; indeed, it may be said to be the one thing to do at Zacatecas, but for which only the most awkward means imaginable are supplied, suchas ladders formed of a single long, notched pole, quite possible for anacrobat or performer on the trapeze. It is up and down these hazardouspoles that the Indian miners, in night and day gangs, climb, whilecarrying heavy canvas bags of ore weighing nearly or quite two hundredpounds each. The writer is free to acknowledge that he did not improvethe opportunity to explore the bowels of the earth at Zacatecas, havingperformed his full share of this sort of thing in other parts of theworld. 

Zacatecas has its plaza; all Spanish and Mexican towns have one. Probably, in laying out a town, the originators first select thisimportant centre, and then all other avenues, streets, and edifices aremade to conform to this location. In the middle of this plaza is a largestone fountain, about which groups of native women are constantly busydipping water and filling their earthen jars, while hard by other women, squatting on their haunches, offer oranges, pineapples, figs, andbananas for sale. How these Mexican markets swarm with people and glowwith color, backed by moss-grown walls and ruined archways! Long burrotrains block the roadway, and others are seen winding down the zigzagpaths of the overhanging declivities. Close at hand within these lowadobe hovels, pulque is being retailed at a penny a tumbler. It is thelager-beer of the country. Poverty, great poverty, stares us in theface. No people could be more miserably housed, living and sleeping asthey do upon the bare ground, and owning only the few pitiful rags thathang about their bodies. At the doors of these mud cabins women are seenmaking tortillas with their rude stone implements. These little flatcakes are bread and meat to them. Now and again one observes forms andfaces among the young native women that an artist would travel far tostudy; but although some few are thus extremely handsome, the majorityare very homely, ill-formed, and negligent of person. The best lookingamong the peons lose their comeliness after a few years, owing to hardlabor, childbirth, and deprivations. Few women retain their good looksafter twenty-five years or until they are thirty. Another fact wasremarked, that these Indian men and women never laugh. The writer wasnot able to detect even a smile upon the faces of the lower grade ofnatives; a ceaseless melancholy seems to surround them at all times, byno means in accordance with the gay colors which they so much affect. Incontrast to the hovels of the populace, one sees occasionally a smallgarden inclosed with a high adobe wall, belonging to some rich mineowner, in which the tall pomegranate, full of scarlet bloom, or astately pepper tree, dominates a score of others of semi-tropicalgrowth. 

One practice was observed at Zacatecas which recalled far-away HongKong, China. This was the prosecution of various trades in the open air. Thus the shoemaker was at work outside of his dwelling; the tailor, thebarber, and the tinker adopted the same practice, quite possible even inthe month of March in a land of such intense brightness and sunshine. Wewandered hither and thither, charmed by the novelty and strangeness ofeverything; not an object to remind one of home, but only of the farEast. The swarthy natives with sandaled feet, the high colors worn bythe common people, the burnous-like serape, the sober unemotionalmanners of the peons, the nut-brown women with brilliant eyes andhalf-covered faces, the attractive fruits, the sharp cries of thevenders, the Egyptian-shaped pottery, --surely this might be Damascus orCairo. 

An excursion by tramway was made to the neighboring town of Guadalupe, six or eight miles away, nearly the entire distance being a sharp downgrade, over which the cars pass at top speed by their own gravitation;no animals are attached. So steep is the descent that it may be comparedto a Canadian toboggan slide. It requires six mules to draw each carback again, the animals being harnessed three abreast like the horses inthe Paris and Neapolitan omnibuses. Though this tramway is now admittedto be an indispensable adjunct to the business of the place, when it wasfirst resolved upon by some of the residents more enterprising thantheir neighbors, it was considered to be a serious innovation, open togreat objections, the local priesthood bitterly opposing it. Even themoneyed mine owners and others who instituted the project had no fixedidea how to operate a tramway of this sort, and an American overseer wasfrom the beginning and is to-day in charge. The cars were ordered fromPhiladelphia, and while they were building, the steel rails, which camefrom Liverpool by way of Vera Cruz, were laid down from one end of theroute to the other. Finally, when the cars arrived from the UnitedStates, it was found that they would not run on the track, the factbeing that the rails had been laid on a gauge three inches narrower thanthe cars were designed for. What was to be done? The Mexicans at firstproposed to rebuild the cars, --make the bodies narrower, and cut off theaxle-trees to fit the gauge of the rails. In their hopeless ignorancethis was the only way they could see out of the difficulty. The presentsuperintendent, a practical American engineer, was at the time inZacatecas, and took in the position of affairs at a glance, offering forfive hundred dollars to show the owners how to get out of the troublewithout changing an article upon the cars. The money was paid, and withtwenty men and some suitable tools the American took up a few rods ofthe track, made a proper gauge for the rest, and had the cars runningover the short distance in one day. It was the old story of Columbus andthe egg, easy enough when one knew how to do it. The managers of theroad promptly put the American in charge, and he has filled the positionever since. 

Guadalupe is an interesting town of some six thousand inhabitants, notcounting the myriads of dogs, which do much abound in every part ofMexico. As a rule these are miserable, mangy-looking, half-starvedcreatures, with thin bodies and prominent ribs. The poorer the people, the more dogs they keep, a rule which applies not only here, buteverywhere, especially among semi-barbarous races. The people seem to bevery kind to pet animals, --though they do abuse the burros, --catsespecially being of a plump, handsome species, quite at home, alwayssleeping lazily in the sunshine. If they do purr in Spanish, it is sovery like the genuine English article that its purport is quiteunmistakable. The persistency of the beggars here attracted attention, and on inquiry about the matter, a resident American informed us thatthese beggars were actually organized by the priests, to whom theyreport daily, and with whom they share their proceeds, thus enrichingthe plethoric coffers of the church. This seems almost incredible; butit is true. The decencies of life are often ignored, and the openstreets present disgusting scenes. Men and women lie down and sleepwherever fatigue overcomes them, upon the hard stones or in the dirt. The town is generally barren of vegetation, though a few dreary cactustrees manage to sustain themselves in the rocky soil, with here andthere a yucca palm. 

There is a famous orphan asylum in Guadalupe which is designed toaccommodate a thousand inmates at a time, and there is also awell-endowed college. The former of these, the Orfanatorio de Guadalupe, is one of the most important charitable institutions in the republic. The old church of red sandstone, with its somewhat remarkable carvings, as exhibited upon the façade, has two graceful towers and is elaboratelyfinished within. The church contains a half dozen oil paintings byAntonio de Torres, which bear the date 1720. The finest of these is thatof "The Last Supper. " The very elegant interior of the chapel of thePurisima was not completed until so late as 1886, and is justlyconsidered the finest modern church structure in Mexico. As one passesout into the surrounding squalor and obtrusive poverty, it is impossiblenot to moralize as to the costly, theatrical, and ostentatious roadwhich seems to lead to the Roman Catholic heaven. 

The little market-place of Guadalupe presents a scene like a countryfair, with its booths for the sale of fruits, pottery, vegetables, flowers, bright-hued serapes and rebosas, all combining to form aconglomerate of color which, mingled with the moving figures of themahogany-hued Indian women, is by no means devoid of picturesqueness. One must step carefully not to tread upon the little mounds and clustersof fruits and vegetables spread upon the ground for sale. The careless, happy laugh of a light-hearted group of señoritas rang musically uponthe ear as we watched the market scene. Their uncovered, purple-blackhair glistened in the warm sunlight, while their roguish glances, from"soul-deep eyes of darkest night, " were like sparks of electricity. Wasit their normal mood, or did the presence of a curious stranger, himselfon the _qui vive_ to see everything, move them to just a bit ofcoquetry?

CHAPTER V. 

A Mexican Watering Place. --Delightful Climate. --Aguas Calientes. --Young Señoritas. --Local City Scenes. --Convicts. --Churches. --A Mummified Monk. --Punishment is Swift and Sure. --Hot Springs. --Bathing in Public. --Caged Songsters. --"Antiquities. "--Delicious Fruits. --Market Scenes. --San Luis Potosi. --The Public Buildings. --City of Leon. --A Beautiful Plaza. --Local Manufactories. --Home Industries of Leon. -- The City of Silao. --Defective Agriculture. --Objection to Machinery. --Fierce Sand Storm. 

Aguas Calientes (hot waters) is the capital of a small state of the samename, and is a very strongly individualized city, containing somethingless than twenty-five thousand inhabitants. The town is handsomely laidout with great regularity, having a number of fine stone buildings, luxuriant gardens, and beautiful public squares. It is situatedseventy-five miles south of Zacatecas, on the trunk line of the MexicanCentral Railroad. This route brings us down to the plain through ruggedsteeps and sharp grades, near to the famous salt and soda lakes, wherethe Rio Brazos Santiago is crossed. Though we say that Aguas Calientesis on a plain, yet the town is over six thousand feet above sea level, and is well situated for business growth in a fertile region where threemain thoroughfares already centre. It is just three hundred andsixty-four miles northwest of the city of Mexico. The Plaza des Armas, with its fine monumental column and its refreshing fountain, as well asseveral other public gardens of the city, are worthy of special mentionfor their striking floral beauty, their display of graceful palms andvarious other tropical trees. It seemed as though it must be perpetualspring here, and that every tree and bush was in bloom. The Mexicanflora cannot be surpassed for depth of rich coloring. Sweet peas, camellias, poppies, and pansies abound, while oleanders grow to theheight of elm trees, and are covered with a profusion of scarlet andwhite flowers. The day was very soft, sunny, and genial, when wewandered over the ancient place; all the treetops lay asleep, and therewas scarcely a breath of air stirring. Every sight and every sound hadthe charm of novelty. Groups of young señoritas strolled leisurely aboutthe town; their classic profiles, large gazelle-like eyes, rosy lips, delicate hands and feet, together with their shapely forms, indicatedtheir mingled Spanish and Indian origin. The many sonorous bells of thechurches kept up a continuous peal at special morning and evening hours. In spite of the half-incongruous notes of these different metallicvoices floating together on the atmosphere, there was a sense of harmonyin the aggregate of sound, which recalled the more musical chimes onehears on the shores of the Mediterranean. Mexican churches are notsupplied with chimes, though each steeple has at least a half dozen, andoften as many as a score, of costly bells. 

Here and there the town shows unmistakable tokens of age, which is butreasonable, as it was founded in 1520. The variety of colors used uponthe façades of the low adobe houses produces a pleasing effect. The loveof the Aztec race for warm, bright colors is seen everywhere. The Gardenof San Marcos, one of many open public squares, forms a wilderness offoliage and flowers, where the oleanders are thirty feet in height, shading lilies, roses, and pansies, with a low-growing species ofmignonette as fragrant as violets, our admiration for which was sharedby a score of glittering humming-birds. Here too the jasmine, with itstiny variegated flowers, flourished by the side of hydrangeas full ofsnow-flake bloom, while orange blossoms made the air heavy with theirodorous breath. Close to this garden is the bull ring, opposite to whichgangs of convicts are seen sweeping the streets under the supervision ofa military guard. Though these men are unchained, they make no attemptto escape, as the guards under such circumstances have a habit ofpromptly shooting a prisoner dead upon the spot; no one takes thetrouble to inquire into the summary proceeding, and it would do no goodif he did. There is no sickly sentimentality expended upon highwaymen, garroters, or murderers in Mexico. If a man commits a crime, he is madeto pay the penalty for it, no matter what his position may be. There isno pardoning out of prison here, so that the criminal may have a secondchance to outrage the rights of the community. If a trusted individualsteals the property of widows and orphans and runs away, he must stayaway, for if he comes back he will surely be shot. All thingsconsidered, we believe this certainty of punishment is the restrainingforce with many men of weak principles. Since the order to shoot allhighwaymen as soon as taken was promulgated, brigandage has almostentirely disappeared in Mexico, though up to that time it was of dailyoccurrence in some parts of the country. 

There are several churches in Aguas Calientes which are well worthvisiting, some of which contain fine old paintings, though they aremostly hung in a very poor light. There is an unmistakable atmosphere ofantiquity within these walls, "mellowed by scutcheoned panes incloisters old. " The church facing the Plaza Mayor has a remarkable bell, celebrated for its fine tones; and when this sounded for vespers, Millet's Angelus was instantly recalled, the poor peons, no matter howengaged, piously uncovering their heads and bowing with folded handswhile their lips moved in prayer. We were told of the great cost of thisbell, which is said to contain half a ton of silver; but this isdoubtless an exaggerated story framed to tickle a stranger's ear, sinceif over a certain moderate percentage of silver is employed in thecasting, the true melody of the bell is destroyed. A queer object isshown the visitor for a trifling fee, in the crypt of the church of SanDiego, being the remains of a mummified or desiccated monk, sittingamong a mass of skulls, rib and thigh bones, once belonging to humanbeings. The moral of this exhibition seemed a little too far-fetched tobe interesting, and our small party hastened away with a sense ofdisgust. 

The hot springs from which the state and city take their name aresituated a couple of miles east of the town, at the end of a delightfulalameda. A small canal borders this roadway, which is liberally suppliedwith water from the thermal springs, and scores of the populace may beseen washing clothing on its edge at nearly any hour of the day, as wellas bathing therein, men and women together, with a decided heedlessnessof the conventionalities. The Maoris of New Zealand could not show moreutter disregard for a state of nudity than was exhibited by one group ofnatives whom we saw. The admirable climate, the hot springs, thebeautiful gardens, vineyards, and abundant fruits, render this placethoroughly attractive, notwithstanding that so large a portion consistsof adobe houses of only one story in height. These are often madeinviting by their neat surroundings and by being frescoed in brightcolors inside and out. One or two native birds in gayest colors usuallyhang beside the open doors, in a home-made cage of dried rushes, singingas gayly as those confined in more costly and gilded prisons. Justopposite the public baths was one of these domesticated pets of themocking-bird species, who was remarkably accomplished. He was neversilent, but was constantly and successfully struggling to imitate everypeculiar sound which he heard. He broke down, however, ignominiously inhis attempts with the tramway fish-horns. They were too much for him. This bird was of soft ash color, with a long, graceful set oftail-feathers, and kept himself in most presentable order, notwithstanding his narrow quarters in a home-made cage. It was in vainthat we tried to purchase the creature. Either the Indian woman had notthe right to sell him, or she prized the bird too highly to part withhim at any price. As we came away from the low adobe cabin, the bird wasmewing in imitation of another domestic pet which belonged to the samewoman. 

Comparatively few humble dwellings have glass in the windows, but nearlyall have these openings barred with iron in more or less ornamentalstyles. There are a few central situations where two-story housesprevail. Besides the churches, there are the governor's palace, the casamunicipal, and the stores and dwelling-houses which surround the PlazaMayor, the latter having open arcades, or _portales_, beneath the firststory. People come from various parts of Mexico to enjoy the baths ofAguas Calientes, and one sees many strangers about the town. The placehas, in fact, been the resort of people from various sections of thecountry from time immemorial, on account of the presumed advantages tobe derived from the hot springs. Mineral waters, hot and cold, abound onthe table-land of Mexico. 

It is said that by digging almost anywhere in this neighborhood, one canexhume pottery and other articles concerning whose manufacture there isa profound mystery, the shapes and style of finish being quite differentfrom what is now produced. These articles are reputed to antedate theToltec period, though the natives, finding that the antique shapes aremost popular with European and American tourists, imitate them veryclosely. When "antiquities" are offered to one in a foreign country, heshould be very wary in purchasing, as the artificial manufacture of themis fully up to the demand. The writer once saw an article sold at Cairoas an antique for ten pounds sterling which was afterwards proved, by anunmistakable mark, to have been made in Birmingham, England. So Aztecand Toltec remains are produced to any extent in the city of Mexico; andthe enterprising English manufacturer, we were told, has even invadedYucatan with his "antique" wares. 

Fruit is abundant, cheap, and delicious in the market-place of AguasCalientes. Fifty oranges were offered to us for a quarter of a dollar, or two for a penny. Sunday is the principal market-day, when the countrypeople for miles around bring in fruit, vegetables, flowers, pottery, and home-woven articles for sale. Men and women, sitting on the ground, patiently wait for hours to make trifling sales, the profit on whichcannot exceed a few pennies, and often the poor creatures sell little ornothing. The principal market is a permanent building, occupying a wholeblock, or square. The area about which it is built is open in thecentre; that is, without covering. Here a motley group displayedbaskets, fruits, flowers, candies, pulque, boots, shoes, and sandals. White onions mingled with red tomatoes and pineapples formed the apex toa pyramid of oranges, bananas, lemons, pomegranates, all arranged so asto present attractive colors and forms, being often decked with flowers. Green sugar-cane, cut in available lengths, was rapidly consumed byyoung Mexico, and gay young girls indulged in dulces (sweets). Hundredsof patient donkeys, without harness of any sort, or even a rope abouttheir necks, stood demurely awaiting their hour of service. Beggars areplenty, but few persons were seen really intoxicated, notwithstandingthat pulque is cheap and muscal very potent. Red, blue, brown, andstriped rebosas flitted before the eyes, worn by the restless crowd, while occasionally one saw a lady of the upper class, attended by hermaid in gaudy colors, herself clad in the dark, conventional Spanishstyle, her black hair, covered with a lace veil of the same hue, held inplace by a square-topped shell comb. 

The public bathhouse, near the railroad depot, is remarkable forspaciousness and for the excellence of the general arrangements. It isbuilt of a conglomerate of cobble-stones, bricks, and mortar, and mightbe a bit out of the environs of Rome. In the central open area of thesebaths is a choice garden full of blooming flowers and tropical trees. Oleanders, fleurs-de-lis, flowering geraniums, peach blossoms, scarletpoppies mingling with white, beside beds of pansies and violets, delighted the eye and filled the air with perfume. The surroundings andconveniences were more Oriental than Mexican, inviting the stranger tobathe by the extraordinary facilities offered to him, and captivatingthe senses by beauty and fragrance. There is a spacious swimming-bathwithin the walls, beside the single bathrooms, in both of which thewater is kept at a delightful temperature. The luxury of these baths, after a long, dusty ride over Mexican roads, can hardly be imagined bythose who have not enjoyed it. In the vicinity of the Plaza Mayor, ice-cream was hawked and sold by itinerant venders. We were told of amysterious method of producing ice, which is employed here during thenight, by means of putting water in the hollowed stalk of the maguey oragave plant, but we do not clearly understand the process. The volatileoil of the century plant is said to evaporate so rapidly as to freezethe water deposited in it. At any rate, the natives have some process bywhich they produce ice in this tropical clime; but whether it is by aidof the maguey plant, from which comes the pulque, or by some othermeans, we cannot say authoritatively. In the cities and on the Texanborder, ice is largely manufactured by chemical process aided bymachinery, a means of supply well known in all countries where naturalice is not formed by continued low temperature. 

San Luis Potosi is situated about one hundred miles to the eastward ofAguas Calientes, on the branch road connecting the main trunk of theMexican Central with Tampico on the Gulf. It is the capital of the Stateof San Luis Potosi, and has, according to estimate, over forty thousandinhabitants. The city contains many fine buildings, the most notableamong them being the state capitol, the business exchange, the statemuseum, the mint, and the public library. This last-named containsbetween seventy and eighty thousand volumes. There is here a largerproportion of two-story buildings than is seen in either Saltillo orMonterey. There are also a college, a hospital, and a theatre. It hasseveral plazas and many churches. The cathedral is quite modern, havingbeen erected within the last forty years; it faces the Plaza Mayor, where there is a bronze statue of the patriot Hidalgo. We are here fullysix thousand feet above the sea level, in a wholesome locality, which, it is claimed, possesses the most equable climate in Mexico, thetemperature never reaching freezing-point, and rarely beinguncomfortably warm. There are several fine old churches in San LuisPotosi, containing some admirable oil paintings by Vallejo, Tresguerras, and others of less fame. The city is three hundred and sixty miles northof the national capital, and is destined, with the opening of therailroad to Tampico, which has so recently taken place, to grow rapidly. Its tramway, or horse-car, service is particularly well managed, andfacilitates all sorts of transportation in and about the city. In theSierra near at hand are the famous silver mines known as Cerro delPotosi, which are so rich in the deposit of argentiferous ore that it isnamed after the mines of Potosi in Peru. There are valuable salt minesexisting in this State of San Luis Potosi, at Peñon Blanco. The city hasalways been noted as a military centre, and a large number of theregular army are stationed here. When Santa Anna returned from exile, atthe beginning of the war with this country, in 1846, it was here that heconcentrated his forces. When defeated by General Taylor at Buena Vista, he marched back to San Luis Potosi with the remnant of his thoroughlydemoralized army, where he again established his headquarters. On theSabbath, as in other Mexican cities, the grand market of the week takesplace, when cock-fighting, marketing, praying, and bull-fighting arestrangely mixed. 

About a hundred miles south of Aguas Calientes we reach the importantmanufacturing city of Leon, State of Guanajuato, a thrifty, enterprisingcapital, containing over ninety thousand inhabitants. It is consideredthe third largest and most important city of the republic. We have nowcome eight hundred and thirty miles since leaving the InternationalBridge, by which we entered Mexican territory at Pedras Negras, and findourselves in the midst of a fertile, well-watered plain, intersected bythe small river Turbio, two hundred and sixty miles northwest of thecity of Mexico. Rich grazing fields are spread broadcast, many of whichexhibit the deep, beautiful green of the alfalfa, or Mexican clover, which is fed in a fresh-cut condition to favored cattle, but not toburros, poor creatures! They feed themselves on what they can pick up bythe roadside, on the refuse vegetables thrown away in the city markets, on straw; in short, on almost anything. There is a theory that they willlive on empty fruit tins, broken glass bottles, and sardine boxes; butwe are not prepared to indorse that. The fields and small domesticgardens hereabouts are often hedged by tall, pole-like cacti of thespecies called the organ cactus, from its peculiar resemblance to thepipes of an organ. This forms a prevailing picture in the wild landscapeof southern Mexico. Leon is nearly six thousand feet above the sea. 

As the railroad depot is a mile from the city proper, --a characteristicof transportation facilities which applies to all Mexican capitals, --wereach the plaza of Leon by tramway. The place has all the usualbelongings of a Spanish town, though it contains no buildings of specialinterest. The plaza, the market-place, and the cathedral are each worthyof note. The first-named has a large, refreshing fountain in its centre, whose music cheers the senses when oppressed by tropical heat. The plazais also shaded by thick clusters of ornamental trees. There was a grandannual fair held here before the days of railroads in Mexico, which wasan occasion attracting people from all the commercial centres of thecountry. While talking to a local merchant he said to us: "Certaincircumscribed interests were at first unfavorably affected by theestablishment of the railroad, and people grumbled accordingly; but wehave come to see that after all it is for the universal good to havethis prompt means of transportation. It was the same, " he continued, "asregards the tramway; but we could not do without that convenience now. "

On one side of the plaza is the governor's palace, a long, plain, two-story building of composite material, --stone, sun-dried bricks, andmortar, colored white. On the other three sides is a line of two-storybuildings, beneath which is a continuous block of _portales_, or arches, crowded with shops and booths; the first story of these houses beingthus devoted to trade, the second to dwellings. The general effect ofthis large business square, with the deep greenery of the plaza in thecentre, is extremely attractive. Strolling about it in the intensesunshine are many beggars and grandees; women in bright-colored rebosas;others in rags which do not half cover their nakedness; fair señoritaswith tall, red-heeled boots pointed at the toes, and poor girls withbare limbs and feet; cripples and athletes; beauty and deformity;plethoric priests and cadaverous peons. Now a horseman in theatricalcostume, sword and pistol by his side, and huge silver spurs on hisheels, seated on a small but beautifully formed Andalusian horse, passesswiftly by, and now a score of charcoal-laden donkeys, driven by anIndian larger than the animal he bestrides. All the men who can affordit wear broad-brimmed sombreros richly ornamented with gold and silverbraid; the poorest, though otherwise but half clad, and with bare limbs, have a substitute for the sombrero in straw or some cheap material. Thebroader the brim and the taller the crown, the more they are admired. Itis a busy, ever-shifting scene presented by the Plaza Mayor of Leon, such as one may look upon only south of the Rio Grande. 

The paseo is a remarkably fine, tree-embowered avenue, a sort ofminiature Champs Elysées, flanked by well-cultivated fields and gardens, forming the beginning of the road which leads to Silao. Besides thePlaza Mayor and the paseo, there are a dozen minor plazas (plazuelas) inLeon, all more or less attractive. On the road leading to Lagos, not farfrom the city, there are hot mineral springs much esteemed and much usedfor bathing. One can go anywhere in and about Leon by tramway as easilyas in Boston or New York. The specialty of the city is its variousmanufactories of leather goods, but particularly saddles, boots, andshoes, together with leather sandals, such as are worn by the commonpeople who do not go barefooted, --though the fact is nine tenths of themdo go barefooted. Another special product of Leon is blue and stripedrebosas, so universally worn by the women of the humbler class. 

It is a peculiarity in Mexico that a certain branch of manufacture isconfined in a great measure to one place, other business localitiesrespecting this partial monopoly by devoting themselves to otherproductions. Thus the industry of Leon is developed in tanning leather, and the making of boots, shoes, saddlery, and rebosas; Salamanca isnoted for its buckskin garments and gloves; Irapuato is devoted toraising strawberries, and supplies half the republic with this deliciousfruit; Queretaro is famous for the opals it ships from its unique mines;Lerdo enriches itself by the cotton which it sends to market; Celaya, inthe valley of the Laja, is known all over Mexico for the production offine dulces (sweets, or confectionery) made from milk and sugar; fromPuebla come the elegant and profitable onyx ornaments so much prized athome and abroad; Aguas Calientes is famous as an agricultural centre, supplying the markets of the country with corn and beans; from Orizabaand Cordova come coffee, sugar, and delicious tropical fruits; Chihuahuaraises horses and cattle for the home market and for exportation;Guadalajara is unrivaled for the production of pottery and crockeryware, Zacatecas and Guanajuato for the mining of silver; and so the listmight be extended, showing the native resources of the country and theconcentration of special industries. 

Many of the dwellings--most of them, indeed--are but one story inheight, in the city proper, though often constructed of stone; but inthe suburbs they are altogether of one story and built of adobe. Some ofthe hedges are both striking and effective, consisting of theprickly-pear cactus, which presents an impenetrable barrier to man orbeast. The natives prepare a dish of green salad from the tender leavesof the cactus, as we do from dandelions and lettuce, which satisfies acertain appetite, and no doubt contains considerable nourishment. Thereare several quite ancient churches, a cathedral, and two theatres inLeon. Of the latter, that which attracted us most might have passed fora floral conservatory. It was a stone edifice, with a broad vestibulefull of flowers, having a fountain in the centre and a dome covered withglass. The cathedral, under the ascribed patronage of "Our Lady ofLight, " makes up for its shortcomings in the architecture of its lowerportions by a fine dome and two lofty towers, these last of quite modernconstruction, having been completed so late as 1878. The oldest churchin the city is La Soledad, which dates back three hundred and fiftyyears. Two others, San Juan de Dios and San Felipe Neri, are of morethan passing interest to the traveler. 

It was observed, in nearly all the dwellings which were entered, thatthe women as well as the men were engaged with hand-looms, weavingrebosas or serapes. In many instances children were thus employed, ofsuch tender age that it was surprising to see the excellence of the workwhich they produced. These humble interiors present notable pictures ofrespectability, industry, and thrift. In the market-place, flowers, mostly beautiful roses of white and red varieties, were sold by thescore for a five-cent piece, and lovely bouquets, containing artisticcombinations of color and great variety of species, were offered for tencents each. The plains in the environs of Leon are beautified by somemagnificent groves of trees, and exhibit great fertility of soil. 

After passing through miles of dreary territory which produced littlesave an abnormal growth of cacti of several species, exhibiting greatvariety in shape and the color of its blossoms, which were sometimeswhite, but oftener red or yellow, twenty miles southeast of Leon and twohundred and thirty-eight north of the national capital, we reach thesmall city of Silao, in the State of Guanajuato, which has a populationof about fifteen thousand. This is an agricultural district, sixthousand feet above the level of the sea, where irrigation is absolutelynecessary, and where it is freely applied, but by hand power, the waterbeing raised from the ditches by means of buckets. Under this treatmentthe soil is so fertile as to yield two crops of wheat and maizeannually, besides an abundance of other staples. The eyes of thetraveler are delighted, on approaching Silao, by the view offar-reaching fields of waving grain, giving full promise of a richharvest near at hand. We were told that these fields were flooded twiceduring the growing of a crop: first, early in January, when the youngplants are two or three inches high, and again soon after the first ofMarch, just before the ear is about to develop itself. Sometimes, as isdone in Egypt, the fields are inundated before sowing. Some of therichest soil for wheat-growing in all Mexico lies between San Juan delRio and Leon. The idea of a rotation of crops, the advantages of whichthe intelligent American farmer so well understands, does not seem yetto have dawned upon the Mexican cultivator of the soil. He goes on yearafter year extracting the same chemicals from the earth, without usingfertilizers at all, and planting the same seed in the same fields. By nohappy accident does he substitute corn for oats, or wheat for either. Henever thinks of giving his grain field a breathing spell by planting itwith potatoes or any other root crop, and substituting a different styleof cultivation. In and about the town are some large and admirablymanaged gardens of fruits and flowers. One was hardly prepared, beforecoming hither, to accord to the Spanish character so much ofappreciation and such delicacy of taste as are revealed through thealmost universal cultivation of flowers in Mexico, wherevercircumstances will admit of it. Silao is just fifteen miles fromGuanajuato, the capital of the state, with which it is connected byrailway. 

The rainfall is comparatively very slight on the entire Mexicanplateau, limited, in fact, to two or three months in the year, whichrenders irrigation a universal necessity to insure success in farming;but the means employed for the purpose, as we have seen, are singularlyprimitive. The same objection that limited intelligence evinceseverywhere to the introduction of labor-saving machinery is exhibitedhere in Mexico. When the author was at the Lakes of Killarney, a fewyears since, and saw the hotel employees cutting grass upon the broadlawn with a sickle or reaping-hook, he suggested to the landlord that anAmerican lawn-mower should be used, whereby one man could do the jobquicker and in better shape than twenty men could do by this primitivemode. "If I were to introduce an American lawn-mower on to this place, "said the landlord, "the laborers would burn my house down at once!" Sowhen the air-brakes were introduced on the National Railroad in Mexico, thus not only adding unquestionably to the safety of the cars, butdecreasing the necessity for so many train hands, the laborers cut anddestroyed the brakes. Through persistent determination on the part ofthe officers of the road, the air-brake is now in use by the MexicanCentral corporation, from the Rio Grande to the capital; but theNational line between the capital and Vera Cruz is not able to make useof this greater safeguard and economical air-brake, because a lot ofstupid, ignorant brakemen object!

Silao is of little commercial importance, but it has the over-abundanceof churches always to be found in Spanish towns of its size, none ofwhich, in this instance, are any way remarkable. But the place ispicturesque and interesting; one would not like to have missed it. Thechurch of Santiago has a tall, graceful, and slender spire, sure toattract an observant eye, recalling the pinnacle of St. Peter and St. Paul in the capital of Russia. We have said Silao is of littlecommercial importance, but there are six or eight flour-mills, whichseem to be the nucleus about which the principal business interestscentre. The place was founded more than three centuries ago, andimpresses one with an atmosphere of crumbling antiquity which somehow ispretty sure to challenge respect. "Time consecrates, " says Schiller, "and what is gray with age becomes religion. "

Seeing a number of Indian men and women relieving themselves from heavyburdens brought into the market, we were surprised to note the weightwhich these trained natives could carry. On inquiry it was found thatsome of them had come over mountainous roads a distance of twenty milesand more, each bearing upon his or her back a weight in produce ofvarious sorts which must have been near to a hundred and fifty pounds. As profit on all their chickens, eggs, vegetables, pottery, and fruit, they could hardly average more than a dollar to each individual. Howsimple and circumscribed must be the necessities of a people who cansustain themselves upon such earnings! When on the road, these Indianshave a peculiarly rapid gait, a sort of dog-trot, so to speak, whichthey will keep up for hours at a time while carrying their heavyburdens. Though they all speak Spanish, yet each tribe or section ofcountry seems to have a dialect of its own, which is used exclusivelyamong its people. Scientists tell us that the various languages anddialects spoken by the Indian race of Mexico in the several parts of therepublic number over one hundred; there are sixty which are known tohave become extinct. 

In contradistinction to the theories of many careful observers, scientists have pointed to the fact that in all of these native tonguesnot one word can be found which gives indication of Asiatic origin. 

While at Silao a Mexican sand-spout, a visitant which is very liable toappear on the open plains during the dry season, struck in our immediatevicinity, followed by a fierce dust-storm, which lasted for about anhour, darkening the atmosphere to a night-hue for miles around, andcovering every exposed article or person with a thick layer of finesand. It was necessary promptly to close all doors and windows. Indeed, a person could more easily face a furious hail-storm, than one of thesedry gales; men and animals alike sought shelter from its blindingfierceness. So men, horses, and camels, composing the caravans whichcross the desert of Sahara, when struck by a sand-storm, are obliged tothrow themselves flat upon the ground, and there remain until it hasexhausted its fury. The condition of the soil at Silao may be easilyimagined when it is remembered that rain had not fallen here for sevenmonths. It was late in March, but the rainy season does not begin untilabout the last of May. In this region people do not speak of summer andwinter, but of the dry and the rainy seasons, the former being reckonedfrom November to May, and the latter from June to October. It should notbe understood that it rains constantly in the wet season. The rain fallsgenerally in pleasant showers, afternoons and nights, leaving themornings and forenoons bright, clear, and comfortable. It is really thepleasantest season of the year on the Mexican plateau. 

CHAPTER VI. 

Guanajuato. --An Ex-President. --Richest Silver Mine in Mexico. --Reducing the Ores. --Plenty of Silver. --Open Sewers. --A Venal Priesthood. --A Big Prison. --The Catholic Church. --Getting Rid of a Prisoner. --The Frog-Rock. --Idolaters. --A Strawberry Festival at Irapuato. -- Salamanca. --City of Queretaro. --A Fine Old Capital. --Maximilian and His Fate. --A Charming Plaza. --Mammoth Cotton Factory. --The Maguey Plant. --Pulque and Other Stimulants. --Beautiful Opals. --Honey Water. --Ancient Tula. --A Freak of Tropical Weather. 

The quaint old city of Guanajuato, capital of the state bearing the samename, --pronounced Wan-a-wato, --is situated nearly a thousand feet higherthan Silao, two hundred and fifty miles north of the city of Mexico, andfifteen miles from the main trunk of the Mexican Central Railroad, withwhich it is connected by a branch road. It contains between fifty andsixty thousand inhabitants, and has been a successful mining centre forover three hundred years. Manuel Gonzales, ex-president of Mexico, isthe governor of the state. This man was the Tweed of Mexico, and one ofthe most venal officials ever trusted by the people. He succeeded, onretiring from the presidency, in taking with him of his ill-gottenwealth several millions of dollars. The astonishing corruption thatreigned under his fostering care was notorious. In enriching himselfand his ring of adherents, he brought the treasury of the country to thevery verge of bankruptcy. It may be mentioned that this State ofGuanajuato is the most densely populated in the Mexican republic. It hasan area of a trifle over twelve thousand square miles, or it is aboutthe size of Massachusetts and Connecticut united. The town is reachedthrough the suburb of Marfil, along the precipitous sides of whosemountain road large adobe and stone mills are constructed, resemblingfeudal castles; while beside the roadbed, broken by sharp acclivities, the small, muddy, vile-smelling river Guanajuato flows sluggishly along, bearing silver tailings away from the mills above, and wasting at leasttwenty-five per cent, of the precious metal contained in the badlymanipulated ore. Here and there in the river's bed--the stream beinglow--scores of natives were seen washing the earth which had beendeposited from the mines, working knee-deep in the mud, and striving tomake at least day wages, which is here represented by forty cents. Others were producing sun-dried brick out of the clayey substance, afterit had been rewashed by the independent miners. This river becomes atorrent in the rainy season, and owing to its situation the town isliable to dangerous inundations, one of which occurred so late as 1885, causing great loss of life and property. Creeping slowly upward over therough road, an abrupt corner of the gulch was finally turned, and wesuddenly found ourself in the centre of the active little city, socompactly built that business seemed to be overflowing its properlimits and utterly blocking the narrow streets. The provision and fruitmarket was trespassing on every available passageway. Curbstone andsidewalk were unhesitatingly monopolized by the market people with theirwares spread out for sale. In Guanajuato is found the richest vein ofsilver-bearing ore in the country, known as the _Veta Madre_, and thoughthe most primitive modes of mining and milling have always been andstill are pursued here, over eight hundred million dollars in theargentiferous metal have been realized from this immediate vicinitysince official record has been kept of the amount; and with all thisMexico is still poor!

The ore has now to be raised from a depth of fifteen hundred feet andmore. There are between fifty and sixty crushing mills in operation atthis writing, reducing the silver-bearing quartz. Two of the mills areoperated by Europeans, who use steam power to some extent, but thescarcity of fuel is a serious objection to the employment of steam. Wesaw scores of mules treading the liquid, muddy mass for amalgamatingpurposes, driven about in a circle by men who waded knee-deep whilefollowing the weary animals. As these huge vats contain quicksilver, vitriol, and other poisonous ingredients, the lives of men and animalsthus occupied are of brief duration. The mules live about four years, and the men rarely twice as long if they continue in the business. Thisresult is well known to be inevitable, and yet there are plenty of menwho eagerly seek the employment. 

Without going into detail we may describe the process of obtaining thesilver from the rocky mass in a few words. The ore is first crushed, andby adding water is made into a thin paste. Many tons of this are placedin a huge vat, at least a hundred feet square, and into it are thrown, in certain quantities, sulphate of copper, common salt, and quicksilver. Driving the animals through this mass, ten hours a day for three or fourdays, causes the various ingredients to become thoroughly mingled. Thequicksilver finally gets hold of and concentrates the coveted metal. Thequicksilver is afterwards extracted and reserved for continued use, performing the same function over and over again. There is, of course, alarge percentage of quicksilver lost in the operation, and itsemployment in such quantities forms one of the heavy expenses ofmilling. 

The mills are semi-fortresses, having often been compelled to resist theattacks of banditti, who have ever been ready to organize a descent uponany place where portable treasure is accumulated. We were told, on goodauthority, that every ton of raw material handled here yields on anaverage thirty-three dollars. This figure our informant qualified by theremark that it was the average under ordinary circumstances. Sometimesthe miners strike what is called a bonanza, and for a while ore israised from the bowels of the earth which will produce five times thisamount to the ton; but after a short time the yield will return to itsnormal condition. Occasionally, but this is rare, nuggets of pure ornearly pure silver are found weighing from fifteen to twenty poundseach. The process of milling here is slow, tedious, and wasteful. Thescientific knowledge brought to bear upon the business in the UnitedStates is not heeded in Mexico, and yet these people obtain remarkablyfavorable results. The fact is, the precious metal is so very abundant, and the profits so satisfactory, that the managers and owners growcareless, having little incentive to spur them on to adopt moreeconomical and productive methods. An intelligent overseer of a mine atGuanajuato said to us in reply to a question relating to the usualprocess of milling in Mexico: "We get probably sixty per cent. Of thesilver contained in the raw ore which we handle, and that is about allwe can expect. " On being asked if the men whom we saw working in theopen bed of the river, far below the mills, did not obtain good results, the superintendent replied, "They succeed best in getting part of thequicksilver which has been carried away in the process, which they sellto us again. " These men, we observed, worked mostly with shovels andearthen pans, or with their hands and a flat, shingle-like piece ofwood. 

Guanajuato is built on the sides of a deep, broad gorge, surrounded byrolling hills, the ravine, the mouth of which commences at Marfil, beingterraced on either side to make room for adobe dwellings. Here and therea patch of green is to be seen, a graceful pepper tree, an orange, orstately cypress relieving the cheerless, arid scene. The narrow, irregular streets are roughly paved; but the clouds of dust which oneencounters in the dry season are almost suffocating. Now and then a fewpotted flowers in front of a low cabin, a bird cage with its chirpingoccupant, a noisy parrot on an exposed perch, a dozing cat before thedoor, all afford glimpses of domesticity; but, on the whole, this miningtown, rich in native silver, gave us in its humbler portions theimpression of being mostly composed of people half clothed and seeminglybut half fed. 

The city has an alameda and a plaza. The latter, in the centre of thetown, is decorated with bright-colored flowers, tall palm trees, and hasa music pagoda in its centre. This plaza has an elevation of over sixthousand eight hundred feet above the level of the sea. What a queer oldcity it is, with its steep, narrow, twisted streets! It might be a bitabstracted from Moorish Tangier, or from the narrow thoroughfares ofGranada, close by the banks of the turbulent Darro. 

The occupation of three fourths of the people is naturally connectedwith the mines, and it may be said to be an industrious community. Thepulque shops are many, far too many; but there was no intoxicationnoticed on the streets. The open sewers render the death rate unusuallyhigh in Guanajuato, where typhoid fever and pneumonia were particularlyprevalent during our visit. Indeed, the place is notoriously unhealthy. There are many excellent oil paintings hung in the churches and chapels, representing, of course, scriptural subjects, including one of themuch-abused St. Sebastian. There are two or three primary and advancedschools supported by the municipality; but these, we were told, werebitterly opposed by the priests. We speak often and earnestly concerningthe malign influence of the priesthood, because no one can travel inMexico without having the fact constantly forced upon him, at everyturn, that its members and their church are, and have been for nearlyfour centuries, the visible curse of the country. The most interestingof the many churches is the Compañia, which has a choice group of bellsin its cupola, and an unusually excellent collection of paintings, amongthem a series illustrating the life of the Virgin, by an unknown artist, besides two fine canvases by Cabrera. But one grows fastidious invisiting so many of these churches as he approaches the capital, andbecomes satisfied with examining the cathedral in each new city. Thewhole country is strewn with these costly and comparatively uselesstemples, many of which are gradually crumbling to dust, and nearly allof which are dirty beyond description. Immediately after the Spanishconquest a rage possessed the victors to build churches, without regardto the necessary population for their support, perhaps hoping thereby topropitiate heaven for their rapaciousness and outrageous oppression ofthe native race. The criminal extortion exercised by the priesthood andtheir followers forms a dark blot upon the escutcheon of both the churchand the state. O Christianity, as Madame Roland said of Liberty, "whatatrocities have been committed in thy name!"

Charles Lemprière, D. C. L. , an able writer upon Mexico, says: "TheMexican church, as a church, fills no mission of virtue, no mission ofmorality, no mission of mercy, no mission of charity. Virtue cannotexist in its pestiferous atmosphere. The cause of morality does not comewithin its practice. It knows no mercy, and no emotion of charity evernerves the stony heart of the priesthood, which, with an avarice thatknows no limit, filches the last penny from the diseased and dyingbeggar, plunders the widow and orphans of their substance as well astheir virtue, and casts such a horoscope of horrors around the deathbedof the dying millionaire, that the poor, superstitious wretch is glad topurchase a chance for the safety of his soul in making the church theheir of his treasures. "

Many of the better class of houses in the upper portion of Guanajuato, some of which are extremely attractive, are built from a peculiarsandstone quarried in the neighborhood, which is of many colors, givingthe fronts an odd, but not unpleasant appearance. The balconies of thesedwellings are rendered lovely by a great variety of creeping vines andflowers in blossom. Among these the honeysuckle prevailed, often shadingpleasant family groups, and forming tableaux in strong contrast with themore humble and populous portions of the town. In this part of the city, where the gorge widens, a large reservoir has been constructed whichgets its supply of water from the mountain streams, and affords thenecessary article in the dry season. Along either side of thesereservoirs, for there is a succession of them, are situated thepleasantest residences. These are so charmingly adapted to the locality, and depart so far from the conventional Mexican style, as to cause oneto think some American or English architect had been exercising hisskill and taste in the neighborhood. They recalled some of the lovelyvillas one sees near Sorrento and along the shores of the Bay of Amalfi, in southern Italy. 

The spacious and ancient structure known as the Alhondiga de Granaditas, situated on elevated ground, dominates the whole city. It was erected acentury and more ago, and designed for a commercial exchange, but it hassince been greatly altered, and served as a fortification in the civilwars. It is to-day occupied for the purposes of a prison, where convictsare judiciously taught various mechanical trades. The view from thesummit of this rude old building takes in the town, the long, narrowgulch, the gray and rugged hills which reach upward towards the deepblue sky, dotted here and there by the yellow dome of some ancientchurch, and an occasional cypress or graceful palm striving to redeemthe surrounding barrenness. In the prison yard, where the convicts seemto be permitted to roam at their own pleasure, hens, chickens, andturkeys were seen dodging in and out among the feet of the prisoners, with whom they were apparently on the best of terms. 

One could not but think that a large number of these prisoners wereprobably better off as to creature comforts than when at liberty andfollowing their own behests. They eat, sleep, and work together at lightoccupations, and no attempt is made to keep them from communicatingwith each other. They have good air, light, and better food on theaverage than they have been accustomed to when providing for themselves, and they are allowed to keep a part of their own earnings. They arepermitted good bathing facilities, and to play checkers or any othersmall games during their off hours, as they term the portions of the dayin which discipline requires no regular service of them. We becameinterested in the case of an intelligent American who was held as aprisoner here. He had been confined for nearly two years without atrial, for which he was earnestly begging. The charge against him wasthat he had been connected with some Mexicans in the robbery of arailroad train, but of which he declared himself entirely innocent. Whether innocent or guilty, he was entitled to a fair trial. Our partytook the matter in hand, supplied the man with proper pecuniary means, interested our local consul in his behalf, and brought the matter to theattention of the American minister to Mexico, finally obtainingassurance that justice should be obtained for the prisoner. 

Though these places of confinement are conducted with apparentlooseness, still the escape of an inmate rarely takes place unless it isconnived at by the officials. The bullet is very swift in Mexico, asalready instanced, and a man who attempts to escape from legal restraintis instantly shot without the least hesitation on the part of the guard, no matter for what he may be confined, even though held only for awitness. In well-authenticated cases, where it was considered desirableto get rid of an inmate without the form of a trial, which perhapsmight compromise some favored individual, opportunity was afforded theprisoner to escape; the temptation was too strong, he could not resistit; but scarcely had he broken the bounds before the fatal lead laid himlow in death. The place was pointed out to us on these prison wallswhere the head of the Indian patriot Hidalgo was exposed upon a spearpoint by the Spanish governor of the place, until it crumbled to dust bythe action of the elements. 

Quite a pretentious theatre of stone is in course of erection justopposite the little Plaza de Mejia Mora. The dozen large stone pillarsof the façade were already in place, and there are other evidences thatwhen finished it will be a spacious and elegant structure. We say whenfinished, but that will not be this year, or next, probably; building, like everything else in this country, is slow of progress. Thesignificant Spanish word _mañana_ is on everybody's lips, and expressesa ruling principle, nothing being done to-day which can possibly be putoff until to-morrow. 

The somewhat singular name of the city is from _guanashuato_, an Indianword in the Tarrascan tongue, which signifies "hill of the frogs, " aname given to the place by the aborigines because of a huge rocky moundwhich resembles a frog, and forms a prominent object in the immediateenvirons. With their idolatrous instinct the early natives made thispeculiar rock an object of worship, and, it is said, offered humansacrifices at its base. No doubt these tribes were sincere, andpositive in proportion to their ignorance, --the idol is but the type ofthe worshiper's intelligence. In visiting the Temple of Hanan, atCanton, we find to-day, a number of "sacred" hogs wallowing in dirt. TheParsee still worships fire; the uneducated Japanese bows before snakesand foxes; the Hindoo deifies cows and monkeys. Why should we wonder, then, that the Toltecs worshiped idols a thousand years ago?

While looking upon the strange stone images, large and small, in themuseum of the national capital, which the ancient people who possessedthis land erected and worshiped, one cannot avoid forming a very lowestimate of such a race. Their deities were not only hideous, but weremade in the crudest possible manner, without one correct line of anatomyor physiognomy, and represented utterly impossible beings in equallyimpossible attitudes. They are, however, of growing interest, andinvaluable as mementoes of a vanished race. 

After returning to Silao, we resume our journey southward on the mainline of the Mexican Central Railroad, crossing the State of Guanajuatothrough a fertile and well-cultivated region, in strong contrast to muchof the country left behind. At Irapuato, an unimportant, dingy, dilapidated little town, nineteen miles from Silao, is the junction ofthe trunk line and a branch road to Guadalajara, which city we shallvisit on our return trip northward. Irapuato is pleasantly remembered byall travelers in Mexico, being noted for the fact that fresh ripestrawberries are sold on the railway trains by the inhabitants every dayin the year. Strangers never pass this point without enjoying astrawberry picnic, as it may be called, every one purchasing more orless. Even the train-hands would rebel were they not permitted to tarrylong enough to enjoy the one luxury of the place. The delicious berriesare supplied by native men and women with wild-looking, swarthy faces, who hand them to the travelers in neat, plain baskets which hold nearlytwo quarts each. Basket and strawberries together are sold fortwenty-five cents. The top layer of the fruit is carefully selected, andmost tempting to look upon, the berries being shrewdly "deaconed, "--afact of which the purchaser becomes aware when he has consumed the firstportion. However, all are eatable and most grateful to the taste. Humannature is very much the same in trade, whether exhibited in Faneuil HallMarket, Boston, or at Irapuato in Mexico. The deaconing process is notunknown in Massachusetts. Nice, marketable strawberries could beforwarded from Irapuato to Chicago and all intermediate cities, so as tobe sold in our markets in good condition every day in the year, by meansof the present complete railway connections. The industry of producingthem would be stimulated by an organized effort to its best performance, and all concerned would be benefited. 

About a dozen miles beyond the junction, we arrive at Salamanca, a smallbut thriving city. Here, in the Church of San Augustin, are someelaborate wooden altars of such beautiful workmanship as to have anational reputation. These carvings are by native workmen, and evincean artistic taste and facility which one would hardly expect to findamong a people so uncultured as the laboring class of Mexico. There isgenius enough lying dormant in the country; it only lacks development. The principal industry of the town is the manufacture of buckskingarments and gloves. Twenty miles further southward is the thriving cityof Celaya, in the charming valley of the Laja, with about twentythousand population. The town is situated nearly two miles from theriver, in the State of Guanajuato, and contains extensive cotton andwoolen mills, with the usual abundance of Roman Catholic churches. Thereare quite a number of buildings in Celaya, both public and private, which evince notable architectural beauty. These were erected after thedesign of a local Michael Angelo, --a native architect, sculptor, andpainter named Tresguerras. Finally we arrive at Queretaro (pronouncedKa-ret-a-ro), the capital of the state of the same name, situated alittle over one hundred and fifty miles northwest of the city of Mexico, and having a population of about fifty thousand. This is generallyadmitted to be the most attractive city, in its general effect upon thestranger, of any in the republic outside of the valley of Mexico, thoughwe unhesitatingly place Puebla before it. It was here, in 1848, that theMexican Congress ratified the treaty of peace with the United States. Perhaps some of the readers of these pages will remember with whatdistinguished honors Mr. Seward was received in this city during hisvisit to Mexico in 1869. 

Queretaro was founded by the Aztecs about four hundred years ago, andwas captured by the Spaniards in 1531. It contains numerous fine stonebuildings, mostly of a religious character, and has some very spaciouspublic squares. A grand stone aqueduct over five miles long brings abountiful supply of good water from the neighboring mountains. Thelofty, substantial masonry of the aqueduct reminds one of similar workswhich cross the Campagna at Rome, and those in the environs of Cairo. This work must have been originally a tremendous undertaking, many ofthe arches, where ravines and natural undulations are crossed, beingnearly a hundred feet in height. The cost of the aqueduct is said tohave been borne by a single individual, to whose memory the citizenshave erected a statue on one of the plazas. The water-supply thusbrought into the town feeds a dozen or more large, bright, crystalfountains in different sections, around which picturesque groups ofwater-carriers of both sexes are constantly seen filling their jars fordomestic uses. To an American eye there is a sort of Rip-Van-Winkle lookabout the grass-grown streets of Queretaro. We are here some sixthousand feet above the sea, but the place enjoys a most equable andtemperate climate. It was in the suburbs of this city that Maximilianand his two trusted generals, Mejia and Miramon, the latter ex-presidentof the republic, were shot by order of a Mexican court-martial, notwithstanding the appeal for mercy in their behalf by more than oneEuropean power, in which the United States government also joined. ThePrincess Salm-Salm rode across country on horseback a distance of overone hundred miles, to implore Juarez to spare the life of Maximilian;but it was in vain. Juarez was obliged to look at the matter in apolitical light, whatever his own inclination towards clemency may havebeen, and therefore refused to annul the sentence of death. Putting allsentimentality aside, it seems to the author that Maximilian justlymerited the fate which he so systematically provoked. The measure whichhe meted to others was in turn accorded to himself. He issued a decreethat every officer taken in arms against his self-assumed authorityshould be promptly shot without trial. This is considered admissible inthe case of professed highwaymen and banditti, but such an order issuedagainst a large body of organized natives who sincerely believedthemselves fighting for national liberty was unprecedented and uncalledfor. This order was enforced in the instance of some noted patriotleaders. The Mexican generals Arteaga and Salazar, with Villagomez andFelix Diaz, who were ignorant of the existence of any such order ordetermination, were all shot at Uruapam, October 21, 1865. WhenMaximilian was himself taken prisoner, the like summary punishmentbecame his just award. In the state legislative palace of Queretaro wewere shown the table on which the death sentence was signed by themembers of the court-martial, the coffin in which Maximilian's body wasbrought from the place of execution, and a fine oil paintingrepresenting the late would-be emperor. 

All strangers who visit the city are taken out to the grounds where theexecution took place. One naturally regards the spot with considerableinterest. It is marked by three rude stones within an iron-railedinclosure, each stone bearing the name of one of the victims, in theorder in which they stood before the firing party on the Cerro de losCampañas, two miles from the city proper. It seemed serene and peacefulenough as we looked upon the locality, surrounded by highly cultivatedfields, dotted here and there by sheep and cattle quietly grazing in thecalm, genial sunshine. 

The whole of the Archduke's Mexican purpose and career was a great andabsurd political blunder. Personally he was a pure and honest man, though a very weak one. He never possessed mental power equal to that ofhis wife, who won from the Mexicans unbounded and deserved praise by herdevotion to her husband and to the public good. Carlotta freely expendedher private fortune for the relief of the poor of the national capital, and in the founding of a much needed and grand free hospital for women. When Maximilian received notice that Napoleon III. Was about to deserthim and his cause, he was absolutely discouraged, and would haveresigned at once and returned to Europe; but his courageous wifedissuaded him. She started the very next day for Vera Cruz, on her wayto induce the French emperor to keep his word and hold sacred the treatyof Miramar. In vain did she plead with Napoleon, being only insulted forher trouble; nor was she received much better by the Pope, Pius IX. Disappointment met her everywhere. The physical and mental strainproved too much for Carlotta. Brain fever ensued, and upon her partialrecovery it was found that she was bereft of reason. More than twentyyears have passed since the faithful wife was thus stricken, nor hasreason yet dawned upon her benighted brain. 

After three years of ceaseless struggle, Maximilian had growndesperately weary, in a vain effort to reconcile the various politicalfactions of the country, so that to one in his condition of brokenhealth and disappointment, death must have been a relief from mental andphysical suffering. His body rests at last in the burial place of theHapsburgs, thousands of miles from the spot where he fell, while thoseof Mejia and Miramon lie in the Campo Santo of San Fernando in the cityof Mexico. The broad view from this "Hill of the Bells" is verybeautiful, and it lives vividly in the memory, taking in the greenvalley in every direction, spread with fields of undulating grain readyfor the reapers, ornamented with umbrageous trees, the city with itsmass of towers, domes, and stone dwellings forming the background. Ascore of ancient churches, convents, and chapels may be counted from thehill-top. The alameda lies on one side of the town, consisting of somefifty or sixty acres nearly square, about which a broad driveway isarranged, the whole charmingly laid out, with greensward and noble shadetrees. The Church of the Cross is on slightly elevated ground, and formsa conspicuous architectural feature in the general view. It was in thisstructure that Maximilian made his headquarters, which he partiallyfortified, and where, after a protracted siege, he was betrayed into thehands of his enemies; from this place he marched to execution on the19th of June, 1867. 

The Plaza Mayor of Queretaro is a beauty and a joy forever, with itsmusical fountain uttering ceaseless and refreshing notes, its tropicalverdure, its tufted palms and flowering shrubs, its fruitful bananatrees, pomegranates, and fragrant roses. Here Maximilian was accustomedto pass an hour daily, and here, we were told, he took his eveningrecreation, his favorite seat being upon the curbstone of the capaciousfountain. The besiegers discovered the fact, directing shot and shellaccordingly at this special point, and though the emperor was unharmedby the missiles, a monumental statue situated within a few feet of himwas shattered to pieces. In the sunny afternoons the pretty señoritascome to the plaza with their heads and necks lightly shrouded in Spanishveils, and otherwise clothed in diaphanous garments, short enough toshow their shapely ankles in white hose, and their small feet inhigh-heeled, pointed slippers. He must be indeed calloused who canwithstand, unmoved, the battery of their witching eyes. 

There is a large cotton factory about two miles from the city, known as"The Hercules Mills, " having over twenty thousand spindles, and nearly athousand looms. The machinery was imported from this country. A colossalmarble statue of Hercules is seen presiding over one of the largefountains, in the midst of ornamental trees and flowers. This statuecost fourteen thousand dollars before it left Italy. The mill givesemployment to some twelve or fourteen hundred natives, mostly women andgirls. One of the young sons of the house of Rubio, the family name ofthose who own this property, went to England years ago, and learned thetrade of cotton spinning. This industry as now carried on wasestablished by him, and is still conducted by the same manager, DonCayetano Rubio. The excellent system of the establishment would docredit to a Lowell or Lawrence factory; indeed, almost any similarestablishment might take a favorable lesson from this at Queretaro. Theimmediate surroundings form a well-arranged and fragrant flower garden, ornamented with fountains and statuary, with fruit trees, where theemployees are all welcome, and the sweet fragrance of which they canenjoy even during the working hours. Wages, to be sure, areinsignificant, being only about forty cents a day for each competentoperative, and the hours are long, twelve out of each twenty-four beingdevoted to work; but as wages go in Mexico this is considered to be afair rate, with which all are content. We were told that a portion ofthe cotton used in the mill comes from Vera Cruz, that is, the shortstaple; the long comes mostly from the Pacific coast; while fully halfof the raw material is imported from the United States. The fibre of theMexican cotton is longer, and not so soft as the American product; butthe cotton raised in some parts of the republic has this remarkableproperty, that for several consecutive seasons the plant continues tobear profitable crops, while in our Southern States the soil must notonly be fertilized, but the seed must also be renewed annually. Thecotton plant is indigenous to Mexico, and is more prolific in its yieldthan it is with our Southern planters. It is the same with cotton aswith wool; though quite able to do so, Mexico does not at present growenough of either staple to supply her own mills, or produce enough ofthe manufactured article to furnish the home market. Both water andsteam power are employed as motors in the Hercules Mill. The overshotwheel used in the former connection is a monster in size, beingforty-six feet in diameter. Such has heretofore been the disturbedcondition of the country that it has been found necessary to organizeand maintain a regular company of soldiers, with ample barracks insidethe walls, to defend the property of the mill; and it has three timesrepulsed formidable attacks made upon the well-fortified walls and gateswhich surround it. 

Catholic churches and priests form, as usual in all Spanish towns, aprominent feature of the neighborhood; and we are sorry to say thatbeggars are very importuning and numerous. It is the same in Spain andin Italy as it is in Mexico, --where the priests abound, beggars do muchmore abound. 

In the environs of Queretaro one sees immense plantations devoted to thegrowth of the maguey plant, from which the national beverage ismanufactured. Pulque is to the Mexican what claret is to the Frenchman, or beer to the German, being simply the fermented juice of the aloe. Itis said that it was first discovered here, though its advent isattributed to many other towns in Mexico; but it is certain that eitherthe process of manufacture here is superior to that of most otherlocalities, or the plant grown here possesses peculiar properties, as itcommands the market. When we consider the matter, it is surprising torecall the number of uses to which the maguey plant is put. Paper ismade from the fibre of the leaves, as well as twine and rope; its thornsanswer for native pins and needles; the roots are used by the Indians inplace of soap; the young sprouts are eaten after being slightly roasted;while in the dried form the leaves are used both for fuel and forthatching the native cabins. The maguey plant has been called themiracle of nature, on account of the large number of articles which aremade from it and the variety of uses to which it is adapted. It may beadded that of all these properties of the agave the early Toltecs werefully aware, and improved them for their own benefit. We have measuredspecimens of the well developed plant, the leaves of which were eightfeet in length, a foot in width, and eight inches in thickness. When themaguey is about seven or eight years old it is at its best for theproduction of the desired liquor, and is tapped for the milk-like sap, of which it yields from two quarts to a gallon daily for three or fourmonths. This natural liquor is then called _agua miel_, or honey water, but when it has gone through the process of fermentation it becomes_pulque_. If the plant is left to itself, at about ten years of agethere springs up from the centre of the leaves a tall stem, twelve orfifteen feet in height, which bears upon its apex clusters of richyellow flowers, and then the whole withers and dies, --it never bloomsbut once. The maguey plant constituted the real vineyards of the Aztecs, as well as the tribes preceding them, its product being the drink of thepeople of the country long before the days of the Montezumas. At thiswriting, over eighty thousand gallons of pulque are consumed daily inthe national capital. It is to be regretted, as we have seen itannounced, that an American company propose to go into the business ofpulque making by the use of improved facilities, claiming that it can beproduced by the use of this machinery at one half the present cost, theplants being also made to yield more copiously. Of course it will beadulterated, every intoxicant is, except pulque as at present made fromthe maguey by the Indians. 

The Mexicans have two other forms of spirituous liquors, namely_mescal_, which is also prepared from another species of the maguey, bypressing the leaves in a mill, the juice thus extracted being distilled;and _aguardiente_, or rum, made from sugar-cane juice. Both of these arepowerful intoxicants. A very valuable and harmless article is thussacrificed to make a liquid poison. So in our Middle and Western Stateswe pervert both barley and rye from their legitimate purposes, and turnthem into whiskey, --liquefied ruin. 

Wherever we go among civilized or savage races, in islands or uponcontinents, in the frigid North or the melting South, we find manresorting to some stimulant other than natural food and drink. It is aninstinctive craving, apparently, exhibited and satisfied as surely inthe wilds of Africa, or the South Sea Islands, as by the opium-eatingChinese, or the brandy-drinking Anglo-Saxons. Every people have soughtsome article with which to stimulate the human system. Oftenest this isa fermented liquor; but various articles have been found to serve thepurpose. The Aztecs, and the Toltecs before them, had the fermentedjuice of the maguey plant. The Chinese get their spirituous drink fromrice. People living under the equator distill the saccharine product ofthe sugar-cane for aguardiente. The German combines his malt and hops toproduce beer. The Frenchman depends upon the juice of the grape invarious forms, from light claret to fierce Bordeaux brandy. The Puritansof Massachusetts distilled New England rum from molasses. The faithfulMohammedan, who drinks neither wine nor spirits, makes up for hisabstinence by free indulgence in coffee. In the islands of the IndianOcean the natives stimulate themselves by chewing the betel nut; and inthe Malacca Straits Settlements, Penang, Singapore, and other islands, the people obtain their spirit from the fermented sap of the toddy-palm. In Japan the natives get mildly stimulated by immoderate drinking of teamany times each day; and all of the civilized and barbaric world isaddicted, more or less, to the use of tobacco. 

One of the staple commodities produced here is that classic, beautiful, and precious gem, the opal. It is found imbedded in a certain kind ofrock, in the neighboring mountains, sometimes in cubes, but oftener invery irregular forms. It will be remembered that Nonius, who possessed alarge and brilliant specimen of the opal, preferred exile tosurrendering it to Marc Antony. Whether he was opal-mad or not, it isclear that persons who visit this place are very apt to becomemonomaniacs upon the subject of this beautiful gem. Our party expendedconsiderable sums for these precious stones, cut and uncut, during thebrief period of our visit. The choicest of these specimens is the truefire-opal, which in brilliancy and iridescence excels all others. Nearlyevery person one meets in Queretaro seems to have more or less of theselovely stones to sell; nine tenths of them are of a very cheap quality, really fine ones, being the exception, are valued accordingly. Thepretty flower-girl, who first offers you her more fragrant wares, presently becomes confidential, and, drawing nearer, brings out fromsome mysterious fold of her dress half a dozen sparkling stones whichshe is anxious to dispose of. Even the water carrier, with his huge redearthen jar strapped to his head and back, if he sees a favorableopportunity, will importune the stranger regarding these fiery littlestones. These irresponsible itinerants have some ingenious way offilling up the cracks in an opal successfully for the time being; but, after a few days, the defect will again appear. 

The finest specimens of the opal come from Hungary. They are harder intexture than those found in other parts of the world. Those brought fromAustralia are nearly equal in hardness and brilliancy, while, so far asour own experience goes, the Mexican often excel either in variety ofcolor and brilliancy; but it is not quite so hard as those from theother two sources. This quality of hardness is one criterion of value inprecious stones, the diamond coming first, the ruby following it, and soon. The author has seen an opal in Pesth weighing fourteen carats, forwhich five thousand dollars were refused. They can be purchased atQueretaro at from ten dollars to ten hundred; for the latter price areally splendid gem may be had, emitting a grand display of prismatictints, and all aglow with fire. The natives, notwithstanding the seemingabundance of the stones, hold very tenaciously to the valuation whichthey first place upon them. Of course, really choice specimens arealways rare, and quickly disposed of. While the ancients considered theopal a harbinger of good fortune to the possessor, it has been deemed inour day to be exactly the reverse; and many lovers of the gem havedenied themselves the pleasure of wearing it from a secret superstitionas to its unlucky attributes. This fancy has been gradually dispelled, and fashion now indorses the opal as being both beautiful and desirable. 

Mexico also produces many other precious stones, among which are theruby, amethyst, topaz, garnet, pearl, agate, turquoise, and chalcedony, besides onyx and many sorts of choice marbles. 

On our route to the national capital we pass through a number of smallcities and towns, while we ascend and descend many varying grades. Native women, here and there, bring _agua miel_, or fresh pulque, to us, of which the passengers partake freely. It is a pleasant beverage whenfirst drawn from the plant, very much like new cider, and has nointoxicating effect until fermentation takes place. As we progresssouthward, occasional wayside shrines with a cross and a picture of theVirgin are seen, before which a native woman is sometimes kneeling, butnever a man. Among other interesting places we come to Tula, which wasthe capital city of the Toltecs more than twelve centuries ago. Thecathedral was erected by the invaders in 1553. The baptismal font in thechurch is a piece of Toltec work. There is to be seen the yellow, crumbling walls of a crude Spanish chapel, even older than thecathedral, now fast returning to its native dust. There are otherextremely interesting ruins here, notably a portion of a prehistoriccolumn, and the lower half of a very large statue situated in the plaza. Mr. Ruskin said in his pedantic way that he could not be induced totravel in America because there were no ruins. There _are_ ruins hereand in Yucatan which antedate by centuries anything of recorded historyrelating to the British Isles. Across the Tula River and up the Cerrodel Tesoro are some other ancient ruins which have greatly interestedantiquarians, embracing carved stones and what must once have been partof a group of dwellings, built of stone laid in mud and covered withcement. The valley shows a rich array of foliage and flowers, formingbits of delightful scenery. There are some fifteen hundred inhabitantsin Tula; but it must once have been a large city; indeed, the nameindicates that, meaning "the place of many people. " The locality of theancient capital is now mostly overgrown and hidden from sight. We arefifty miles from the city of Mexico at Tula, and about seven hundredfeet below it. The records of the Spanish conquest tell us that thenatives of this ancient capital were among the first, as a wholecommunity, to embrace the Christian religion; and it seems that itspeople ever remained stanch allies of Cortez in extending his conquests. 

Here we experienced one of those freaks of tropical weather, a furioussummer hail-storm. The thermometer had ranged about 80° in the earlyday, when suddenly heavy clouds seemed to gather from several points ofthe sky at the same time. The thermometer dropped quickly some 30°. Itwas a couple of hours past noon when the clouds began to empty theircontents upon the earth; down came the hailstones like buckshot, onlytwice as large, covering as with a white sheet the parched ground, whichhad not been wet by a drop of rain for months. This unusual stormprevailed for nearly an hour before it exhausted its angry force. "Exceptional?" repeated the station-master on the line of the MexicanCentral Railroad, in reply to a query as to the weather. "I have beenhere ten years, and this is the first time I have seen snow or hail atany season. I should rather say it was exceptional. " By and by, afterstampeding all the exposed cattle, and driving everybody to the nearestshelter and keeping them there, the inky clouds dispersed almost assuddenly as they had gathered, and the thermometer gradually crept backto a figure nearly as high as at noon. The fury of the storm wasfollowed by a sunset of rarest loveliness, eliciting ejaculations ofdelight at the varied and vivid combinations of prismatic colors. Onedoes not soon forget such a scene as was presented at the close of thisday. The sun set in a blaze of orange and scarlet, seen across the longlevel of the cactus-covered prairie, while soft twilight shadowsgathered about the crumbling, vine-screened walls of the old Spanishchurch in the environs of Tula. Soon the stars came into view, one byone, while the moon rode high and serene among the lesser lights of thestill blue sky. 

CHAPTER VII. 

City of Mexico. --Private Dwellings. --Thieves. --Old Mexico. --Climate. --Tramways. --The Plaza Mayor. --City Streets. --The Grand Paseo. -- Public Statues. --Scenes upon the Paseo. --The Paseo de la Viga. -- Out-of-door Concerts. --A Mexican Caballero. --Lottery Ticket Venders. --High Noon. --Mexican Soldiers. --Musicians. --Criminals as Soldiers. --The Grand Cathedral. --The Ancient Aztec Temple. --Magnificent View from the Towers of the Cathedral. --Cost of the Edifice. --Valley of Anahuac. 

As Paris is said to be France, so is the national capital of thiscountry equally representative, it being indisputable that the mainbusiness and the social interests of the country all centre here. Thecity derives its name from the Aztec war-god Mexitli, and is a large andhandsome metropolis, containing considerably over three hundred thousandinhabitants, who embrace a large diversity of nationalities. In 1519, when Cortez first saw it, the city is represented to have been ninemiles in circumference, and to have contained half a million ofinhabitants, --a statement which, we doubt not, is greatly exaggerated, as were nearly all of his representations and those of his followers. This capital originally bore the name of Tenochtitlan, and wascompletely destroyed by the invaders, who established a new city uponthe same site. Cortez officially announced, three or four yearsafterwards, that the population was thirty thousand. "For a century, "says Charles Lemprière, an able writer on Mexico, "the city continued toincrease in numbers, wealth, and power, so that when Captain John Smithand his followers were looking for gold mines in Virginia and thePilgrims were planting corn in Massachusetts, an empire had been foundedand built up on the same continent by the Spaniards, and the moststupendous system of plunder the world ever saw was then and there invigorous operation. "

The streets of the city as we see them to-day are generally broad andstraight, lined with two-story houses, and there are also severalelegant boulevards and spacious avenues. The better class of houses arebuilt of stone, covered with stucco, the windows opening upon cosylittle balconies handsomely ornamented and shaded by linen awnings, often in high colors. The interior construction of the dwellings followsthe usual Spanish style, as seen on the continent of Europe, in theisland of Cuba, and elsewhere, often displaying touches of exquisiteMoorish effect, whose highest expression one sees in the Alhambra atGranada. Here and there there are seen horseshoe arches supported at theabutments by light and graceful columns, inclosing marble-paved courts. The open areas about which the houses are built often present mostpleasing effects by a display of fountains, flowers, and statuarytastefully arranged. On the main thoroughfare leading from the PlazaMayor to the alameda are several grand private residences, having themost beautiful courts, or patios, as they are called, that theimagination can conceive, lovely with tropical trees and flowers invivid colors, and rendered musical by the singing of caged birds. Uponthese areas, which are open to the sky, the inner doors and windows ofthe dwellings open, the second story being furnished with a walk andbalustrade running round the patio. Heavy, nail-studded doors shut offthis domestic area from the street at night. It is not safe to leaveanything outside the house after dark that a man can lift. It is sure tobe stolen, if so exposed. The lower classes all over the country areinveterate thieves. The bolts that fastened the ties to the rails of theNational Railway were stolen nightly by the people, until they werefinally riveted on. But then there are thieves everywhere; we chain ourout-door mats to iron fastenings in Boston, Chicago, and New York, anddealers in "improved burglar alarms" do a thriving business in all ourNorthern cities. 

The houses in this capital are very substantially built, the walls beingcomposed of stuccoed bricks of great thickness. Fires are of rareoccurrence, and, indeed, it would be nearly impossible to burn up one ofthese dwellings. If a fire does occur, it is almost always confined notonly to the building in which it originates, but even to the room whereit first makes its appearance. The roofs are nearly all flat and withoutchimneys; there is no provision made for producing artificial heat inthe dwelling-houses. This is quite endurable even to foreigners in aclimate where the temperature seldom falls below 60° Fahr. , and averagesthe year round nearly ten degrees higher. It is always warm in themiddle of the day, and cool only early in the mornings and at night. The climate may be said to be temperate and the atmosphere is extremelydry. Travelers are liable to suffer considerably from thirst, and thelips are prone to chap, owing to this extreme and peculiar dryness. Thewarmest months of the year are April and May. It was somewhat of asurprise to the author to learn that the death-rate of the city ofMexico averages nearly double that of Boston. As to elevation, it isover seven thousand feet higher than the city of Washington, D. C. , ormore than a thousand feet higher than the summit of Mount Washington, N. H. 

Regarding the fine residences on San Francisco Street, there is apeculiarity observable as to their location. This is almost wholly abusiness street, and therefore to select it for an elegant home seemsincongruous. The choicest residence we can remember on this thoroughfarestands between a large railroad-ticket office and a showy cigar store. This house has a most striking façade finished in Moorish style withenameled tiles, and is on the opposite side of the street from theIturbide Hotel. 

Numerous large squares, beside the grand plaza and the spacious alameda, ornament the capital. Several of the main thoroughfares enter and departfrom the Plaza Mayor, as in the city of Madrid, where the Puerto delSol--"Gate of the Sun"--forms a centre from which radiate so many of theprincipal streets. Some are broad, some are narrow, but all are paved, cleanly, and straight. The street-car system is excellent. If any faultis to be found with the management, it is with the rapid manner in whichthe mules attached to the cars are driven through the highways amid acrowded population; and yet, we were told, accidents rarely if everhappen. They are generally run double, having a first and second classcar, both of which are seemingly well filled at all hours of the day. Funerals are conducted by turning one of the street cars, made for thepurpose, into a catafalque, or hearse, another being reserved for thepall-bearers and mourners. Sometimes one sees a long string of thesecars occupied for this purpose gliding into the suburbs where thegrave-yards are located. The use of cow-horns by the driver to warn thepeople who obstruct the way appeared to be a little primitive, to saythe least of it, in a city so large as this capital. It seems veryeffective, however. The fact that all of the tramway cars start from andreturn to the Plaza Mayor in front of the cathedral makes it easy for astranger to find his way to any desired point of the city or itsenvirons, and safely to return to the starting point when he desires todo so. The Plaza Mayor in every Mexican city is not only the centralpark, but also the central idea. There could no more be a full-fledgedSpanish city without a plaza than a cathedral without a bishop. 

Statistics show that there are nearly, or quite, five hundred miles ofstreets in the Mexican capital. These, intersecting each other at rightangles, are so strangely alike as to be not a little puzzling to theuninitiated. It is also somewhat awkward at first to find one continuousavenue bearing many names, each block being individualized by a freshappellation. This subdivision of the large avenues, we were told, isgradually to be discarded. The admirable boulevard called the Paseo dela Reforma, leads out of the city to the castle of Chapultepec, and isover two miles in length, with a uniform width of two hundred feet, forming the fashionable afternoon drive and promenade of the town. Ithas double avenues of shade trees to the right and left, with stonesidewalks and convenient seats for those who desire them. On either sideof this grand boulevard are seen an occasional chateau with handsomegardens. At certain intervals the avenue widens into a _glorieta_, orcircle, four hundred feet in diameter. The first of these containsCordier's Columbus, one of the most admirable and artistic modernstatues which we remember to have seen, though there appeared to be someconfusion in the extraordinary amount of detail which is crowded uponthe base. Other appropriate monuments ornament the several circles, including an equestrian statue of Charles IV. Of colossal size; thirtytons of metal was used in the casting, and, if not the largest, it isthe second largest that has ever been cast. Still another representsGuatemozin, the last of the Indian emperors. It is a little singularthat Montezuma II. Is not remembered in this connection, he whose lifewas so intimately interwoven with the history of the Aztec race in thetime of Cortez. Humboldt is said to have declared that the statue ofCharles IV. Had but one superior, namely, that of Marcus Aurelius. Thereare six of these _glorietas_, which beautify the long line ofperspective ending in the elevated palace-castle of Chapultepec, withits snow-white, picturesque walls clearly defined against the blue sky. When Maximilian planned and completed this charming driveway, he namedit the Boulevarde Emperiale; but on the establishment of the republicthe more appropriate title which it now bears was adopted. Some peoplepersist in calling it the Empress's Drive, in honor of Carlotta. 

One never wearies of sitting upon the well-arranged benches of the paseoin the afternoon, and watching the motley throng of people driving, riding on horseback, or promenading: the ladies with piercing black eyesand glossy dark hair shrouded by lace mantillas; the dashing equestriansexhibiting all the gay paraphernalia of a Mexican horseman; statelyvehicles drawn by two snow-white mules; tally-ho coaches conveying merryparties of American or English people; youthful aristocrats bestridingLilliputian horses, followed by liveried servants; while here and therea mounted policeman in fancy uniform moves slowly by. In the line ofpedestrians are well-dressed gentlemen in black broadcloth suits, wearing silk hats and sporting button-hole bouquets, mingled with whomare a more common class of the people in picturesque national costumes. The women of the middle class add gayety of color by their red and bluerebosas, sometimes partly covering the head, at others thrown carelesslyover the shoulders, or tied across the chest securing an infant to theback. The general effect of the constantly moving throng iskaleidoscopic, while the mingled groupings are delightfullyentertaining. Nothing more peculiar and striking in its line is to beseen this side of the Maidan, Calcutta. Here, as in that Asiatic ChampsElysées, now and again one sees a light American trotting wagon or aheavy-wheeled English dog cart, with a dude at the reins and a liveriedflunky behind holding a flaring bouquet!

The carriages go out towards Chapultepec on one side and return on theother, during the popular hours for driving, leaving the central portionof the roadway exclusively for equestrians. Every man who can afford itowns a saddle horse in this city, and the men are universally goodriders. The horses are broken to a certain easy gait called the _passo_, a sort of half run, very easy for the rider, scarcely moving him in theseat. These horses average about fifteen hands in height, and are taughtto stop, or turn back, at the least touch of the bit. They are both fastand enduring, with plenty of spirit, and yet are perfectly tractable. The enormous spurs worn by the riders, with rowels an inch long, aremore for show than for use. Mexican or Spanish ladies are hardly everseen on horseback, though both English and American ladies are often metin the saddle, dashing gallantly through the throng upon the paseo atthe fashionable hour. Something of oriental exclusiveness and privacy isobserved by Mexican ladies of the upper class, who drive on the paseoeven in close carriages, not in open barouches, like those of Europeancities. In shopping excursions they do not enter the stores; but thegoods are brought to the door of the vehicle, in which they retaintheir seat while examining the articles which are offered. It is aSunday scene which we are describing; but it is all the gayer for thatreason. The pulque shops drive a lucrative business; the billiardsaloons are all open. Children ride hither and thither in little fancycarriages drawn by goats; donkeys covered with glittering ornaments areridden by small boys, and led by their owners; clouds of highly-coloredtoy balloons float in the air, tied to the wrists of itinerant venders;gambling stands do much abound; while candy-sellers, with long whiteaprons and snow-white paper caps, offer candy and preserved fruits onall sides. The class of women whom we meet as pedestrians are quiteParisian in the free use of rouge for lips and cheeks, not forgettingindigo-blue with which to shade about their dreamy-looking eyes. Ladiesbelonging to the aristocratic class are rarely, if ever, seen walking inthe streets. They only drive in the paseo. For a couple of hours in theclosing part of the day, the paseo is a bright, giddy, alluring scene. Amilitary band performs on Sundays, adding life and spirit to thesurroundings. The wholesome influence of these out-of-door concerts uponthe masses of the people is doubtless fully realized by the government. A love of music is natural to all classes here. Groups of half-clothedmen and women, bareheaded and barefooted, always take places modestly insome corner and quietly listen during the performance of the bands, never speaking while the music lasts. To such these out-door concertsare a real boon. To the higher classes they are simply an addition to along list of other pleasures. Another boulevard, known as the Paseo dela Viga, runs along the banks of the canal of the same name, and leadsout to the Lake Xachimilco; but, since the new paseo was completed thishas ceased to be the favorite resort for driving. It is situated in thesouthern suburb of the city, and seems to be rather deserted, though aswe view it there passes a typical horseman, a description of whom shallbe literal. 

The horse is of Arabian descent. His sire must have been imported fromcontinental Spain, and being crossed upon native stock has produced amedium-sized, high-spirited, handsome animal, with a broad chestexpanded by the air of this altitude, the nostrils being widespread, theears small, and the eyes full of intelligence. The horse's saddle, bridle, and trappings are gorgeous with silver ornaments, without theleast regard to usefulness, twenty-four inches square of leatherfancifully worked and shaped being attached to each stirrup. His riderappears in a short leather jacket, bedizened with silver buttons, tightpantaloons of the same material, also heavy with silver buttons, beingpartially opened at the side and flaring at the bottom. He does not weara waistcoat, but has a mountain of frills on the linen bosom of hisshirt, set off by a red scarf tied about the waist. The spurs upon hisheels are of silver, weighing at least half a pound each, while therowels are an inch long. On his head is a sombrero of yellow or brownfelt, the brim of which is twelve to fifteen inches broad, and the crownmeasuring the same in height. The sombrero is covered with gilt cordformed into a sort of rope where it makes the band. The wearer'smonogram, in gold or silver letters from two to four inches long, on theside of the crown, completes the whole. Every article is of the finestmaterial, and therein, principally, he differs from a Western cowboy ora dandified Buffalo Bill. 

During the period of Lent, owing to some caprice of fashion, the Paseode la Viga becomes the popular afternoon resort for vehicles andequestrians. 

While we are making these notes, sitting upon the curbstone of afountain of the paseo, we are personally reminded that the lotteryticket vender is ubiquitous. Sometimes it is a man who importunes you topurchase, sometimes a young girl, and at others even a child of elevenor twelve years belonging to either sex. The pretty girl of course findsthe most customers, offering to "kiss the ticket for good luck, " and onthe sly, perhaps the purchaser also. This must be a Spanish idea, as itis practiced both in Madrid and Cuba. The Mexican government realizesfully a million dollars per annum from the licenses granted to protectthis gross swindle upon the public. It is a regular thing for prominentbusiness houses to make their monthly purchases of these lotterytickets; rich and poor, prince and beggar, alike invest, differing onlyin the amount; while most strangers, smothering their conscientiousscruples, purchase a ticket, thus adding their mite to the generalfolly. We were told in Havana that one satisfaction in buying tickets inthe national lottery there was, that like the Louisiana Lottery it washonestly conducted. Our incredulity upon the subject was laughed toscorn, but since then the Havana Lottery has been detected in a seriesof the most barefaced swindlings that can be imagined. As to that ofLouisiana, we never for a moment have believed in there being anything"honest" about it. A concern which can afford to offer the Stategovernment of Louisiana over a million dollars per annum for theprivilege of running a gambling institution there, must carry on a morereckless swindling game upon the public at large than its worst enemieshave suspected. 

Just at high noon, on our return from the Paseo de la Viga, the PlazaMayor was reached on the great square fronting the cathedral, where asimultaneous movement was observed among the people who filled the largearea. As the cathedral and church bells throughout the city chimed thehour of twelve, every Mexican in sight uncovered his head and boweddevoutly. It was difficult to analyze this spirit of reverence, forwhich no one could assign any satisfactory reason except that it was thecustom. 

The swarthy soldiers of the republic are often seen paraded opposite theplaza, and though they are sure to recall the French Zouaves, yet theylack their admirable discipline and perfection of company movements. Indeed, to speak plainly, the author has never seen a more slatternly, knock-kneed, uncouth body of soldiers than the rank and file of theMexican army. The white gaiters of the French Zouaves moving alltogether have a fine effect when a body of them are marching through aParisian boulevard; but the Mexican soldiers have neither stockings norgaiters, besides which they do not pretend to keep step at all whenmarching. They move at will, while the bottoms of their feet only arecovered with the crudest sort of sandals, laced about the ankles withleather thongs. Every soldier in the Mexican service is his ownshoemaker. An intelligent officer, in reply to a question regarding thesandal for army use, said: "They are far more comfortable for a soldieron the march than any shoe that can be made. They are cool, cheap, anddo not irritate the feet. They can be renewed anywhere in this country, and a sandal that will fit one man will do for any other in theregiment. In a warm climate nothing is so suitable for the feet of asoldier. " It is well known that so painful will close shoes often becometo the foot soldier, that he will take them off and throw them away indespair when making a forced march, preferring to walk barefooted ratherthan endure the suffering caused by swollen feet and tight shoes, whichcannot occur when the sandal is used. The feet have always perfectfreedom in them, and the sole and toes are protected. Neither men norwomen of the common class wear stockings, and in fact nine out of ten ofthe population of the country go barefooted all the year round. 

It puzzles a stranger to see a good military band--and they areexcellent musicians here--play upon their instruments in perfectharmony, and at the same time march out of step or cadence with themusic. It would seem almost impossible for one possessing a true musicalear to perform such a trick. With any European or American band, bothfeet and instruments would get out of accord constantly, or fall into itnaturally. Like the king's guard in Hawaii, the troops here parade inwhite linen or cotton uniforms, stout and unbleached, with a plenty ofsilvered buttons, the cap being white and of the same material as therest of the simple costume. At times they appear in a plain uniform ofdark blue, but this is on special occasions only, as it is considered tobe full dress. The officers are nearly all graduates of the militaryschool at Chapultepec, where the best of foreign teachers are employedin the various departments, so that in future it is confidently expectedthat the army will be found in a more efficient condition than everbefore. The common soldiers, we were told, are composed of ratherquestionable material. A large percentage of them are criminals releasedfrom prison on condition of their enlisting and serving for a certainlength of time in the ranks of the regular army. On the caps of thoseserving out a term of imprisonment in this manner are certain marksindicating the same, as well as showing the length of the prescribedservice. Punishment is ever prompt in this country, and despotic methodsprevail. Any one attempting to evade his term of service, or breakingarmy regulations, is very apt to have his business settled by a bulletat once, without even the form of a trial. The department of the cavalryseemed to a casual observer to be much more efficient than that of theinfantry. The fact is, the average Mexican is an admirable horseman, and appears better in that capacity than in any other. The national orstanding army numbers about forty-five thousand of all arms, besideswhich each state has a regular militia force, but of a poorly organizedcharacter, in most instances, as we were informed, being neitheruniformed, nor drilled at regular periods. President Diaz is opposed tothe employment of criminals, such as we have described, thinking withgood reason that it has a tendency to bring disrepute upon the service. This would seem to be such an unquestionable fact as to admit of noargument. 

As, in the case of the first Spanish invasion, Cortez with his handfulof followers could not have conquered and possessed Mexico but for thedissensions existing among the several native tribes, so, as regards theFrench invasion and attempt to seat Maximilian on the throne of a newAmerican empire, these invaders could not have met with even the partialsuccess which they achieved had the Mexican people presented an unbrokenfront in opposition. The American invasion was also more or lessfavorably affected by partisan divisions among the Mexicans. The presentorganization of the army is upon a basis so national, and is governed bya spirit so faithful to the whole union of the states, that in case ofanother war Mexico could put a large and effective army into the field. In other words, she is better prepared to-day than ever before tosuccessfully maintain her national integrity by force of arms. 

The famous cathedral of Mexico, with its tall twin towers and gracefuldome, is built of unhewn stone, and fronts upon the Plaza Mayor, formingthe main architectural feature of the city. Ninety years did not sufficeto complete it, and several millions of dollars were expended in theoriginal construction. Among the sixty churches of the capital it ispreeminent for its vast proportions and elaborate architectural finish. The edifice stands upon the spot, or very near it, which, was onceoccupied by the great Aztec temple dedicated to the war god of thenation, which the Spaniards promptly destroyed after subjugating thenatives and taking full possession of the place. The first church onthis site after the destruction of the idolatrous temple was founded byCharles V. His successor ordered it to be pulled down, and the presentedifice erected in its place. We are told that the great Aztec templewas surrounded by walls having four gates fronting the four cardinalpoints, and that within the enclosure were five hundred dwellingsaccommodating the priests and priestesses, and others who were devotedto religious dances and devotional ceremonies connected with the worshipand service of the idols. Five thousand priests chanted night and daybefore the altars. Consecrated fountains and gardens of holy flowerswere there, mingling barbaric fanaticism with natural beauty. Indescribing these matters the old priests and monks gave free scope totheir imaginations. 

The ancient temple was pyramidal, the summit being about one hundred andfifty feet above the ground, and accessible by numerous broad stonesteps. On the platform at the top, according to Spanish authorities, human sacrifices took place not only daily but hourly; wars were madewith neighboring tribes to supply victims for the altar, and when therewas a revolt among the native tribes, it was subdued by the strong arm, while the offending district was compelled to supply a certain number oftheir people to die on the sacrificial stone. It is represented that thenumber of lives thus disposed of was reckoned by tens of thousands. David A. Wells, in his able and comprehensive work entitled, "A Study ofMexico, " says of these Spanish chroniclers that their representationsare the merest romance, no more worthy of credence than the stories of"Sindbad the Sailor, " though from this source alone Prescott drew thedata for his popular "Conquest of Mexico. " One of these chroniclers, whogives his name as Bernal Diaz, not only repeats these stories of themultitudinous sacrifice of human beings at the rate of thousandsmonthly, but charges the Cholulans with "fattening men and women to usefor food, keeping them in pens as animals are fatted!" Wilson pronouncesthis to be intolerable nonsense, and though Diaz pretends to have beenone of Cortez's soldiers, always with him throughout his remarkableinvasion, Wilson proves clearly that he was never in the country at all. His obvious and constant blunders as to geography and other matterswould alone convict him of being a pretender and not a true witness. Besides which, he contradicts both himself and Cortez's account in manyimportant particulars. We believe, with Wilson, that this name ofBernal Diaz is a pure fabrication, gotten up as a priestly scheme tofurther their own purposes, and cover up the insufferable wickedness ofthe Roman Church in Mexico, as well as to screen the bloodthirsty careerof its agent Cortez. Las Casas declared all these Spanish histories ofthe conquest to be wicked and false. He wrote a history himself, frompersonal observation, but as it would have exposed the falsehoods andschemes of the priestly chroniclers, it was promptly suppressed by theall-powerful Inquisition. 

In destroying and leveling the great sacrificial mound which formed thepyramid supporting the Aztec temple, together with the debris of thedismantled dwellings and temples generally belonging to the native race, the Spanish conquerers must have found ample material wherewith to fillup the many canals and small lakes which made of this ancient Azteccapital another Venice. Every vestige of aboriginal architecture hasdisappeared from the surface of the city. Three hundred and sixty oddyears have served to turn the probably frail dwellings of the peoplecompletely to dust. So, also, have the earliest structures of theSpaniards disappeared. There are few of their churches which have notbeen rebuilt. The causeways which connected the ancient city with themainland are still considerably higher than the general level of theplain, and are thus distinctly marked, besides being bordered withvenerable umbrageous trees, tall and graceful, producing a fine effect, particularly when seen from a distance, forming divisional lines in thebroad and varied landscape. 

The façade of the present grand cathedral, at each side of which rises amassive tower crowned by a bell-shaped dome, is divided by buttressesinto three parts, and though there is some confusion of orders, Doricand Ionic prevailing, still as a whole the front is majestic andimposing. The towers are each over two hundred feet in height, and arealso of mingled orders. In the western tower is the great bell, _nineteen feet_ high, named Santa Maria de Guadalupe. We know of nothingof the sort exceeding it in size and weight except the great Russianbell to be seen in the square of the Kremlin at Moscow. Thebasso-relievos, statues, friezes, and capitals of the façade of thegreat edifice are of white marble, which time has rendered harmoniouswith the gray stone. Though millions of dollars have been lavishlyexpended upon the interior, --the cost of the bare walls was over twomillions, --it will strike an artistic eye as incongruous. Like the grandand costly interiors of the churches at Toledo, Burgos, and Cordova, inSpain, the general effect is seriously marred by placing the choir inthe middle of the nave. It is like breaking midway some otherwise grandperspective. The cathedral is over four hundred feet in length and twohundred in width. Quadruple pillars, each thirty-five feet incircumference, support its roof, which is a hundred and seventy-fivefeet from the floor. The high altar--there are six altars in all--wasonce the richest in the world, and though the church has been many timesplundered, it still retains much of its magnificence. The solid goldcandlesticks, heavier than a single pair of arms could lift, the statueof the Assumption, which was also composed of solid gold, inlaid withdiamonds, rubies, and other precious stones, valued at a milliondollars, besides many other equally extravagant and nearly as costlyobjects, have from time to time disappeared. But with all of its losses, this cathedral is doubtless decorated in a more costly manner than anyother in America. The railing of the choir is a remarkable affair, manufactured in China at great cost, and weighs nearly thirty tons. Itis said to be composed of silver, gold, and copper, containing so muchgold that an offer has been made to take it down and replace it with oneof solid silver in exchange. The original cost of this railing is statedto have been one million and a half dollars! (Spanish authority. ) Thereare a dozen or more side chapels, inclosed in bronze gates, in one ofwhich the Mexican Emperor Iturbide is buried, though he was condemnedand executed as a traitor. Two invaluable oil paintings hang upon thewalls, a genuine Murillo and an original Michael Angelo. A dim lightpervades the interior of the cathedral, tempered by the flare of tallcandles, but it lacks the beautiful effect of stained glass windows. Theimagination, however, is very active, and easily summons from the dimpast ghostly shadows, while an overpowering sense of height and silenceprevails. 

Here Maximilian and Carlotta were crowned, in 1864, emperor and empress, with great ceremony, little dreaming how briefly their imperial honorswould remain to them. 

In contemplating this grand architectural development, as well as thehundreds of other similar structures, erected at such enormousexpenditures of money and labor, one cannot but be exercised by mingledemotions. We are apt to recall how much of absolute misery was entailedupon the down-trodden natives, who were compelled to work for barelysufficient food to sustain life. The control of the priesthood wasabsolute; they levied taxes upon everything and everybody. They wereamenable to no civil laws, and recognized none but those of the church. The extent to which they carried their extortion is almost beyondbelief, and the amount of wealth which they accumulated is nearlyincredible. At the time of the reform, the clergy absolutely owned threefourths of the entire property of the country. 

The view from the towers of the cathedral, --in which there are betweenforty and fifty costly bells, each dedicated to some saint ormartyr, --is so remarkable that not even the most casual visitor to thecapital should miss it. It presents such a picture as promptlyphotographs itself on the brain, never to be obliterated. It was fromthis locality, on the summit of the Aztec temple which stood here fourhundred years ago, that Montezuma pointed out to Cortez the beauties ofhis capital and its fairy-like environs, so soon to be destroyed by thehands of the ruthless invader. At our feet lies the tree-dotted plaza, with its central pleasure-garden and its fine architecturalsurroundings, including the long, white façade of the national palace, while the entire city is spread out before us with its myriad domes, spires, thoroughfares, and causeways. There are typical scenes andgroups everywhere formed by the eddies of busy life. Long lines ofheavy-laden burros thread the streets, the natives assume the size ofhuge insects crawling about in bright colors, the blooming trees arelike button-hole bouquets, and dashing horsemen move about like animatedmarionettes. Not far away looms against the blue sky the tall castle ofChapultepec, while the clustered towers of Guadalupe, the Mecca of allpious Mexicans, comes still nearer to the vision. The many outlyingvillages upon the plateau, each with its central spire, recall thelovely plains of Granada. The distant fields of maguey, the verdantpatches of alfalfa, luxuriant meadows, groups of grazing cattle, and thetwo arched stone aqueducts are all prominent features presentingthemselves to the eye, together with the gardens and villas of Tacubayaand San Angel. As we gaze at the unequaled panorama, which Humboldtpronounced to be the most beautiful the eye ever rested upon, thethought forced itself upon us that with all its scenic beauty, thisvalley and plain of Anahuac has for centuries been cursed with crime andbarbarism. The whole scene is inclosed by a grand circle of mountains, just far enough away to clothe them in charming purple. The rarefiedatmosphere adds distinctness and brilliancy of coloring to everything. Two of these sky-reaching elevations are of world-wide reputation, namely, Mount Popocatepetl ("the smoking mountain"), and MountIxtaccihuatl ("the white woman"). The former presents so perfect aconical form, while the summit is rounded into a dome of dazzlingwhiteness, that it seems to far exceed the height of eighteen thousandfeet which is accorded to it; and though it does not rise abruptly fromsea level to its giddy height, like Mount Tacoma in the State ofWashington, still in shape it much resembles that noble elevation. 

Cortez in 1520 and Scott in 1847 led their conquering hosts over theelevated pass which nature had formed between these mountains. The twosummits are connected by a well-wooded ridge, itself some three thousandfeet in height, looking from a distance like a deep valley between thegrand mountains. While regarding the interesting scene, it was naturalto compare the loftiest elevation before us with that of the Valley ofChamounix. Mont Blanc is a little less than sixteen thousand feet at itssummit above the sea. Popocatepetl is a little less than eighteenthousand, but the latter rises from the plateau of Mexico, which is overseven thousand feet above the sea, while Mont Blanc at the base, is onlythirty-five hundred feet above the ocean. Thus about two thousand feetmore of elevation is visible to the eye in the Swiss mountain than theMexican monarch shows above the plain. 

In the rear of the cathedral, and adjoining it, is an interesting chapelknown as the Capilla de las Animas, "Chapel of the Souls. " It is reallya part of the cathedral, though arranged quite separate from it, facingupon the Calle de las Escalerillas. We find no record of its origin, though it is said to have been built in 1748 to replace a similaredifice which was destroyed by fire. The branch of business to whichthis chapel is devoted, as we were told upon the spot, was to pray tothe good God to release souls from purgatory! One Concha, a priest whocarried on this lucrative farce until he was eighty-seven years old, died so long ago as 1755, having, as the church record shows, "celebrated" over forty-five thousand masses in his time; the amount ofcash received for the same is not set down. As the priests do nothing oncredit, officiating at marriages or funerals, selling indulgences orperforming masses for cash only, this good man must have realized forhis services, in the aggregate, at the very lowest reasonable estimate, about one million dollars. Undoubtedly high rates were sometimes paid toget a very "hard case" out of purgatory. Sinners who dreaded a futurestate of punishment, as a just reward for their evil deeds on earth, were accustomed to leave Father Concha a good round sum of money, topray them out of the uncomfortable quarters to which they expected to beconsigned after departing from this life. Like a certain shrewdIrishman, they "accepted" purgatory, fearing they might go further andfare worse. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

An Extinct Volcano. --Mexican Mountains. --The Public Institutions of the Capital. --The Government Palace. --The Museum. --Maximilian's State Carriage. --A Peculiar Plant. --The Academy of Fine Arts. -- Choice Paintings. --Art School. --Picture Writing. --Native Artists. --Exquisite Pottery. --Cortez's Presents to Charles V. --A Special Aztec Art. --The Sacrificial Stone. --Spanish Historical Authorities. --Public Library. --The Plaza. --Flower Market. --A Morning Visit. -- Public Market. --Concealed Weapons. 

The crater of Popocatepetl--being an extinct volcano--is now a valuablesulphur mine. To obtain this product, it is necessary to descend intothe crater by means of a rope, one of great length being required forthe purpose; and when a certain quantity is secured, it is packed inmats before being hoisted to the mouth of the crater. The Indians tiethese packages together; then, making a cushion of their serapes, theyslide down the mountain as far as the snow extends, dragging the matsafter them. On the north side of the volcano, near the limit of treegrowth, the sulphur is distilled in iron retorts, and is then ready forthe market. The crater's mouth is huge in dimensions, being half a milein diameter, and the amount of native sulphur deposited there isenormous, --practically inexhaustible. This profitable sulphur mine isowned, or was, a few months since, by General Ochoa, a resident of thecapital. It is said that when Cortez had expended his supply ofgunpowder, he resorted to the crater of Popocatepetl for sulphur to makea fresh supply, and that the natives had never ascended the mountainuntil the Spaniards showed them the way. Earthquakes are not uncommon, even to-day, near the base of this monarch mountain; but no eruption hastaken place since 1692. Earthquakes have always been more or less commonin Mexico, but never very serious in the capital; otherwise, with itsinsecure foundations, it must have suffered seriously. Smoke is reportedto have been seen bursting forth from the crater of Popocatepetl severaltimes at long intervals, but no positive volcanic action has taken placesince the date named. Its actual height is given by the best authoritiesas being but about two hundred feet less than eighteen thousand. 

One is apt to speculate mentally, while gazing upon it, as to thepossibility of this sleeping volcano one day awaking to destructiveaction. That it still lives is clearly seen by the smoke and sulphurousbreath which it exhales, and the occasional significant earthquakeswhich occur about its widespread base. There are seventeen or eighteenmountains in the republic which rise more than ten thousand feet abovethe level of the sea, four of which are over fifteen thousand feet inheight, Popocatepetl being the loftiest of them all. Parties ascend onhorseback to the snow line, and from thence the distance to the summitis accomplished on foot. Some adventurous people make the descent intothe crater by means of the bucket and windlass used by thesulphur-gatherers, but the most inquisitive can see all that they desirefrom the northerly edge of the cone. The expeditions for the ascent aremade up at Amecameca. The time necessarily occupied is about three days, and the cost is twenty-five dollars for each person. It is a veryexhausting excursion, and few persons undertake it. 

The city of Mexico is famous for its large numbers of scientific, literary, and charitable institutions, its many schools, primary andadvanced, and its several well-appointed hospitals. The national palacecovers the whole eastern side of the Plaza Mayor, having a frontage ofnearly seven hundred feet, and occupies the site of the royal residenceof the Montezumas, if we may credit tradition. The present edifice waserected in 1693, in place of one which Cortez and the Spanish viceroyshad occupied until it was destroyed by fire in 1692. Though the palaceis only two stories in height, yet the central tower over the mainentrance and the finish on each side of it give it all necessaryprominence. It contains the President's suite of rooms, and thosedevoted to the various departments of the state officials. The hall ofambassadors, a very long, narrow apartment, is interesting on account ofits life-size portraits of Mexican rulers from the period ofindependence, a majority of whom either endured exile or publicexecution! At the extreme end of this hall is a very good full-lengthportrait of our Washington. Here, also, is a pretentious battle-piece bya native artist, representing the battle of Puebla, when the Frenchwere so completely defeated. The picture is entitled "Cinco de Mayo, "the date of the conflict. It is not a fine specimen of art, but it iscertainly a very effective picture. This battle of the 5th of May wasanother Waterloo for the French. An apartment known as Maximilian's roomis shown to the visitor, situated in the corner of the palace, havingtwo windows at right angles and thus commanding a view in twodirections, one window overlooking the plaza, the other the businessstreets leading to the market. A room called the hall of Iturbide ishung in rich crimson damask, displaying the eagle and serpent, whichform the arms of Mexico. The edifice contains also the GeneralPost-office and the National Museum. In the armory of the palace therewas pointed out to us the stand of arms with which the ArchdukeMaximilian and his two faithful officers were shot at Queretaro. In thegrounds which form the patio of the palace, a small botanical garden ismaintained, containing many exotics, choice trees and plants, besides acollection of those indigenous to the country. The curiosities in thedepartment of antiquity of the museum are of intense interest. In anhistorical point of view they are invaluable. A great amount of moneyand intelligent labor has been expended upon the collection with highlysatisfactory results. It is of engaging interest to the merest museumfrequenter, but to the archæologist it is valuable beyond expression. Here are also deposited the extensive solid silver table-serviceimported for his own use by Maximilian, and also the ridiculously gildedand bedizened state carriage brought hither from Europe, built afterthe English style of the seventeenth century. The body of the vehicle ispainted red, the wheels are gilded, and the interior is lined with whitesilk brocade, heavily trimmed with silver and gold thread. It surpassesin elegance and cost any royal vehicle to be seen in Europe, notexcepting the magnificent carriages in the royal stables of Vienna andSt. Petersburg. Among the personal relics seen in the museum is the coatof mail worn by Cortez during his battles from Vera Cruz to the capital, also the silk banner which was borne in all his fights. This small flagbears a remarkably lovely face of the Madonna, which must have been thework of a master hand. The shield of Montezuma is also exhibited, withmany arms, jewels, and picture writings, these last relating to historicmatters, both Toltec and Aztec. The great sacrificial stone of theaborigines, placed on the ground floor of the museum, is, in all itsdetail, a study to occupy one for days. It is of basalt, elaboratelychiseled, measuring nine feet in diameter and three feet in height. Onthis stone the lives of thousands of human beings, we are told, wereoffered up annually. The municipal palace is on the south side of theplaza, nearly opposite to which is a block of buildings resting uponarcades like those of the Rue Rivoli in Paris. Let us not forget tomention that in the garden of the national palace the visitor is shown aremarkable floral curiosity called the hand-tree, covered with brightscarlet flowers, almost exactly in the shape of the human hand. This isthe _Cheirostemon platanifolium_ of the botanists, an extremely rareplant, three specimens of which only are known to exist in Mexico. 

In the rear of the national palace is the Academy of Fine Arts, generally spoken of as the Academy of San Carlos, --named in honor ofCarlos III. Of Spain, --which contains three or four well-filledapartments of paintings, with one and, in some instances, two pictureseach of such masters as Leonardo da Vinci, Velasquez, Titian, Van Dyck, Rubens, Perugino, and others. There is also a large hall of sculptureattached, which presents casts of many well-known and classic originals. This department, however, does not compare well with the rest of theinstitution. The art gallery will be sure to greatly interest thestranger, as being the foundation of an institution evidently destinedin time to reach a high degree of excellence. Besides possessing severalpriceless examples by the old masters, there are many admirablepictures, the result of native talent, which are remarkable for theirconception and execution. Two large canvases by José Maria Velasco, representing the Valley of Mexico, form fine and striking landscapeswhich few modern painters can equal. These two paintings were exhibitedat the Philadelphia Exposition, and won high encomiums. In ourestimation, the gem of the galleries is, unquestionably, the largecanvas by Felix Parra, a native artist. It is entitled "Las Casasprotecting the Aztecs from slaughter by the Spaniards. " This youngartist, not yet much over thirty years of age, has given us in thispicture an original conception most perfectly carried out, which hasalready made him famous. It was painted before Parra had ever seen anyother country except Mexico, but it won for him the first prize at theAcademy of Rome. The original painting was exhibited at the New OrleansExposition not long since, eliciting the highest praise from artcritics. It is worthy of being placed in the Louvre or the Uffizi. Onecanvas, entitled "The Dead Monk, " attracted us as being singularlyeffective. The scene represents several monks, with tapers in theirhands, surrounding the dead body of a brother of their order. The dimlight illumines the scared faces of the group, as it falls upon thecalm, white features of the dead. The masterly handling of color in thispicture has rarely been excelled. 

The Academy of San Carlos contains an art school free to the youth ofthe city, and is subsidized by government to the amount of thirty-fivethousand dollars per annum. As we passed through the galleries, a largeclass of intelligent-looking boys, whose age might have ranged fromtwelve to fifteen years, were busily engaged with their pencils anddrawing-paper in copying models placed before them, under thesupervision of a competent instructor. It was pleasant to see thedemocratic character of this assemblage of pupils. All classes wererepresented. The school is as free to the son of a peon as to him withthe richest of parents. Prizes are given for meritorious work by thestudents; one annual prize is especially sought for, namely, anallowance of six hundred dollars a year for six years, to enable therecipient to study art abroad. The institution is in a reasonablyflourishing condition, but it lacks the stimulus of an appreciativecommunity to foster its growth and to incite emulation among its pupils. Strangers visit, admire, and applaud, but native residents exhibitlittle or no enthusiasm for this nucleus of the fine arts in thenational capital. The encouragement offered to artists in any line inMexico is extremely small. There can hardly be said to be any homedemand for their products. There is one other canvas, seen in thegalleries, which comes back to memory, and of which it is a pleasure tospeak in commendation. The artist's name has escaped us, but theadmirable and effective picture represented "Columbus contemplating theSea. "

Art should certainly be at home in Mexico, where it has found expressionin various forms for hundreds of years. What were the picture-writingsof the aborigines but early examples of art? There are numerousspecimens of Aztec paintings illustrative of the early history ofMexico, which were produced long before the arrival of the conqueringSpaniards. Some of these on deerskin, and some on a sort of parchment, or papyrus, which the Toltecs and Aztecs made from the leaves of themaguey plant, may be seen in European museums. They show that the artsof metal casting and the manufacture of cotton and of jewelry werederived from the Toltecs by the Aztecs. There are plenty of examples tobe seen showing that these aborigines were admirable workers in silverand gold. So eager was Cortez to send large sums of gold to hissovereign, and thus to win royal forgiveness and countenance as regardedhis gross insubordination in stealing away from Cuba, and in boldlytaking upon himself all the prerogatives of a viceroy, that he not onlyextorted every ounce of gold dust he could possibly obtain from thenatives of the conquered provinces, but he melted many of theirbeautiful and precious ornaments into more available shape for hispurpose. Some of these he transmitted to Spain, where, in course oftime, they also shared the same fate. The aggregate sum thus sent by himto Spain, as given in the records of the period, was so large as toprovoke our incredulity. Were specimens of those golden ornaments, theproduct of Toltec and Aztec art, now extant, they would be worth fiftytimes their weight in gold, and form tangible links of historyconnecting the present with the far past. This native art has beenhanded down from generation to generation; and there is nothing of thesort made in the world superior to Mexican silver filigree work, whichrecalls the lace-like texture of similar ornaments manufactured atGenoa. Again, illustrative of this natural instinct for art in theaborigines, let us not forget to speak of the colored straw picturesproduced by the Indian women, representing natural scenery and prominentbuildings, done with wonderful fidelity, even in the matter ofperspective. Statuettes or wax figures are also made by them, representing the native laboring classes and street scenes to the verylife. This is a sort of specialty in Naples; but we have never seen oneof these small Italian figures superior to those which one can buy inthe stores on San Francisco Street in Mexico, all of which are the workof untaught native Indians. While we are writing these lines, therestands upon our library table a specimen of Mexican pottery which webrought from Guadalajara. It is of an antique pattern, made by hand inan Indian mud cabin, beautifully decorated and glazed, combining colorswhich mingle in perfect harmony. This is not an organized industry here. Each family produces its own ware for sale; and no two pieces can beexactly similar. No people, unless possessed of a high degree ofartistic instinct and appreciation, could produce pottery, either inshape or finish, such as the traveler sees at Guadalajara. 

We are told that the ancient Aztecs excelled in one branch of art aboveall others; namely, in the production of scenes and variousornamentations in feather work, the effect of which is similar toFlorentine mosaic. The gorgeous plumage of the humming-bird and ofparrots was especially devoted to this object. The feathers, glued upona cotton web, were made into dresses for the wealthy to wear on festaloccasions. The gradations and brilliancy of these feather pictures aresaid to have been marvelous. There is preserved in the museum at thenational capital a vestment of this character, said to have been worn byMontezuma II. Antonio de Solis, royal historiographer, speaks of "aquantity of plumes and other curiosities made from feathers, " by theAztecs, "whose beauty and natural variety of colors, found on the nativebirds of the country, were placed and combined with wonderful art, distributing the several colors and shadowing the light with the dark soexactly, that, without making use of artificial colors or of the pencil, they could draw pictures, and would undertake to imitate nature. " One isconstantly importuned, in the patio of the Iturbide Hotel, to purchasefigures and small landscapes newly made of these brilliant feathers, offered at a very moderate price. Indeed, their production forms quitean industry among a certain class of Indians. So it seems that this arthas been inherited; there being no present market for such elaborateexamples as used to be produced, the fine artistic ability of centuriespast is neither demanded, nor does it exist. According to one Spanishauthority (Clavigero), so abundant were sculptured images that thefoundation of the cathedral on the Plaza Mayor is entirely composed ofthem! Another writer of the same nationality (Gama) says that a newcellar cannot be dug in the capital without turning up some of themouldering relics of barbaric art. As cellars cannot be dug at all onaccount of the mere crust of earth existing above the water, thisveracious historian could not have written from personal knowledge, orhave visited the country. It is these irresponsible writers who havemade "history" to suit their own purposes. Father Torquemada surpassesBaron Munchausen when he tells us that, at the dedication of a certainaboriginal temple, a procession of persons two miles long, numberingseventy-two thousand, perished on the sacrificial stone, which is nowexhibited in the National Museum of Mexico. This stone, by the way, isto our mind clearly Toltec, not Aztec. Examination shows it to beidentical with the stone relics of Tula, the original capital of theToltecs. The same may be said of the "Calendar Stone, " placed in theouter walls of the cathedral. 

The National Conservatory of Music, dating from January 25, 1553, isnear at hand; so also is the National Library, where the admirablecollection of books numbers nearly two hundred thousand. The confiscatedconvent of Saint Augustine serves as an appropriate building for thislibrary of choice books. We say of choice books, not only because theyare many of them unique, but because all books are choice, being sourcesfrom which the careful student and historian can cull true history andphilosophy. He does not accept each and all of the statements which arehere presented, but from the collated mass culls the truthfuldeductions. These books very largely and very naturally relate toreligious subjects, as they are mostly made up from the confiscatedconvent libraries heretofore existing in Mexico. Valuable modern andsecular books have been added to these collections from time to time. Our attention was called to a volume bearing the date of 1472, and toone still older which was printed in two colors. There is here an atlasof England which was printed in Amsterdam in 1659, with steel plates, and in colors which are as bright and fresh as though just from thepress. A Spanish and Mexican dictionary, printed in Mexico in 1571, showed how early the printing-press followed the period of theconquest. A book of autographs bearing the names of Cortez's notablesoldiers was interesting. This, we understood, was one of themuch-coveted prizes which has been sought by foreign collectors. Themanuscripts are of great antiquity and interest. One was in the form ofa large volume, done with the pen in old English letters; another, veryhighly prized, is of painted pictures, which purports to be originaldispatches from Montezuma to his allies, and which was captured byCortez. This last is on a roll of prepared deerskin. The richly-carvedfront of the library is a profound study in itself, and is the work of anative artist. The fence which incloses the edifice is ornamented withmarble busts of famous scientists, orators, and authors, while beautifulflowers grace the small plot in front, the whole made refreshingly coolby the playing of a small fountain. This library contains books in alllanguages, and bearing dates of four hundred years since. Some of thesebooks are almost priceless in value, very old, and believed to beunique. We were told that an agent of the British Museum, who camethousands of miles for the purpose, had offered a fabulous price forsome half a dozen volumes on the shelves of the National Library ofMexico; but he offered the princely sum in vain, --a fact which speakswell for those in authority. The library has no systematic arrangementand no catalogue. 

The Plaza Mayor must be fully a thousand feet square. It was laid outand beautified under the personal direction of the youthful, handsome, and would-be empress, Carlotta, who exhibited exquisite taste in suchmatters, and hesitated at no cost to carry out her imperial will, freelyexpending from her private fortune for the purpose. In the centre of theplaza is the Zacalo, so called, screened with groups of orange-trees, choice shrubbery, and flowers. Here there is a music stand and fountain, where frequent out-of-door concerts are given by military bands, especially in the evenings. At the western side of the square, under theshadow of the cathedral, is the flower market, rendering the wholeneighborhood fragrant in the early mornings with the perfume it exhales, while it delights the eye with hillocks of bright color. This market isin an iron pavilion covered in part with glass, the lovely goodspresided over by nut-brown women and pretty Indian girls. Barbaric asthe Aztecs were, they had a true love and tenderness for flowers, usingthem freely in their religious rites, a taste which three hundred yearsand more of oppression, together with foreign and civil wars, has notserved to extinguish. The most abundant specimens of the floral kingdomone meets with here are red and white roses, very finely developed, pinks of all colors, violets, mignonette, heliotrope, scarlet and whitepoppies, pansies, and forget-me-nots. Such flowers were artisticallymingled in large bouquets, with a delicate backing of maiden-hair fern, and sold for fifteen cents each. There is no fixed tariff of prices, strangers naturally paying much more than the residents, and the sumfirst demanded being usually double what will be finally received, --amanner of trade which is by no means confined to the Spanish-speakingraces. It must be remembered that although, these are cultivatedflowers, still they bloom out-of-doors all the year round. The womenvenders emulate their lovely wares in the colors they assume in theircostumes. The dahlia, we are told, first came from the valley of Mexico. The universal love of flowers finds expression in the houses, not onlyof the rich, but in those of the very humble poor, all over the town andthe environs. 

It was interesting to note the special class of customers drawn in theearly morning to this flower pagoda. These were the true lovers ofFlora, bent upon securing their favorites while damp with dewysweetness. There was the very humble but appreciative purchaser, whoinvested only a few centavos, but took away a choice collection ofbright colors and of mingled fragrance. Here was an ardent lover, alleagerness, who would write his words of devotion to his idol in thealphabet of angels. Now and then an American tourist was seen to carryaway an armful of bouquets to bestow with impartial hand among his ladyfriends. Looking on at the suggestive scene is a scantily-clad Indiangirl, with a curious hungry expression upon her face. Is it flowers orfood that she craves? She shall have both. How rich the color of hercheek; how eloquent the expression of her dark eyes; how grateful herhesitating smile, as she receives from the stranger a piece of silverand a cluster of flowers!

On the open space in front of the cathedral a sort of daily fair isheld, where a most incongruous trade is carried on amid greatconfusion; but there are no more male and female slaves offered for salehere, as in the days of the Spanish victors. Slavery existed both underAztec and Spanish rule; but it was abolished, as an institution, soonafter the establishment of Mexican independence. The match boys, lottery-ticket venders, fruit men, ice-cream hawkers, cigar andcigarette dealers, and candy women (each with a baby tied to her back), rend the air with their harsh and varied cries, while the stranger isquickly discovered, and importuned to the verge of endurance. We weretold that this army of hawkers and peddlers were allowed just in theshadow of the church by special permit, a percentage of the benefitderived from the sales accruing to the priests, who carry on theirprofession inside the walls of the grand and beautiful edifice, where aless noisy, but quite as commercial a performance is going on all thewhile, "indulgences" being bartered and sold to moneyed sinners nearlyevery hour of the day. 

The principal market-place has always been near the plaza, at itssouthwest end, a single block away; but a new and more spacious one isin course of erection at this writing, progress being made in the usual_mañana_ style. Sunday morning is the great market day of the week, thesame as in all Mexican cities, when there is here a confusion of tonguesthat would silence the hubbub of the Paris Bourse. How a legitimatebusiness can be accomplished under such circumstances is a marvel. Eachline of trade has its special location, but confusion reigns supreme. 

In passing through the Calle de San Francisco, we were struck with thedifference of temperature between the sunny and the shady sides of thestreet. It must have been fully ten degrees. One becomes uncomfortablywarm while walking in the sunshine, but upon crossing into the shade heis quickly chilled by the frostiness of the still, dry atmosphere and arealizing sense of dampness beneath his feet. "Only dogs and Americanswalk on the sunny side, " say the Mexicans. To this we can only answer bycommending the discretion of both men and beasts. In the early evening, as soon as the sun sets, the natives begin to wrap up their throats andfaces, even in midsummer. Yet they seem to avoid the sun while it shinesin the middle of the day. 

In New Zealand and Alaska, when two natives meet each other and desireto express pleasure at the circumstance, they rub their noses together. In Mexico, if two gentlemen meet upon the street or elsewhere after aconsiderable absence, they embrace cordially and pat each other on theback in the most demonstrative manner, just as two parties fall on eachother's neck in a stage embrace. To a cool looker-on this seemed rathera waste of the raw material, taking place between two individuals of thesame sex. In Japan, two persons on meeting in public begin bowing theirbodies until the forehead nearly touches the ground, repeating thismovement a score of times. In China, two gentlemen who meet greet eachother by shaking their own left hand in their right. In Norway andSweden, the greeting is made by taking off and replacing the hat half adozen times; the greater number of times, the more cordial is thegreeting considered; but in Mexico it is nothing more nor less than anembrace with both arms. 

The carrying of concealed weapons is prohibited by law in the UnitedStates and some other countries, but in Mexico a statute is notpermitted to be simply a dead letter. While we were at the Iturbide, thepolice of the capital were vigorously enforcing a new law, which forbidsthe carrying of any sort of deadly weapon except in open sight. Thecommon people were being searched for knives, of which, when found, theywere instantly deprived, so that at one of the police stations there wasa pile of these articles six feet high and four wide. They were in allmanner of shapes, short and long, sharp and dull, daggerlike orotherwise, but all worn for the purpose either of assault or defense. They came from the possession of the humble natives, who could not pleadthat they kept them for domestic uses or for eating purposes, since theyuse neither knife nor fork in that process. We were told that thiswholesale seizure had been going on for a month or more, the policestopping any person whom they chose in order to search them in thestreet. Such a thing as resistance is not thought of by a peon; he knowsthat it is of no sort of use, and will be the cause of sending him toprison immediately. Quarrels at low drinking places are no longerfollowed by the use of knives. It was the frequency of these assaultswhich filled the hospitals with victims and caused the passage of a lawwhich meets the exigencies of the case. The fine for carrying concealedweapons is heavy, besides involving the penalty of imprisonment. Acertain class of persons coming from out of the city are permitted tocarry revolvers, but they must be in a belt and in full sight. Probablyno municipal law was ever more thoroughly enforced than this ofdisarming the common class of this city. 

The tramway facilities are so complete in the city of Mexico that onehas very little occasion to employ hackney coaches. Sometimes, however, these will be found, if not absolutely necessary, yet a greatconvenience. The legal charges are very moderate, and may well be so, for the entire turnout is usually of a most broken-down character, --poorhorses, or mules, a stupid driver, and a dirty interior, with such avariety of offensive smells as to cause one to enter into an analysis todecide which predominates. One dollar an hour is the average charge madefor these vehicles, the driver expecting, as in similar cases in Paris, Berlin, or elsewhere, a trifle as a _pourboire_ at the end of theservice for which he is engaged. Where these ruinous structures whichpass for public carriages originally came from is a conundrum; but therecan be no possible doubt as to their antiquity. Mexican fleas, likethose of Naples and continental Spain, are both omnivorous andcarnivorous, and these vehicles are apt to be itinerant asylums for thispest of the low latitudes. There are three grades of hackney coaches inthe capital, those comparatively decent, another class one degree lessdesirable, and a third into which one will get when compelled to do so, not otherwise. Each of these grades is designated by a small metal signin the shape of a flag, of a certain color, and the charges aregraduated accordingly. As to the drivers, they are not such outrightswindlers as those of their tribe in New York, nor by any means so tidyand intelligent as those of Boston. 

CHAPTER IX. 

A City of Vistas. --Want of Proper Drainage. --Unfortunate Site. --Insecure Foundations. --A Boom in Building Lots. --Pleasant Suburbs. --Night Watchmen. --The Iturbide Hotel. --A Would-be Emperor. --Domestic Arrangements. --A New Hotel wanted. --Places of Public Entertainment. --The Bull Ring. --Repulsive Performance. --Monte de Piedad. --An English Syndicate purchase it. --The Alameda. --The Inquisition. -- Festal Days. --Pulque Shops. --The Church Party. --Gilded Bar-Rooms. --Mexican Marriages. --Mothers and Infants. --A Family Group. 

Mexico is a city of vistas. One looks down the long perspective of athoroughfare north, south, east, or west, and at the end he sees thepurple mountains, some far away, some quite near to view, someapparently three miles off, some sixty; but the air is so transparentthat even the most distant objects seem to be very near at hand. Beneaththe plain which immediately surrounds the city is a dry marsh which wasa broad lake in Cortez's day, --indeed, it is a lake still, four or fivefeet below the surface of the ground, containing the accumulateddrainage of centuries. The site of the national capital was formerly anisland, only a trifle above the level of Lake Texcoco; hence there areno cellars possible beneath the dwelling-houses of the populace. Hereinlies the secret of the want of drainage, and of the unpleasant andunwholesome odors which are constantly saluting the senses andchallenging the remarks of strangers. Were it not for the absence ofatmospheric moisture in this high altitude, where perishable articles offood dry up and do not spoil by mould or putrefaction, the capital wouldbe swept by pestilence annually, being underlaid by a soil reeking withpollution. As it is, typhoid fever prevails, and the average duration oflife in the city is recorded at a fraction over twenty-six years! Lungand malarial diseases hold a very prominent place among the given causesof mortality. Owing to the proximity of the mountains, the rainssometimes assume the character of floods. A resident friend of theauthor's told him that he had seen the surrounding streets and the PlazaMayor covered with two feet of water, extending a quarter of a mile upSan Francisco Street after a sharp summer shower, which did not continuemuch more than an hour. Of course this gradually subsides; but theinconvenience of such an episode in a busy city, not to speak of itsunwholesomeness, is a serious matter. The wonder is that Cortez, afterdestroying the Aztec capital, should have rebuilt it on so undesirable asite, while there was plenty of higher and more inviting ground close athand. To this blunder is owing the unhealthfulness of a city which mighthave been rendered one of the most salubrious dwelling-places on thecontinent, if placed on any of the neighboring elevated lands, withtheir possibilities for pure air, their location above fogs, and theirbeing so entirely out of the range of devastating storms. Peter theGreat had good and sufficient reason for building his capital at suchenormous expense upon marshy ground beside the Neva, but one can see nogood reason for Cortez's choice of a site for this capital. Historygives us an account of seven disastrous floods which have occurred inthis city since 1521, all of which were accompanied with serious loss oflife, as well as great destruction of property. If a broad channel couldbe opened so as to reach the Tula River, some forty miles away, adequatedrainage might be obtained for the capital. This is too stupendous anundertaking, however, for Mexican capital or enterprise. Perhaps aforeign company will some day accomplish it; but whether such a schemewould be a safe one, _quien sabe_? It is possible that in attempting toprocure perfect drainage, even a worse condition of affairs might bebrought about. The city, it will be understood, rests upon a body ofwater supported by an intervening stratum of earth and accumulateddebris. If this buried lake were to be drained, that is, absolutelyremoved, would not a collapse of some sort necessarily take place? Whatwould support the present frail foundations of the city buildings, whichseem to be now sustained by hydraulic pressure? Even as it is, no heavystructure can be found in the limits of the capital which is not more orless out of plumb, in emulation of the leaning tower of Pisa. The thickwalls of the Iturbide Hotel are so full of cracks and crevices, causedby the settling here and there of its insecure foundation, as to causeanxiety and constant remark among its guests. There is anotherconsideration worthy of mention. It is said by persons whoseintelligence makes their opinion worthy of consideration, that duringthe severe earthquake which took place here in 1882, the nearness of thewater to the surface of the earth prevented the city from thedestruction which was imminent. This certainly may have been a correctdeduction. 

As the city is in the lowest part of the valley, and all the lakesexcept that of Texcoco are above its level, there is no positive safetyfrom inundation at any hour. The lake just named is said to be onlyabout two feet below the level of the city plaza. As the valley isentirely closed by a wall of mountains, there is no natural outlet forthese extensive waters. Lake Zumpango, with a surface ten miles square, is twenty-nine feet higher than the average level of the city of Mexico. Such drainage as is contemplated must tap and carry away these lakesalso, to obviate the danger of their flooding the capital on anyextraordinary emergency, else it will be of little avail. 

At this writing there is quite a "boom" in land in the neighboringsuburbs of San Angel and Tacubaya, which present most desirable buildinglocalities, and are free from the prominent objections of the capitalitself. The latter suburb already contains nearly ten thousandinhabitants. It is situated on a hillside, sloping towards thenorthwest. In its present form the town is quite modern, but from theearliest times there has been a village here. After the great inundationof 1629, the project of making this the site of the capital wasseriously considered. There is already a small alameda and a miniatureplaza in Tacubaya. San Angel is a couple of miles further away from thecity, and is also built on a hillside, amid orchards and gardens. Thedeserted and ancient Carmelite monastery is a feature of this place. Both Tacubaya and San Angel can be reached almost any hour of the dayfrom Mexico by tramway, the cars starting from the Plaza Mayor. It wasnoticed that considerable building for domestic purposes was going on inboth of these places, but principally at Tacubaya, and it is thought thecitizens of Mexico are "hedging, " as it were, by providing themselveswith pleasant and healthful homes in anticipation of some sort ofcollapse which must sooner or later befall the business portions of thecapital. There is universal complaint regarding the high price of rentsin the city for respectable residences, quite a percentage having beenadded to the rates heretofore charged each succeeding year. Drainage ismore and more seriously thought of by cutting an outlet of some sort, aswe have suggested, and what result may follow remains to be seen. Thatthere is a steady growth of population and business here is perfectlyobvious, stimulated by closer business connections with the UnitedStates, which are being constantly added to. People who look in advancesee that ten years hence the two suburban towns will practically be partand parcel of the city proper. The new buildings now erecting inTacubaya are observed to be of stone, and built to last. Woodenstructures are almost unknown. Iron is used for many purposes, takingthe place of wooden beams, as in this country. We were assured byintelligent persons that all skilled mechanics were busy, such asmasons, iron-workers, plasterers, and carpenters. It is surprising tothe writer that more has not been said relative to the extraordinarygrowth and prosperity of the national capital of Mexico. The mostprominent agent in bringing all this about is undoubtedly the MexicanCentral Railroad. 

One easily becomes acquainted with the topography of the city, eachpoint of the compass leading directly to the mountains, while the townitself forms a perfect level. The chief business street leads from therailroad depot to the Plaza Mayor. The most fashionable shopping streetis that known as the Street of the Silversmiths. It is of good width, and nearly a mile long. Calle de San Francisco is another of the mainbusiness thoroughfares. As a rule, the many sacred titles given to thestreets come from the names of churches or convents which stood or stillstand in them. Thus the Street of the Holy Ghost contains the church sodesignated. Several of the most important avenues, beside the PlazaMayor and the alameda, are lighted by electricity, other portions of thecity proper by gas, and the outlying districts by oil-fed lanterns. Onepeculiar object, always observable in the city at night, is the brightlantern of the policeman of the immediate beat, placed in the middle ofthe junction of the streets, with the man himself standing beside it, ready to answer any legitimate call for his services. The police systemof the capital is certainly excellent, and in the two weeks which wepassed there no such affair as a street brawl of any sort was seen, though we visited all parts of the town, and at all hours of the day andnight. There are few of our own cities where the public peace is sothoroughly preserved, or with so little demonstration, as is the case inthe capital of Mexico. 

Our hotel, the Iturbide, --pronounced Eater-beady, --situated on the Callede San Francisco, and called after the emperor of the same name (DonAgustin de Iturbide), is probably the best, as it is the largest in thecity; but this is faint praise. Hotel-keeping is one of the arts which, at its best, has not yet been introduced into this country. Iturbide'saspiration led him to assume the imperial crown, in consequence of whichhe fell. After reigning for a twelvemonth, he was banished from Mexicoon parole never to return. This parole he broke, landing from Europe atVera Cruz in 1824. He was seized, thrown into prison, and was shot byorders of the government, as a traitor, July 19 of the same year. Theold flint muskets used for the purpose hang beside the modern arms, inthe national armory, with which was performed a like sentence uponMaximilian. Thus the two men who essayed the role of emperor of Mexicoended their career. The Iturbide is spacious and well situated, beingwithin a few rods of the Plaza Mayor, and having once served as thepalace of the emperor whose name it bears. It is entered, like thePalace Hotel of San Francisco, and the Grand Hotel of Paris, by anarchway leading into a spacious area or court, on whose four sides risesthe elaborate structure. Upon this patio the several stories open, eachwith a line of balcony. This broad area, open to the sky, is paved withmarble, and has spacious stairways of the same material. The windows areof the French, pattern and open down to the floor, so that the occupantof each room steps out upon the balcony by passing through them. Thewindows are the same on the public street side. The house is fairly wellfurnished so far as comfort is concerned, and the beds--well, they mightpossibly be worse, --domestic comfort is not the strong point in theIturbide, where cleanliness is also one of the lost arts. All thechambermaids here, as in Japan, are men, and very good servants theyare, according to their light and the material which is furnished tothem. The fact that three fourths of them bear the name of Jesus is, itmust be admitted, a little confusing when it is desired to summon anyparticular one. In the selection of a sleeping apartment the visitorshould be sure, if it is possible, to obtain one facing east or south, thus securing an abundance of sunshine. Rooms situated otherwise, inthis climate particularly, are liable to be damp and even dangerous tohealth, especially in a city which rests upon the surface, as it were, of a hidden lake. Such facts may seem to be trifles to the casualreader, but experience will soon teach him their real importance. 

The broad, three-story front of the Iturbide Hotel is quite imposing, and exhibits some very elaborate native carving in stone. We were toldthat it was once occupied by a very rich and eccentric mine owner forthe accommodation of himself and family, embracing half a dozen wivesand over sixty children! quite after the style of a Turkish harem or theestablishment of a Utah magnate. A capacious and well-appointed hotel onthe American plan is something which this city greatly needs. It wouldbe welcomed and well-patronized by the native citizens, and all foreigntravelers would gladly seek its accommodations. It seems that a largeMexican hotel designed to cost some two million dollars is already underconsideration by an incorporated company of wealthy natives; but thiswill not, we believe, fill the requirements of the present time. TheMexicans do not know how to keep a hotel, and any money expended in theproposed plan, we suspect, will be next to thrown away. Government haslent its aid to the purpose of establishing a new hotel on a grandscale, by passing an act exempting from import duties all furniture andgoods intended for use in the house, to the amount of fifteen per cent, on the entire capital invested in the enterprise of building andproperly equipping the establishment. This exemption from custom-housetaxes will prove a saving of considerably over two hundred thousanddollars to the hotel company. Now, if this purpose is consummated andthe owners will put the whole in charge of an experienced American, something satisfactory may come from it. The best hotels in the worldare kept by Americans, --this not in the spirit of boasting, --and next tothem in this line of business come the Swiss, who have copied us veryclosely. The English follow, but rank only third in the line ofprogress, while the Mexicans are simply nowhere. The Iturbide has noladies' or gentlemen's parlor, that is to say, it has no publicreception-room worthy of the name. The conventionalities here do notabsolutely demand such an arrangement, though it would be appreciated;nor can one obtain any artificial heat in his apartment, however much itmay be required. There are no fireplaces or chimneys in the house, whilethe other domestic accommodations are of the most primitive character. As to food, the Iturbide is kept on the European plan, and one can orderaccording to his fancy. The service, however, is anything but neat orclean. The meal-hours are divided as in France and continental Europegenerally: coffee and bread upon first rising, breakfast at noon, anddinner at six o'clock in the evening. The proprietor has lately put intoservice a very good steam elevator, which was at first deemed to be aserious innovation. We heard of some rather ludicrous experiences whichoccurred during the first few days of its use; but the people were verysoon reconciled to the comfort it afforded, and put aside theirprejudices. Even this elevator is so restricted in its running hours asnot to afford the guests the accommodation it should supply. As some onehas wittily said of the ballet-girl's costume, it begins too late andleaves off too early. 

The ice used in the city of Mexico comes from the top of the neighboringrange of mountains, but it is rarely seen except in bar-rooms, theretail price being ten cents a pound. In order to obtain a cooltemperature for their drinking water, the people keep it in porousearthen jars made by the native Indians. Rapid evaporation from theoutside of the vessels renders the water highly refreshing, indeed, coolenough, the dry atmosphere is so very active an absorbent. The ice isbrought to the nearest railway station wrapped in straw, on the backs ofthe peons, and is thus transported daily, no large quantity being kepton hand. 

Opening from the main patio of the Iturbide Hotel upon the level of thestreet is a large billiard-saloon and bar-room combined. As our bedroomwas on the first chamber floor, and opened upon this patio, with alittle balcony and a long French window, we had the benefit nightly, aswell as daily, of all the ceaseless noises which usually emanate fromsuch a place. Billiard balls kept up their peculiar music until the weesmall hours of the morning, and all day on the Sabbath. The Mexicans, like the Cubans, do not drink deep, but they drink often; and though itis seldom that a respectably dressed person is seen intoxicated, eitheron the streets or elsewhere, still the active bartenders of the Iturbidedrinking-saloon did not quit their posts until nearly broad daylight inthe morning. So our sleep in that palace hotel was achieved to theaccompaniment of clinking billiard-balls, the clatter ofdrinking-glasses, the shaking up of iced mixtures, and the sharp voicesof disputants at the card-tables. However, a thoroughly tired person cansleep under almost any circumstances; and after many hours each daydevoted to sight-seeing, the writer did not spend much time inmoralizing over the doings in the spacious apartment beneath him. 

Regarding places of public entertainment, the city contains severaltheatres and a permanent circus, but only one of the theatres seemed tobe patronized by the best people; namely, the Teatro Nacional, built solate as 1844, and having seating capacity for three thousand persons. The commencement exercises of the military school of Chapultepec aregiven annually in this house. Here, at least one good opera company isengaged for a brief season annually; indeed, there is some kind ofopera, French, Spanish, or Italian, nearly all the year round. Smokingof cigarettes between the acts is freely indulged in by the audience;and though the ladies do not smoke in public, at least not generally, they are known to be free users of the weed at home. Three othertheatres, the Coliseo Viejo, the Arbeu, and the Hidalgo, are respectablygood; there are three or four others, minor establishments, all open onSundays, but they are to be avoided. 

There is a spacious bull-ring at the northern end of the paseo, on theleft of the roadway as we drive towards Chapultepec, where exhibitionsare given to crowded assemblies every Sunday and on festal days. Of allthe public sports the bull-fight is the most cruel, being without oneredeeming feature to excuse its indulgence, while its evil moral effectupon the people at large is clearly manifest. There is certainly a closeaffinity between the Spanish language and the Latin, as well as a strongresemblance between the old Roman masses and the modern Spanish people. In the olden days the Roman populace cried, _Panem et circenses_ (breadand circuses); so to-day the Spanish people shout, _Pan y toros_ (breadand bulls). The bull-fight is a national institution here, as it is incontinental Spain and in Cuba, and is strongly indicative of thecharacter of the people. While we were in the country a bull-fightperformance was given on a Sunday in one of the large cities, as a"benefit" towards paying for a new altar-rail to be placed in one of theRomish churches. Only among a semi-barbarous people and in a RomanCatholic country would such horrible cruelty be tolerated, andespecially as a Sabbath performance. This is the day when these shamefulexhibitions always take place, at Madrid as well as in Mexico, it beingalso the most popular and fashionable evening of the week for theatricalentertainments. 

Some of our party attended one of these exhibitions in the city ofMexico; but they very promptly and emphatically declared that nothingcould induce them again to witness anything of the sort, pronouncing itto be only a repulsive butchery. The author had seen both in Spain andin Cuba quite as much as he desired of this wretched national game, andtherefore he did not visit it on the occasion referred to above. Adistinguished citizen of the national capital, General H----, told usthat the better class of ladies did not now attend the bull-fights inMexico, though there are plenty of women who do so regularly. "I havefour grown-up daughters, one of whom is married, " said he, "but neitherthey nor their mother ever witnessed this debasing exhibition. Beassured, " he continued, "that the cultured class of our community do notsympathize with these relics of barbarism. " This is a sentiment which weare gratified to record, more especially as at Madrid, the headquartersof the cruel game, it has not only the full sanction of the publicofficials and of the _élite_ of the Spanish capital, but the patronageof royalty itself. The central box of the bull-ring in that city isreserved for the court, and there are no empty seats during theperformance. A law was passed a few years since forbidding bull-fightsto take place in the Federal District of Mexico; but this law has beenrepealed in accordance with the clamorous demand of a large majority ofthe people; besides which the law was virtually inoperative, as theseexhibitions were held all the same, only they were removed to a few rodsbeyond the boundary of the prohibited territory. The thought comes overus that, after all, the bull-fight is but one degree worse than theshameful prize-fights of professional bruisers in England and America. 

One of the most admirable and practical charities established in theMexican capital is known as the Monte de Piedad, which is simply anational pawn-shop. The title signifies, "The Mountain of Mercy. " It wasoriginally founded more than a century since by Count Regla, the ownerof the famous silver mine of Real del Monte, who gave the sum of threehundred thousand dollars for the purpose, in order that the poor andneedy of the population of this city might obtain advances of money onpersonal property at a low and reasonable rate of interest. Any articledeposited for this purpose is valued by two disinterested persons, andabout three fourths of its intrinsic worth is promptly advanced. If theowner ceases to pay the interest on the loan, the article in pawn iskept six months longer, when it is exposed for sale at a marked price. After six months more have expired, if the article is not disposed of, it is sold at public auction, and all that is realized above the sumwhich was advanced, together with the interest, is placed to theoriginal owner's credit. This sum, if not called for within a giventime, reverts to the bank. The capital of the institution has more thandoubled since its organization, but the amount of good which it has beenthe means of accomplishing cannot be estimated. Its first effect was tobreak up all the private pawn-brokers' establishments which chargedusurious interest for money, its own rates being placed at a low figure, intended barely to meet necessary expenses. These exceedingly low rateshave always been scrupulously maintained. The average annual loans onpledges amount to a million dollars, distributed among about fiftythousand applicants. The establishment is also a sort of safe deposit. All the goods in its vaults have not been pawned. As the place is a sortof fortress in its way, many valuables are here stored for safe-keeping. One dollar is the smallest sum that is loaned, and ten thousand dollarsis the largest. The loans will average from two to three hundred daily. It appears that one third of the merchandise deposited is neverredeemed. Among other articles of this class is the diamond snuff-boxwhich was presented to Santa Anna when he was Dictator, and which costtwenty-five thousand dollars. Tourists often call in at the Monte dePiedad, looking for bargains in bricabrac, and sometimes real prizes aresecured at very reasonable cost. A gentleman showed the writer an old, illuminated book, of a religious character, entirely illustrated by thehand of some patriot recluse, which was marked five dollars, and uponwhich probably four dollars had been loaned to the party who depositedit. The time for its redemption had long since expired, and our friendgladly paid the sum asked for it. He said he should take it to the AstorLibrary, New York, where he felt confident of receiving his own pricefor it, namely, one hundred dollars: "Then, " said he, "I will give themoney to some worthy charity in my native city. " The volume hadundoubtedly been stolen, and pawned by the thief. Possession isconsidered to be _bona fide_ evidence of ownership, and unlesscircumstances are very suspicious, money is nearly always advanced tothe applicant on his or her deposit. 

Speaking of old books, there are three or four second-hand bookstallsand stores under the arcades running along one side of the plaza, whererare and ancient tomes are sold. Volumes, of the value of which thevenders seem to have no idea, are gladly parted with for trifling sums. Civil wars and the changes of government have never interfered with theoperations of the Monte de Piedad. All parties have respected it and itsbelongings, with one exception--during the presidency of Gonzales in1884, when its capital was somewhat impaired and its usefulnesscircumscribed by a levy of the government in its desperation to sustainthe national credit in connection with its foreign loans. A curiouscollection of personal property is of course to be seen here, includingdomestic furniture, diamonds, rubies, and other precious stones, swords, pistols, guns, saddles, canes, watches, clothing, and so on. The largebuilding used for the purpose of carrying on the business stands uponthe site once occupied by the private palace which formed the home ofCortez for so many years, a short distance west of the great cathedral. This institution has lately been sold to an English syndicate for thesum of one million dollars. The new owners have a cash capital oftwenty-five millions, and will resume the banking department, which wassuspended in 1884, and carry on the pawnbroking business as heretofore. 

The alameda, a name usually applied to large Spanish parks, is aparallelogram of about thirty or forty acres in extent, situated betweenthe two streets of San Francisco and San Cosme, abounding in eucalyptustrees, poplars, evergreens, orange and lemon trees, together withblooming flowers and refreshing fountains. In olden times thisalameda--this forest-garden in the heart of the city--was inclosed by awall pierced with several gates, which were only opened to certainclasses and on certain occasions; but these grounds, greatly enlargedand beautified, are now open on all sides to the public, easilyaccessible from the surrounding thoroughfares. We were told that thename comes from the fact that the park was originally planted with_álamos_, or poplars. One cannot forget, while standing upon the spotand recalling the early days of the Spanish rule, that it was on aportion of these grounds that the hateful Inquisition burned itsvictims, because they would not subscribe to the Roman Catholic faith. According to their own records, forty-eight unbelievers were here burnedat the stake at one time. We do not think that the Aztec idolaters everexceeded in wickedness or cruelty this fiendish act. 

The alameda has a number of open circles with fountains in the centre, about which stone benches are placed as seats. These spaces are muchfrequented by children as playgrounds. An interesting aviary ornamentsone of the roomy areas, filled with a variety of native and exoticbirds, which attract crowds of curious observers. The inexhaustiblespring at Chapultepec supplies these fountains, besides many others invarious parts of the city, from whence water-carriers distribute thearticle for domestic use. The alameda is the largest public garden inthe capital, of which there are twelve in all, and is the daily resortof the corpulent priest for exercise; of the ambitious student forthought and study; of the nursery maid with her youthful charge; and ofwooing lovers and coquettish señoritas, accompanied by their staidchaperones. On Sunday forenoons a military band gives an out-of-doorconcert in the central music stand, on which occasion all grades of thepopulace come hither, rich and poor alike, the half-fed peon in hisnakedness and the well-clad citizen. All classes have a passion formusic. The cathedral empties itself, as it were, into the alameda justafter morning mass. This, be it remembered, is the forenoon. The closinghours of the day are devoted to driving and promenading in the adjoiningPaseo de la Reforma. On the evenings of festal days, the centralpavilion, where the band is placed, as well as other parts of thealameda, are illuminated with Chinese lanterns and electric lightsdisposed among the trees and about the fountains, so that the artificiallamps rival the light of day. On these gala occasions two or threeadditional bands of musicians are placed at different points to assistin the entertainment. The fountains play streams of liquid silver; themilitary bands discourse stirring music; the people, full of merriment, indulge in dulces, fruits, ice-cream, and confectionery, crowding everyavailable space in the fairy-like grounds, and Mexico is happy. 

There is no noisy demonstration on these occasions. The multitude, wemust frankly acknowledge, are better behaved than any such assemblageusually is in Boston or New York. All seem to be quiet, contented, andenjoying themselves placidly. It should be mentioned, in thisconnection, that all pulque shops in the capital are promptly closed atsix o'clock P. M. Throughout the year. This is imperative andwithout exception; consequently, no evening disturbance is to beanticipated from that source. It was found that there are over twothousand _pulquerias_ in the capital. The effect of this specialstimulant, however, is not to make those who indulge freely in itpugnacious or noisy. It acts more like a powerful narcotic, and putsthose who are overcome with it to sleep, having, in fact, many of theproperties of opium. The gilded bar-rooms where the upper classes seekrefreshment, who, by the way, seem rarely to abuse the privilege, arepermitted to remain open until midnight, but into them the common peoplehave not the wherewithal to procure entrance. A tumbler of pulque whichcosts them a penny they indulge in, but drinks at fifteen or twentycents each, and in small portions at that, are quite beyond their means. A somewhat peculiar effect of pulque drinking was also mentioned to us. The people who partake of it freely have an aversion to otherstimulants, and prefer it to any and all others without regard to cost. The beer-drinking German is often similarly affected as regards hisspecial tipple. Chemical test shows pulque to contain just about thesame percentage of alcohol as common beer; say, five or six per cent. 

Besides witnessing the foul deeds of the Inquisition when the priesthoodpublicly burned and otherwise tortured unbelievers, the alameda hasfrequently been the scene of fierce struggles, gorgeous churchspectacles, and many revolutionary parades. Here scores of treasonableacts have been concocted, and daring robberies committed in thetroublous times not long past. To-day it is peaceable enough; so quietin the summer afternoons, here in the very heart of the busy city, thatthe drone of the busy humming-birds among the flowers comes soothinglyupon the ear of the wakeful dreamer. Quiet now, but awaiting the nextupheaval, for such, we are sorry to say, is pretty sure to come, sooneror later; the Roman Catholic Church party is not dead, but sleepeth. Astrong, costly, and united effort on its part, stimulated from Rome, toonce more gain control of the government of Mexico, has beensuccessfully defeated without an open outbreak since the second term ofPresident Diaz commenced. The success of the church party would simplythrow Mexico back half a century in her march of improvement towards ahigher state of civilization. It would check all educational progress, all commercial advance, and smother both political and religiousfreedom. 

The number of infant children, strapped or tied to their mothers' backs, that one sees in the streets of the capital, and indeed all through thecountry, is something marvelous. The fecundity of the peons is beyondall calculation. Eight women out of ten, belonging to the humblerclasses, are sure to be thus encumbered. Marriages take place here at asearly an age as in Cuba or South America, namely, at twelve years. Fewyoung girls among the common people remain unmarried after fourteenyears of age, or rather there are few of them that do not bear childrenas early as that. Marriage among the poor is a ceremony not alwaysconsidered necessary, and, indeed, as a rule, they are too poor to paythe priest the price he charges for performing the ceremony. Speakingof marriage, this relationship among people of position and property isassumed under somewhat peculiar circumstances in Mexico. First, a civilmarriage takes place, which makes all children born to the contractingparties legitimate. After this civil rite is duly complied with, perhapsa day and perhaps ten intervening, the usual church ceremony isperformed, and then the bride and bridegroom join each other to enjoytheir honeymoon, but until the latter ceremony is consummated, thecouple are as much separated as at any time of their lives. Why thisdelay in consummation takes place is by no means clear to an outsider. 

One not infrequently sees a mother carrying two infants at a timewrapped in her rebosa, and tied across her chest; only ten months of ageseparating the little creatures. Besides these infants the mothercarries her burden of vegetables, fruit, baskets, or pottery, to disposeof in the market near the plaza. Like Japanese and Chinese babies, theselittle ones seldom, if ever, cry, but submit patiently and with apparentindifference to what seems to be a very trying position, as well as toalmost total neglect. These children were never in a bed since they wereborn. They probably sleep at night upon a straw mat spread upon theearthen floor, and we much doubt if they are ever washed. Sometimes thefather is seen carrying the baby, but this is very rare; the women takethe laboring oar almost always here, as among our Indian tribes, thepeople of the East, and the South Sea Islanders. This is acharacteristic applicable not alone to the national capital, butobservable again and again all over the republic. Though so very poor, and doubtless often suffering from hunger, the half naked people are notinfrequently seen with a cigarette between the lips. Drunkenness isseldom seen, notwithstanding that pulque is cheap and potent, and it isvery rarely the case, as already intimated, that any quarreling iswitnessed among the people. They are quiet and orderly, as a rule, yetmost of them are homeless and hopeless. 

Though begging is chronic with the Spanish race everywhere, andnotoriously prevalent in continental Spain, persistent in Havana andMatanzas, and nearly universal throughout the Mexican republic, still, in the national capital it is far less obtrusive than elsewhere, becausethe police are instructed to suppress it. So, also, begging isprohibited by law in Paris, London, and Boston, but how constantly thelaw is disregarded we all know. Sad is the condition of things which, asThackeray expresses it, gives the purple and fine linen to one set ofmen, and to the other rags for garments and dogs for comforters. 

It is not uncommon to see a family group, mother, father, and one or twochildren, huddled close together in a street corner, where they havepassed the night, sleeping in a half upright position, while leaningagainst an adobe wall. In an early morning walk towards the Paseo de laViga, we saw just such a scene, with the addition of a mongrel dog, which had so bestowed himself as to give the shelter of his body as wellas its natural warmth to a couple of small children. One thing thereader may be assured of, to wit: the whole family, including the dog, had a hearty and nourishing breakfast that morning at least. 

CHAPTER X. 

Benito Juarez's Grandest Monument--Hotel del Jardin. --General José Morelos. --Mexican Ex-Convents. --City Restaurants. --Lady Smokers. --Domestic Courtyards. --A Beautiful Bird. --The Grand Cathedral Interior. --A Devout Lottery Ticket Vender. --Porcelain-Ornamented Houses. --Rogues in Church. --Expensive Justice. --Cemetery of San Fernando. --Juarez's Monument. --Coffins to Let. --American and English Cemetery. --A Doleful Street and Trade. 

There exists a much grander monument to the memory of Benito Juarez thanthe fine marble group over his last resting-place in the cemetery of SanFernando, namely, the noble School of Arts and Trades founded by him. Poor native girls are here afforded excellent advantages for acquiring aknowledge of various arts, while they are both clothed and fed free ofcost to themselves. The pupils are taught type-setting, book-binding, drawing, music, embroidery, and the like. There is a store attached tothe institution in which the articles produced by the inmates are placedfor sale at a moderate price. We were told that their industry went along way towards rendering the institution self-supporting, and soadmirably is the work of embroidery executed here that the orders forgoods are in advance of the supply. Nearly four hundred girls are at alltimes reaping the advantage of this school, which is a grand andpractical form of charity worthy of emulation. Individual instances ofnotable success crowning the career of graduates from this institutionwere related to us, some of which were of touching interest, and manyquite romantic, showing that genius knows no sex, and that opportunityalone is often all that is required to develop possibilities frequentlylying dormant about us. 

The College of Medicine, near the Plazuela of San Domingo, occupies theold palace of the Inquisition, whose last victim in Mexico, General JoséMorelos, was executed in December, 1815. For two hundred and fiftyyears, since 1571, this institution of the church fattened upon theblood of martyrs. We do not wonder at the futile efforts of the Romishchurch of the nineteenth century to ignore, deny, and cover up theseiniquities; but their awful significance is burned too deeply into thepages of history to be obliterated. 

While engaged upon a voyage of discovery accompanied by a friend who haslong resided in the city of Mexico, we chanced upon the Hotel delJardin, a cheerful, sunny hostelry, occupying a building which was oncea famous convent, leading our companion to remark that "the shamefulrecord of wickedness, licentiousness, and cruelty, practiced in theseMexican institutions before their suppression, could it be made public, would astonish the world. " The present Hotel del Jardin nearly surroundsa garden full of tropical verdure, and seemed very inviting. Determiningto test its cuisine, dinner was ordered, the presiding genius beinggiven _carte blanche_ to do his best; but, heaven save the mark!--allwe have to add is, don't try the experiment of dining at the placereferred to. The best and most usual way for transient visitors to thiscity is to take rooms in comfortable quarters, and to eat their meals atsome of the fairly good restaurants in the neighborhood of the plaza. Ofcourse, one cannot expect New York or Boston fare, nor do we come toMexico for what we can obtain in the way of food and drink. 

Among the groups observed sitting on the little balconies of thedwelling-houses, matrons are seen smoking their cigarettes as openly asdo their husbands. Señoritas do the same on the sly. No place is exemptfrom the pungent fumes of tobacco. Pipes seem to be very seldom resortedto, and the chewing of tobacco, we are glad to say, is not indulged inat all, --a disgusting use of the weed almost solely confined to NorthAmerica and ships' forecastles. Smoking, after all, did not seem to beso universal and incessant as we have seen it in some other countries. Perhaps this arises, in a measure, from want of means to pay for thearticle among the general population, since they are only half clothedin wretched rags, being mostly bareheaded and barefooted also. The lowerclass of Mexico could give the lazzaroni of Naples "points, " and thenoutdo them vastly in squalor and nakedness. The idle, indolent, andthriftless outnumber all other classes in the republic, one reason forwhich is found in the fact common to all tropical countries, that theclimate is such that the poor can safely sleep out of doors and withoutshelter, with nearly as much comfort as those who have an humblecovering in the shape of four adobe walls and a thatched roof. As arule, these common people, men and women, are ugly in form and feature, except that they have superb black eyes and pearl-white teeth. Physicalhardships do not tend to develop comeliness. 

Strong contrasts meet the eye, --naturally to be expected in a communitywhich is slowly becoming revolutionized from a state of semi-barbarism, as it were, to the broader civilization of its neighbors. Thistransition is very obvious as regards the dress of the populace. Silkstove-pipe hats and Derbys are crowding hard upon the cumbersomesombrero; the dainty Parisian bonnet is replacing the black lacemantilla; broadcloth is found to be more acceptable clothing thanleather jackets and pantaloons; close-fitting calico and merino goodsare driving out the rebosas, while woolen garments render the serapesneedless. This, of course, is a city view. Small country communitiesstill adhere to the simpler and cheaper national costume of the past, and will probably continue to do so for years to come. 

In strolling about the better part of the city, one sees through thebroad, arched entrances to the courtyards of the finest privateresidences in Mexico, upon the first or street floor, the stable, thekitchen, and the coach house, with hostlers grooming the animals, orwashing the harnesses and vehicles, while the family live directly overall these arrangements, up one flight of broad stone steps. This is aSpanish custom, which is observable in Havana and continental Spain, aswell as in all the cities of Mexico. Other patios, whose occupants donot keep private vehicles, adorn these areas with charming plants, smalltropical trees, blooming flowers, statuary, and fountains. Here andthere hang cages containing bright-colored singing birds, parrots, andparoquets, not forgetting to mention the clear, shrill-voicedmocking-bird, which is a universal favorite. The Mexican macaw is prettysure to be represented by a fine member of his species in theseornamental patios. He is a gaudy, noisy fellow. The head, breast, andback are of a deep red, the wings yellow, blue, and green. The tail iscomposed of a dozen feathers, six of which are stout, short, andtapering, while the rest are fourteen inches in length. He passes histime in screaming, and scrambling about with the aid of his claws andhooked beak combined, going as far as the tiny chain which is attachedto one foot and fastened to the perch will permit. His favorite attitudeseems to be hanging head downward from his perch like an acrobat, oftenremaining thus a distressingly long time, until one would fain coax himinto a normal position with some favorite tidbit of cake, sugar, orfruit. 

Officials and merchants often combine their dwellings and places ofbusiness, so that here and there a patio will exhibit various samples ofmerchandise, or the sign of a government official over a room devoted tooffice purposes. How people able to do otherwise are willing to sleep, eat, and live over a stable certainly seems, to us, very strange. Atnight these patios are guarded by closing large metal--studded doors, aconcierge always sleeping near at hand either to admit any of the familyor to resist the entrance of any unauthorized persons, very much afterthe practice which is common in France and the cities of NorthernEurope. 

We used the expression "while strolling about the better part of thecity, " etc. ; but let us not convey a wrong impression thereby, for thereare no exclusively aristocratic streets or quarters in the city ofMexico. The houses of both the upper and lower classes are mingled, scattered here and there, often adjoining each other. Some few of thebetter class of houses, like the domes of some of the churches, arefaced with porcelain tiles, giving the effect of mosaic; but this has atawdry appearance, and is exceptional in the national capital. At Pueblait is much more common, that city being the headquarters oftile-manufacturing. 

No matter how many times one may visit the grand cathedral, each freshview impresses him with some new feature and also with its vastness. Asto the harmony of its architectural effect, that element does not enterinto the consideration, for there is really no harmony about it. Everything is vague, so to speak, irregular, and a certain appearance ofincompleteness is apparent. There is at all times a considerable numberof women, and occasionally members of the other sex, to be seen bendingbefore the several chapels; deformed mendicants and professional beggarsmingle with the kneeling crowd. Rags flutter beside the most costlylaces; youth kneels with crabbed old age; rich and poor meet upon thesame level before the sacred altar. Priests by the half dozen, inscarlet, blue, gilt, and yellow striped robes officiate hourly beforetall candles which flicker dimly in the daylight, while boys dressed inlong white gowns swing censers of burning incense. The gaudy trappingshave the usual theatrical effect, and no doubt serve, together with thedeep peals of the organ, the dim light of the interior, the monotone ofthe priest's voice, in an unknown tongue, profoundly to impress the poorand ignorant masses. The largest number of devotees, nearly all of whom, as intimated, are women, were seen kneeling before the small chapelwhere rest the remains of Iturbide, first emperor of Mexico, whose tombbears the simple legend: "The Liberator. " None more appropriate couldhave been devised, for through him virtually was Mexican independencewon, though his erratic career finally ended so tragically. 

Just outside of the main entrance of the cathedral, a middle-aged womanwas seen importuning the passers, and especially strangers, to purchaselottery tickets, her voice being nearly drowned by the loud tongue ofthe great bell in the western tower. Presently she thrust her budget oftickets into her bosom and entered the cathedral, where she knelt beforeone of the side altars, repeating incessantly the sign of the crosswhile she whispered a formula of devotion. A moment later she was to beseen offering her lottery tickets on the open plaza, no doubt believingthat her business success in their sale would be promoted by herattendance before the altar. How groveling must be the ignorance whichcan be thus blinded!

It may not be generally known that these lotteries are operated, to aconsiderable extent, by the church, and form one of its never-failingsources of income, proving more profitable even than the sale ofindulgences, though the latter is _all_ profit, whereas there is sometrifling expense attendant upon getting up a lottery scheme. A fewprizes must be distributed in order to make the cheat more plausible. Asto the validity of indulgences, one cannot actually test that matter onthis side of Lethe. 

As will be seen, all classes of rogues are represented among theapparently devout worshipers. On the occasion of our second visit to thecathedral, a gentleman who had his pockets picked by an expert kneelingdevotee hastened for a policeman, and soon returning, pointed out theculprit, who was promptly arrested; but, much to the disgust of thecomplainant, he also was compelled to go with the officer and prisonerto the police headquarters, where we heard that he recovered his stolenproperty, though it cost him three quarters of a day's attendance atsome sort of police court, and about half the amount of the sum whichthe rogue had abstracted. 

All observant strangers visit the cemetery of San Fernando, whichadjoins the church of the same name. This is the Mount Auburn or Père laChaise of Mexico, in a very humble sense, however. Here rest the ashesof those most illustrious in the history of the country. One isparticularly interested in the tomb and monument of the greateststatesman Mexico has known, her Indian President, Benito Juarez, pronounced Hoo-arèz. The design of this elaborate tomb is a littleconfusing at first, but the general effect is certainly very fine andimpressive. The group consists of two figures, life size, wrought in thepurest of white marble, showing the late president lying at full lengthin his shroud, with his head supported by a mourning female figurerepresenting Mexico. The name of the sculptor is Manuel Islas, who hasembodied great nobility and touching pathos in the expression of thecombined whole. The base of the monument, as we stood before it, washalf hidden by freshly contributed wreaths of flowers. A small Greciantemple surrounded by columns incloses this commemorative group, to whichthe traveler will be very sure to pay a second visit before leaving thecapital. Many of the monuments in this city of the dead are of thebeautiful native onyx, which has a very grand effect when cut in heavyslabs. The grounds are circumscribed in extent and overcrowded. No name, we believe, is held in higher esteem by the general public than that ofBenito Juarez, who died July 18, 1872, after being elected to fill thepresidential chair for a third term. 

Juarez was a Zapotec Indian, a hill tribe which had never been fullyunder Spanish control. He was thoroughly educated, and followed the lawas a profession. Being fully alive to its character, he always opposedthe machinations of the Catholic Church. His dream and ambition was toestablish a Mexican republic, and the present constitution, which bearsdate of 1857, was virtually his gift to the people. He has been veryproperly called the prophet and architect of the republic. 

In the cemetery of San Fernando were also seen the tombs of Mejia andMiramon, the two generals who, together with Maximilian, were shot atQueretaro. Here also are the tombs of Guerrero, Zaragoza, Comonfort, andothers of note in Mexican history. The cemetery as a whole is verypoorly arranged and quite unworthy of such a capital. The bodies of mostpersons buried here are placed in coffins which are deposited in thewalls, and even graves are built upon the surface of the ground, becauseof the fact that at a few feet below one comes to the great swamp orlake which underlies all this part of the valley. There is anotherMexican cemetery worthy of mention, which is beautifully laid out andarranged. It is that of Dolores, on the hillside southwest of Tacubaya, just beyond Chapultepec. In the American cemetery are buried some fourhundred of our countrymen, soldiers, who died here in 1847. The Englishand American cemeteries lie together. The poor people of the city, whena death occurs in the family, hire a coffin of the dealers for thepurpose of carrying their dead to the burial-place, after which it isreturned to the owner, to be again leased for a similar object by someother party. The dead bodies of this class are buried in the open earth, a trench only being dug in the ground. Suitable wood is so scarce and sovaluable in the capital that coffins are very expensive. Those designedfor young children are seen exposed for sale decorated in the mostfantastic manner. One narrow street near the general market and close tothe plaza is almost wholly appropriated, on the street floor, tocoffin-makers' shops. We counted eleven of these doleful establishmentswithin as many rods of each other. The coffins designed for adults areuniversally colored jet black; but those for children are elaboratelyornamented with scroll work of white upon a black ground. One of theselast is hung up as a sign at the entrance of each shop devoted to thisbusiness. When a funeral cortege appears on the street, be it never sohumble, every one faces the same with uncovered head until it haspassed. An episode of this melancholy character is recalled whichoccurred on San Francisco Street one morning. A very humble peon wasseen bearing his child's coffin upon his back, followed by the mother, grandmother, and two children, with downcast eyes, five persons in allforming the sad procession, if it may be so called. It was observed thatthe gayly-dressed and elegantly mounted caballero promptly backed hishorse to the curbstone and raised his sombrero while the mourners movedby, that other peons bowed their bare heads, and that every hat, eithersilk or straw, was respectfully doffed along the street, as the solemnlittle cortege wound its way to the last resting-place of humanity. 

CHAPTER XI. 

The Shrine of Guadalupe. --Priestly Miracles. --A Remarkable Spring. --The Chapels about the Hill. --A Singular Votive Offering. --Church of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. --Costly Decorations. --A Campo Santo. -- Tomb of Santa Anna. --Strange Contrasts. --Guadalupe-Hidalgo. --The Twelve Shrines on the Causeway. --The Viga Canal. --The Floating Islands. --Indian Gamblers. --Vegetable Market. --Flower Girls. --The "Noche-Triste" Tree. --Ridiculous Signs. --Queer Titles. --Floral Festival. 

Guadalupe, the sacred Mecca of the Roman Catholics of Mexico, is reachedby a tramway of about two or three miles in length, running in anortheasterly direction from the city. It appears that in the Aztecperiod there was here a native shrine dedicated to some mythologicalgod, and as the foolish legend runs, a miracle caused this spot to bechanged to a Christian shrine. The story is told with great unction by"true believers, " but to a calm, unbiased mind it is too utterlyridiculous for repetition. These church miracles were simply chronicduring the Spanish rule. "The religion of Mexico, " says Wilson, "is areligion of priestly miracles, and when the ordinary rules of evidenceare applied to them, they and the religion that rests upon them falltogether. " Guadalupe forms a rough, irregular elevation some hundredfeet or more above the level of the surrounding plain. Beside the rudestairway leading to the top of the hill, there is built a stone column, in the shape of a ship's mast with the square sails set upon it. This issaid to have been a votive offering by some sailors who were threatenedwith shipwreck at Vera Cruz. When in dire distress, the party referredto vowed that if the Virgin of Guadalupe would save the lives of thecrew, they would bring the ship's mast to her shrine and set it upthere, as a perpetual memento of her protecting power. The mariners weresaved and kept their vow, bringing the mast upon their shoulders all theway from Vera Cruz. Here they set it up and built around it a coveringof stone, and thus it stands to this day. It is between thirty and fortyfeet high, and about twelve feet wide at the base, tapering upwards--amost unsightly and incongruous monument. On the summit of the hill thereis a small chapel known as the Capilla del Cerrito, and two or threenear its base, one of which has a large dome covered with enameledtiles. This is known as the Capilla del Pocito, and supports in itscupola some of the harshest and most ear-piercing bells which we haveever chanced to hear. This chapel covers a somewhat remarkable spring, which is abundant and never failing in its supply, for whose watersgreat and miraculous power is claimed. It manifestly contains a largeimpregnation of iron, and is no doubt a good tonic, beyond which itsvirtues are of course mythical. It is held by the surrounding populaceto be an infallible remedy in the instance of unfruitful women, and isthe constant resort of that class from far and near. These chapels atGuadalupe are decorated in the crudest and most inartistic manner, entirely unworthy of such belief as is professed in the sacredness ofthe place, or of the virtues attributed by the priests to them as areligious shrine. Money enough has been wasted, but there seems to be anutter lack of good taste. 

Over two million dollars had been expended on the church of NuestraSeñora de Guadalupe, which stands at the foot of the hill, in supplyingthe usual inventory of jewels, gold and silver plate, and otherextravagant church belongings. The church just named is built of brickand stone combined, with four towers about a central dome, and is alsoknown as the cathedral of Guadalupe. The solid silver railing extendingfrom the choir to the high altar is three feet in height. Owing to itspresumed sacredness, this church, unlike the cathedral of the city nearat hand, has never been despoiled. Its interior is very rich inornamentation, among the most effective portions of which we rememberits fine onyx columns supporting lofty arches of Moorish architecture. The costly elegance displayed in this cathedral is exactly suited to afaith in which there is so little worship and so much form and ceremony. 

On coming out of this elaborate edifice, half dazed by its expensive andgaudy trappings, we step at once into an atmosphere of abject povertyand want. The surroundings of the chapels and cathedral of Guadalupe arein strong contrast with the interiors. This is undoubtedly the dirtiestand most neglected suburb of the capital, where low pulque shops and ahalf-naked population of beggars stare one in the face at every turn. What sort of Christian faith is that which can hoard jewels of fabulousvalue, with costly plate of gold and silver, in the sacristy of itstemple, while the poor, crippled, naked people starve on the outside ofits gilded walls? "Ah!" says Shelley, "what a divine religion might befound out if charity were really made the principle of it instead offaith!"

The grand view to be obtained from the summit of the hill of Guadalupeamply repays the visitor for climbing the rude steps and rough roadway, notwithstanding the terribly offensive odors arising from the dirtycondition of the neglected surroundings. It embraces the city in themiddle foreground, a glimpse of Chapultepec and the two grand mountainsin the distance, together with the surrounding plains dotted with lowadobe villages. The long white roads of the causeways, lined withverdant trees, divide the spacious plain by artistic lines of beauty, while between them green fields of alfalfa, and yellow, ripening maizegive delightful bits of light and shade. On the back of the hill, behindthe chapel crowning the summit, is a small cemetery full to repletion oftombs dedicated to famous persons. Great prices, we were told, are paidfor interments in this sacred spot. Among the most interesting tombs wasthat of Santa Anna, the hero of more defeats than any notable soldierwhom we can recall. He is remembered as a traitor by the average Mexican(just as Bazaine is regarded by the French), although he was five timesPresident and four times military Dictator of Mexico. It will beremembered that this eccentric and notorious soldier of fortune wasbanished to the West Indies, whence he wrote a congratulatory letter tothe intruder Maximilian, and sought to take command under him. Hisproffered aid was coolly declined, whereupon he offered his services toJuarez, who was fighting against Maximilian, but was repulsed with equalpromptness. In a rage at this treatment, he fitted out an expeditionagainst both parties, landed in Mexico, was taken prisoner, and inconsideration of the services once rendered his country his life wasspared; but he was again banished, to finish his days in poverty and ina foreign land. His wooden leg, captured during our war with Mexico, isin the Smithsonian Institution at Washington. The town which surroundsthe immediate locality of these shrines of Guadalupe has a population ofabout three thousand, and is particularly memorable as being the placewhere the treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo was signed, February 2, 1848, between the United States and Mexico. The name of Guadalupe was combinedwith that of Hidalgo, the Washington of Mexico as he is called, who in1810 raised the cry of independence against the Spanish yoke, and thoughhe was captured and shot, after eleven years of hard fighting, the goalof independence was reached by those who survived him. He is reported tohave said just before his execution: "I die, but the seeds of libertywill be watered by my blood. The cause does not die. That still livesand will surely triumph. "

Churches bearing the name of Guadalupe are to be found all over thecountry, the Virgin of Guadalupe being the adopted patron saint ofMexico. Along the main road or causeway leading from the capital to thehill of Guadalupe, --now given up to the use of the Vera CruzRailway, --one sees tall stone shrines which were erected long ago, before which deluded pilgrims and penitents knelt on their way thither. These were intended to commemorate the twelve places at which theSaviour fell down on his journey while bearing the cross to Calvary. Itwas called the road of humiliation and prayer, over which devotees crepton their hands and knees, seeking expiation for their sins, instigatedby priestly suggestions and superstitious fears. Over this causeway, Maximilian, actuated by his fanatical religious devotion, and by adesire to impress the popular mind, walked barefooted from the citywalls to the shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe! The hold of the priestson the Mexican people to-day is confined almost entirely to the peonsand humble laborers. It is a common saying that when a peon earns twodollars he gives one dollar and forty-five cents to the priest, spendsfifty cents for pulque, and supports his family on the remaining fivecents. Among the educated classes the men are beginning to refuse topermit their wives and daughters to attend the confessional, the mostsubtle and portentous agency for evil that was ever invented, which hascontaminated more innocence and destroyed more domestic happiness thanany other known cause. 

The tramway which runs out to the Viga Canal takes one a couple of milesinto an extremely interesting region, exhibiting many novel phases ofnative life. The thoroughfare runs beside the canal for a considerabledistance, the banks of which are shaded here and there by droopingwillows and rows of tall Lombardy poplars. How old the canal is, no onecan say; it certainly antedates the period of the Conquest. Thestraw-thatched, Indian, African-looking town of Santa Anita is acuriosity in itself, surrounded by the floating islands, which we aresoberly told did really float centuries ago. "Here they beheld, " saysPrescott, "those fairy islands of flowers, overshadowed occasionally bytrees of considerable size, rising and falling with the gentleundulations of the billows. " One does not like to play the _rôle_ of aniconoclast, but probably these islands were always pretty much as theyare to-day. The "floating" idea is a poetical license, and was born inthe imaginative brain of the Spanish writers. Had Prescott ever seenthem, he would doubtless have come to the same conclusion. "Hanging"gardens do not necessarily depend from anything, "floating" islands neednot necessarily float. They really have the appearance of buoyancyto-day, and hence the figure of speech which has been universallyapplied to them. "I have not seen any floating gardens, " says R. A. Wilson, author of "Mexico and its Religion, " "nor, on diligent inquiry, have I been able to find a man, woman, or child that ever has seen them, nor do I believe that such a thing as a floating garden ever existed atMexico. " They are now anchored to the bottom fast enough, that iscertain, being separated from each other and the main land by littlenarrow canals. The soil of which they are constituted is kept alwaysmoist by natural irrigation, and is wonderfully fertile in producingflowers, fruits, and mammoth vegetables. Seed-time and harvest areperennial on these peculiar islands. Men are always ready with a rudesort of boat, which the most poetic imagination cannot dignify into agondola, but which is so called. These floats are about fifteen feetlong, four wide, flat bottomed, with low sides, and have no covering. The boatmen row, or rather pole, the boats through the little canals, giving the passengers a view of the low, rank vegetation on the islands, some of which present a pleasing floral picture, rather curious, but notvery interesting. On Sundays and festal days the middle and lowerclasses of the capital come hither in large numbers to amuse themselveswith the tall swings, the merry-go-rounds, and the scowlike boats, toeat dulces at the booths, and to drink inordinate quantities of pulqueat the many stands at which it is dispensed at popular prices. Thepungent liquor permeates the surrounding atmosphere with its sour andoffensive odor. Here one sees numerous groups busy at that besetting sinof the Indians, gambling. It is practiced on all occasions and in allplaces, the prevailing means being "the wheel of fortune. " An itinerantbearing one of these instruments strapped about his shoulders stops hereand there, soon gathering a crowd of the curious about him. Thelottery-ticket vender drowns all other cries in his noisy search aftercustomers, reaping a large harvest, especially on Sundays, in thispopular resort. The old stone church of Santa Anita is a crumbling massof Moorish architecture, with a fine tower, the whole sadly out ofrepair, yet plainly speaking of past grandeur. 

On the way to these islands by the Paseo de la Viga, we pass through anout-door vegetable market, which is remarkable for the size of some ofthe specimens offered for sale; radishes were displayed which were aslarge as beets, also plethoric turnips, overgrown potatoes, ambitiouscarrots, and broad spread heads of lettuce as big as a Mexican sombrero. There were many sorts of greens for making salads, of which the averageMexican is very fond, besides flowers mingled with tempting fruits, suchas oranges, lemons, melons, and pineapples. The latter, we suspect, musthave come from as far south as Cordova. Young Indian girls, withgarlands of various-colored poppies about their necks, like the nativesof Hawaii, offered us for a trifle tiny bouquets made of rosebuds, pansies, violets, tube-roses, and scarlet geraniums, all grown close athand on these misnamed floating islands. One low, thatched adobe cabin, between the roadway and the canals, in Santa Anita, was covered with amammoth blooming vine, known here as the _copa de oro_. Its great yellowflowers were indeed like cups of gold, inviting our attention above allthe other floral emblems for which the little Indian village is famous. Great quantities come daily from this suburb to supply the city demand, and especially on the occasion of the floral festivals, which have theirheadquarters in the plaza and the alameda, as elsewhere described. 

There is much to be seen and enjoyed in these brief excursions bytramway into the environs of the city. One should not forget to take thecars which start from the west side of the Plaza Mayor, and which passthrough the Riviera de San Cosme out to the village of Popotla, wherethe famous "Noche-triste" tree is to be seen. It is situated about threemiles from the plaza. Cortez is said to have sat down under its branchesand wept over his misfortunes when he was obliged to retreat from thecapital, on the night of July 1, 1520, still known as the "DismalNight. " Whether this story be true or otherwise, it matters very little. Suffice it that this big gnarled tree is held sacred and historic by thecitizens, and is always visited by strangers who come to the capital. Itis of the cedar family, and its dilapidated condition, together with thesize of the trunk, shows its great antiquity. At present it measures tenfeet in diameter at the base, with a height exceeding forty feet. Although broken and decayed in many of its parts, it is sufficientlyalive to bear foliage. The gray, drooping moss hangs from its decayingbranches, like a mourner's veil shrouding face and neck, emblematic ofthe tears which the daring adventurer is said to have wept in itsshadow. An iron railing protects the tree from careless usage and fromthe knives of ruthless relic hunters. A party of so-called ladies andgentlemen--we are sorry to say they were Americans--broke off some ofthe twigs of the tree, in 1885, to bring away with them. For thisvandalism they were promptly arrested, and very properly fined by aMexican court. Close by this interesting tree of the "Dismal Night"stands the ancient church of San Esteban. 

The practice prevails in the cities of Mexico that one sees in Cuba andin continental Spain, as regards the signs which traders place overtheir doors. The individual's name is never given, but the merchantadopts some fancy one to designate his place of business. Seeing thetitle "El Congreso Americana, " "The American Congress, " we were a littledisconcerted, on investigation, to find that it was the sign of a largeand popular bar-room. Near by was another sign reading thus: "ElDiablo, " that is, "The Devil. " This was over a pulque shop, which seemedto be appropriately designated. Farther on towards the alameda was "ElSueño de Amor, " signifying "The Dream of Love. " This was over a shopdevoted to the sale of serapes and other dry goods. On the Calle de SanBernardo, over one of the entrances where dry goods were sold, was seen, in large gold letters, "La Perla, " "The Pearl. " Again near the plaza weread, "La Dos Republics, " meaning "The Two Republics. " This was a hatstore, with gorgeous sombreros displayed for sale. "El Recreo, " "TheRetreat, " was a billiard hall and bar-room combined, while not far away"El Opalo, " "The Opal, " designated a store where dulces were sold. "LaBomba, " "The Bomb, " was the sign over a saddle and harness shop. "ElAmor Cantivo, " "Captive Love, " was the motto of a dry goods store. "LaCoquetta, " "The Coquette, " was the title of a cigar shop. 

These stores are almost all conducted by French or German owners, withnow and then a Jew of uncertain nationality; few are kept by Spaniards, and none by Americans, or citizens of the United States. Americanenterprise seeks expression here in a larger field. Where a trunk lineof railroad a thousand miles or more is demanded, as in the instance ofthe Mexican Central, they are sure to be found at the front, withcapital, executive ability, and the energy which commands success. Thesurveys for the Mexican railroads demanding the very best ability weremade by Americans, the locomotive drivers are nearly all Americans, andmore than half the conductors upon the regular railway trains areAmericans. The infusion of American spirit among the Mexican people isperhaps slow, but it is none the less sure and steady. 

Each sort of business has its distinctive emblem. The butcher alwayshangs out a crimson banner. In some portions of the town there arepainted caricatures on the fronts of certain places to designate theirspecial business. For instance, in front of a pulque shop is found alaughable figure of a man with a ponderous stomach, drinking hisfavorite tipple. At another, which is the popular drinking resort of thebull-fighters, is represented a scene where a picadore is being tossedhigh in air from the horns of an infuriated bull, and so on. The namesof some of the streets of the capital show how the Roman Catholic Churchhas tried to impress itself upon the attention of the populace even inthe titles of large thoroughfares. Thus we have the Crown of ThornsStreet, the Holy Ghost Bridge, Mother of Sorrows Street, Blood ofChrist Street, Holy Ghost Street, Street of the Sacred Heart, and thelike. Protestants of influence have protested against this use of names, and changes therein have been seriously considered by the localgovernment. As previously explained, some of these streets have been sonamed because there were churches bearing these titles situated in them. 

Friday, the 28th of March, the day of Viernes de Dolores, was a floralfestal occasion in and about the city of Mexico. The origin of thisobservance we did not exactly understand, except that it is an oldIndian custom, which is carefully honored by all classes, and a verybeautiful one it most certainly is. For several days previous to thatdevoted to the exhibition, preparations were made for it by the erectionof frames, tents, canvas roofing, and the like, in the centre of thealameda and over its approaches. At sunrise on the day designated, thepeople resorted in crowds to the broad and beautiful paths, roadways, and circles of the delightful old park, to find pyramids of flowerselegantly arranged about the fountains, while the passageways were linedby flower dealers from the country with beautiful and fragrant bouquets, for sale at prices and in shapes to suit all comers. Nothing but a truelove of flowers could suggest such attractive combinations. Into some ofthe bouquets strawberries with long stems were introduced, in order toobtain a certain effect of color; in others was seen a handsome redberry in clusters, like the fruit of the mountain ash. We had observedthe preparations, and were on the spot at the first peep of the day. TheIndians came down the Paseo de la Reforma in the gray light of the dawn, and stopped beside the entrance to the alameda, men and women laden withfragrance and bloom from all parts of the valley of Mexico within aradius of forty miles from the city. One lot of burros, numbering ascore and more, formed a singularly picturesque and novel group. Theanimals, except their heads and long ears, were absolutely hiddenbeneath masses of radiant color. Groups of women sitting upon the groundwere busy making up bouquets, which were most artistically combined. These natives love bright colors, and have an instinctive eye forgraceful combinations. 

Of course the variety of flowers was infinite. We remember, among them, red and white roses, pansies, violets, heliotropes, sweet peas, gardenias, camelias, both calla and tiger lilies, honeysuckles, forget-me-nots, verbenas, pinks in a variety of colors, larkspur, jasmine, petunias, morning glories, tulips, scarlet geraniums, andothers. Three military bands placed in central positions added spiritand interest to the suggestive occasion. The harmony of the musicblended with the perfume of the flowers, completing the charm of such ascene of floral extravagance as we have never before witnessed. Ourflorists might get many bright, new ideas as to the arrangements ofbouquets from these Mexicans. 

None of the populace seemed to be too poor to purchase freely of theflowers, all decking their persons with them. As fast as the bouquetswere disposed of, their places were filled with a fresh supply, thesource being, apparently, inexhaustible. Young and old, rich and poor, thronged to the flower-embowered alameda on this occasion, and there wasno seeming diminution of demand or of supply up to high noon, when weleft the still enthusiastic and merry crowd. In the afternoon, no matterin what part of the town we were, the same floral enthusiasm and spiritpossessed the populace. Balcony, doorway, carriage windows, and marketbaskets, married women and youthful señoritas, boys and girls, cripplesand beggars, all indulged in floral decoration and display. It appearedthat several carloads of flowers came from far-away Jalapa to supply thedemand in the national capital made upon the kingdom of Flora for thisflower festival. 

CHAPTER XII. 

Castle of Chapultepec. --"Hill of the Grasshopper. "--Montezuma's Retreat. --Palace of the Aztec Kings. --West Point of Mexico. --Battles of Molino del Rey and Churubusco. --The Mexican White House. --High above Sea Level. --Village of Tacubaya. --Antique Carvings. --Ancient Toluca. --The Maguey. --Fine Scenery. --Cima. --Snowy Peaks. --Leon d'Oro. --The Bull-Ring and Cockpit. --A Literary Institution. --The Coral Tree. -- Ancient Pyramids. --Pachuca. --Silver Product of the Mines. --A Cornish Colony. --Native Cabins. --Indian Endurance. 

One of the pleasantest excursions in the environs of the capital is in asouthwesterly direction to the castle of Chapultepec, a name whichsignifies the "Hill of the Grasshopper. " It is situated at the end ofthe long Paseo de la Reforma, the grandest avenue in the country, running straight away two miles and more between statuary and ornamentaltrees to this historic and attractive locality. About Chapultepec aregathered more of the grand memories of the country than on any otherspot south of the Rio Grande. Here it was intended to establish the mostgrand and sumptuous court of the nineteenth century, over whichMaximilian and Carlotta were to preside as emperor and empress. Theirambition was limitless; but how brief was their day-dream! The fortressoccupies a very commanding position, standing upon a rocky upheaval sometwo hundred feet above the surrounding plain, thus rising abruptly outof the marshy swamp. It is encircled by a beautiful park composed mostlyof old cypress-trees, many of which are draped in gray Spanish moss, assoft and suggestive an adornment as that of the moss-rose. We ascend thehill to the castle by a deeply-shaded road, formed by a wood so densethat the sun scarcely penetrates its darkness. On the side of thistree-embowered road, about halfway to the summit, one is shown a naturalcave, before the mouth of which is a huge iron gate. Herein, it is said, the Aztec kings deposited their treasures. Here, also, Cortez isbelieved to have placed his stolen wealth, under guard of his mosttrusted followers, which was afterward transported to Spain. Oneimmemorial cypress was pointed out to us in the grove of Chapultepec, said to have been a favorite resort of Montezuma I. , who often enjoyedits cooling shade. This tree measures about fifty feet in circumference. We were assured, by good local authority, that some of these trees dateback to more than twice ten hundred years. If there is any truth in theconcentric ring theory, this is easily proved. The best-informed personsupon this subject have little doubt that these trees are the remains ofa primeval forest which surrounded the burial-place of the Incas. Thereis plenty of evidence to show that when Cortez first penetrated thecountry and reached this high plain of Anahuac, it was covered with anoble forest of oaks, cedars, cypresses, and other trees. To one who hasnot seen the giant trees of Australia and the grand conifers of theYosemite Valley, these mammoths must be indeed a revelation, --trees thatmay have been growing before the advent of Christ upon earth. Here andthere a few modern elms and pines have been planted in the Chapultepecgrove; and though they are of respectable or average size, they looklike pigmies beside these gigantic trees. During all the wars andbattles which have taken place around and above them, these grand oldmonarchs have remained undisturbed, flourishing quietly amid thefiercest strife of the elements and the bitter contentions of men. 

According to Spanish history, here stood of old the palace of the Azteckings; and it seems to have ever been the favorite abiding place of theMexican rulers, from the time of Montezuma I. To President Diaz, being afortress, a palace, and a charming garden combined, overlooking thegrandest valley on the continent. On Sundays the _élite_ of the citycome here to enjoy the delightful drive, as well as the shady park whichleads to the summit of the hill, welcomed by the fragrance of flowers, and charmed by the rippling of cooling fountains. At the base of theelevation on which the castle stands, at its eastern foot, bursts forththe abundant spring from which the city is in part supplied with water. Here begins the San Cosme aqueduct, a huge, arched structure of heavymasonry, which adds picturesqueness to the scenery. Maximilian, upontaking up his abode here, caused a number of beautiful avenues to beconstructed in various directions, suitable for drives, in addition tothe grand paseo leading to the city, which also owes its constructionto his taste and liberality. The drives about the castle are shaded bytall, thickly-set trees of various sorts, planted within the last twentyyears. 

Chapultepec is now improved in part for a military school, the "WestPoint" of Mexico, accommodating a little over three hundred cadets, who, coming from the best families of the country, here serve a seven years'apprenticeship in acquiring a sound education and a thorough knowledgeof the art of war. The course of studies, it is understood, is verycomprehensive, and to graduate here is esteemed a high honor from aneducational point of view. Several of the professors who are attached tothe institution came from the best European schools. We were shownthrough the dormitories of the cadets and other domestic offices, whereeverything was in admirable order, but it was a disappointment to seethe lackadaisical manner of these young gentlemen on parade, quite inconsonance with the undisciplined character of the rank and file of thearmy. The pretense of discipline was a mere subterfuge, and would simplydisgust a West Pointer or a European soldier. These cadets were somehowvery diminutive in stature, and their presence was anything but manly. 

This is justly regarded as classic ground in the ancient and modernhistory of the country. It will be remembered that the steep acclivity, though bravely defended, was stormed and captured by a mere handful ofAmericans under General Pillow during the war of 1847. In the rear ofthe hill, to the southward, less than two miles away, is the fieldwhere the battle of Molino del Rey--"the King's Mill"--was fought, andnot far away that of Churubusco, both contests won by the Americans, whowere under the command of General Scott. Lieutenant Grant, afterwardsGeneral Grant and President of the United States, was one of the firstto enter the fortified position at the taking of Chapultepec. Grant, inhis memoirs, pays General Scott due honor as a soldier and a strategist, but expresses the opinion that both the battles of Chapultepec andMolino del Rey were needless, as the two positions could have beenturned. 

Any civilian can realize the mistake which Scott made. The possession ofthe mill at that juncture was of no consequence. Chapultepec was ofcourse to be carried, and when our troops were in possession of thatfortified height the position at the mill was untenable. A fierce andunnecessary, though victorious battle on our part was here fought, wherein the Americans suffered considerable loss, principally from amasked battery, which was manned by volunteers from the city workshops. Near to Molino del Rey the Mexicans have erected a monumentcommemorating their own valor and defeat, when close to a city of nearlythree hundred thousand inhabitants their redoubtable army was beaten anddriven from the field by about ten thousand Americans. The Mexicans didnot and do not lack for courage, but they required proper leaders whichthey had not, and a unity of purpose in which they were equallydeficient. 

As intimated, a portion of the spacious castle forms the residence ofthe chief of the republic, being thus the "White House, " as it istermed, of Mexico, in which are many spacious halls and galleries, allof which are handsomely decorated, the outside being surrounded by widemarble terraces and paved courts. Here Maximilian expended half amillion dollars in gaudy ornamentations and radical alterations to suithis lavish desires. The interior decorations were copies from Pompeii. For the brief period which he was permitted to occupy the castle, it wasfamous for a succession of _fêtes_, receptions, dinners, and dances. NoEuropean court could surpass the lavish elegance and dissipation whichwas indulged in by Maximilian and his very sweet but ambitious wifeCarlotta. Her personal popularity and influence was fully equal to thatof her husband, while her tenacity of purpose and strength of will farexcelled that of the vacillating and conceited emperor. 

The view from the lofty ramparts is perhaps the finest in the entirevalley of Mexico, which is in form an elevated plain about thirty byforty miles in extent, its altitude being a little less than eightthousand feet above the sea. This view embraces the national capital, with its countless spires, domes, and public buildings, the magnificentavenues of trees leading to the city, its widespread environs, thelooming churches of Guadalupe, the village-dotted plain stretching awayin all directions, the distant lakes glowing beneath the sun's rays, andhaving for a background at the eastward two of the loftiest, glacier-crowned mountains on the continent, bold and beautiful inoutline, tranquil and immovable in their grandeur. The steady glow ofthe warm sunlight gilded cross and pinnacle, as we gazed on this picturethrough the softening haze of approaching twilight, --a view which wehave hardly, if ever, seen surpassed. 

In ascending the many steps which lead to the battlements ofChapultepec, one of our party, a Boston lady, fairly gasped for breath, declaring that some serious illness threatened her; but when she wasquietly informed that she was about forty times as high above the sea asthe vane on Park Street Church in her native city, she realized what itwas that caused a temporary difficulty in breathing; it was theextremely rarefied atmosphere, to which she was not accustomed. At suchan elevation, in the latitude of Boston, the temperature would be almostarctic; but it is to be remembered that this high table-land of thevalley of Mexico is under the Tropic of Cancer, and therefore enjoysalmost a perpetual spring, though it is extremely dry. The atmosphereis, in fact, so devoid of moisture that food or fresh meat will dry up, but will not mould or spoil, however long it may be kept. 

On the left of Chapultepec lies the attractive suburban village ofTacubaya, already referred to, where the wealthy citizens of the capitalhave summer residences, some of which are really so elegant as to have anational reputation. These are thrown open to strangers on certain days, to exhibit their accumulation of rare and beautiful objects of art, andthe luxuries of domestic life. 

As we left Chapultepec by a narrow road winding through the remnant of aonce vast forest, attention was called to the ancient inscriptions uponthe rocks at the eastern base of the hill near the roadside. They are inhalf relief; and, so far as we could decipher them, they seemed to beToltec rather than Aztec. They are engraven on the natural rock, and areof a character quite unintelligible to the present generation. For yearsthese were hidden by the dense undergrowth, being on the edge of theplain, near the spot where the Americans clambered up the steepacclivity when they stormed the castle. The shrubbery has now beencleared away so as to render them distinctly visible. 

Toluca, the capital of the State of Mexico, is easily reached by anarrow gauge railway, being less than fifty miles from the nationalcapital. It is a well-built and thriving town, containing abouttwenty-five thousand inhabitants, more or less, and situated at anelevation of about eight thousand and six hundred feet above the sea. The municipal buildings and state capitol, all modern, are thought to bethe finest in the republic. They face upon a delightful plaza, thealmost universal arrangement in these cities. Beyond the valley ofToluca, which is larger than that of Mexico, are others as broad and asfertile, all of which are watered by the Rio Lerma. The trip hither fromthe national capital leads us through some of the grandest scenery inthe country, as well as taking us over some of the most abrupt ascentsin Mexico. The districts through which the road passes nearest to thecity are mostly given up to the cultivation of the pulque-producingmaguey. These plantations are of great extent, being arranged withmathematical precision, the plants placed ten feet apart in eachdirection, in fields of twenty or thirty acres. The very sight of themsets one to moralizing. Like the beautiful but treacherous poppy fieldswhich dazzle one in India, they are only too thrifty, too fruitful, tooready to yield up their heart's blood for the pleasure, delusion, andruin of the people. We are all familiar with the broad, long, bayonet-like leaf of this plant, which is to be seen in most of ourconservatories, known to us by the name of the century plant, and tobotanists as the _Agave Americana_. It rarely blooms except in tropicalclimates. Indeed, it is best known with us at the north as the centuryplant, a popular fallacy having become attached to it, that it bloomsbut once in a hundred years. Hence the name which it bears in NewEngland. When the juice is first extracted it is sweet like new cider, and is as harmless; it is believed to possess special curativeproperties for some chronic ills that flesh is heir to, but fermentationsets in soon after it is separated from the plant, and the alcoholicprinciple is promptly developed. We were told at the city of Mexico thatthe government treasury realizes a thousand dollars each day as a taxupon the pulque which is brought into the capital from various parts ofthe country, and that the railway companies receive an equal sum for thefreight. 

There are two kinds of maguey: the cultivated plant from which comespulque, and one which grows wild in the desert parts of the country. From the latter is distilled a coarse liquor which is highlyintoxicating, called mescal. This is a digression. Let us speak of ourjourney to Toluca. If this very interesting city did not possess anyspecial attraction in itself, the unsurpassed scenery to be enjoyed onthe route thither would amply repay the traveler for the brief journey. At about twenty miles from the city of Mexico, it is found that we haverisen to an elevation of eleven hundred feet above it, from which pointdelightful views present themselves, embracing the entire valley, itsvarious thrifty crops distinguishable by their many hues; here, yellow, ripening grain; there, the blue-green maguey plant; and yonder, widepatches of dark, nutritious alfalfa; together with irrigating streamssparkling in the sunshine, enlivened here and there by groups of grazingcattle. Now an adobe hamlet comes into view, the low whitewashed cabinsclustering about a gray old stone church. Creeping up the mountain pathsare long lines of toiling burros, laden from hoofs to ears withponderous packs, and on the dusty road are straggling natives, men andwomen, bearing heavy loads of produce, of wood, pottery, and fruit, tothe nearest market; while not far away a ploughman, driving three mulesabreast, turns the rich black soil with his one-pronged, one-handledplough. Villages and plantations are passed in rapid succession, wherescores of square, tower-like corn cribs, raised upon four standards, areseen adjoining the low, picturesque farmhouses. 

At Dos Rios (Two Rivers), half-clad, gypsy-looking women and young, nut-brown girls besiege the passengers to partake of fresh pulque, whichthey serve in small earthen mugs. Two stout engines are required to drawus over the steep grade. The highest point reached is at Cima (TheSummit) twenty-four miles from the city of Mexico, and ten thousand feetabove the level of the sea. This is the most elevated station in thecountry, seriously affecting the respiration of many of our party. Indeed, any considerable exertion puts one quite out of breath at suchan altitude. The conductor of the train was an American, who had beenengaged upon this route for a year and more; but he assured the authorthat he was as seriously affected by the great elevation as when hefirst took the position. It was observed, however, that the natives didnot seem to experience any such discomfort. 

From Cima we descend the western slope of the ridge by a series ofgrand, abrupt curves through the valley of San Lazar, after having thuscrossed the range of mountains known as Las Cruces. The white-headedpeak of the Nevada de Toluca, over fifteen thousand feet in height, --thefourth highest peak in Mexico, --is long in sight from the car windows, first on one side of the route and then on the other, while we pass overthe twists and turns of the track to the music of rippling watersescorting us to the plains below. Mountain climbers tell us that fromthe apex of this now sleeping volcano the Pacific Ocean, one hundred andsixty miles away, can be seen. It is also said that with a powerfulfield-glass the Gulf of Mexico can be discerned from the same position, at a much longer distance. Baron von Humboldt tells us that he ascendedthis peak in September, 1803, and that the actual summit is scarcely tenfeet wide. It occupied this indefatigable scientist two days to make theascent from Toluca and return. 

But let us tell the patient reader about Toluca itself. The streets arespacious, well-paved, and cleanly. A tramway takes us from the depotthrough the Calle de la Independencia, on which thoroughfare there is astatue of Hidalgo, which by its awkward pose and twisted limbs suggeststhe idea of a person under the influence of pulque. At the hotel Leond'Oro, an excellent and well-served dinner was enjoyed, and it is spokenof here because such an experience is a _rara avis_ in the republic ofMexico. Among the numberless churches, a curious one will long beremembered, namely, the Santa Vera Cruz, the façade of which very muchresembles that of a dime museum, having a lot of grotesquely-coloredfigures of saints standing guard. 

Toluca, notwithstanding its appearance of newness, is really one of theoldest settlements in the country, dating from the year 1533. Activityand growth are manifest on all sides. There is a spacious alameda in theenvirons, but it is not kept in very good condition. The town has twocapacious theatres, and a large bull-ring, which is infamously noted forits many fatal encounters. The bull-ring and the cockpit are two specialblots upon this otherwise attractive place, --attractive, we mean, ascompared with most Mexican towns. Cock-fighting is the favorite resortof the amusement seekers, and in its way is made extremely cruel. One ofthe two birds pitted against each other must die in the ring. This andthe hateful bull-fight were introduced by the Spanish invaders of Mexicocenturies ago, and are still only too popular all over the land. In thecities one frequently meets a native with a game-cock under each arm, and at some of the inland railroad stations they are tied in long rows, each by its leg, and out of reach of the others, so that purchasers canmake their selection. It must be a very small town in Mexico which doesnot contain one or more cockpits, not only as a Sunday resort foramusement, but also as a medium for the inveterate gambling propensitiesof the native people. 

Here, also, there is the usual profusion of Roman Catholic churches, butthere is nothing remarkable about them. A couple of miles west of thecity is the church of Nuestra Señora de Tecajic, in which is exhibited a"miraculous" image which is held in great veneration by the credulousIndians. It is a picture painted on coarse cotton cloth, andrepresenting the assumption of the Virgin. This is an ancient shrine, and has been in existence over two hundred years. 

Near Toluca is an extinct volcano, the crater of which forms a largelake of unknown depth, the water being as cold as ice. 

The city supported several notable convents previous to the confiscationof the church properties, which are now utilized for schools, hospitals, and public offices. One educational establishment, theInstituto Literario, is perhaps the widest known institution of learningin Mexico, and has educated most of the distinguished men of thecountry. It may be called the Harvard College of the republic. Theedifice devoted to the purpose is a very spacious one, and besides itsvarious other departments, it contains a fine library and a museum ofnatural history, together with a well-arranged gymnasium. 

Toluca has the best and largest general market which we saw in Mexico. It is all under cover, and each article has its appropriate place ofsale, meats, fruits, vegetables, fish, flowers, pottery, baskets, shoes, and sandals. It was a general market day when we chanced to be upon thespot, and the throng of country people who had come in to the city todispose of their wares could not have numbered less than a couple ofthousand. Such a mingling of colors, of cries, of commodities! The wholepopulace of the place seemed to be in the streets. 

We chanced to see in the patio of a private dwelling-house at Toluca aspecimen of that little tropical gem, the coral-tree, a curious andlovely freak of vegetation, its small but graceful stem, six or sevenfeet in height, being topped above the pendent, palm-shaped foliage witha prominent bit of vegetable coral of deepest red, precisely in the formof the Mediterranean sea-growth from which it takes its name. A purewhite campanile with its inverted hanging flowers, like metallic bells, which it so much resembles, stood beside the coral-tree. 

An excursion of about thirty miles on the Mexican and Vera Cruz Railroadtook us in sight of the two remarkable pyramids erected to the godsTonateuh, the sun, and Meztli, the moon, situated near the presentvillage of San Juan Teotihuacan. With the exception of the pyramid atCholula, these are doubtless the most ancient prehistoric remains on thesoil of Mexico. That dedicated to the moon has been so far penetrated asto discover a long gallery with a couple of wells situated very nearlyin the middle of the mound. The entrance to this is on the southernside, at about two thirds of the elevation. What the purpose of thesepits could have been, no one can say. There are still some remains onthe pyramid dedicated to the sun which indicate that a temple onceoccupied the spot, which is said to have been destroyed by the Spaniardsnearly four hundred years ago. Excavations show that the neighboringground is full of ancient tombs. The pyramid dedicated to the sun-god isa little larger than the other, being about two hundred feet high andseven hundred feet in length at the base, with a nearly correspondingwidth. 

Speaking of Teotihuacan, Bancroft says: "Here kings and priests wereelected, ordained, and buried. Hither flocked pilgrims from everydirection to consult the oracles, to worship in the temples of the sunand moon, and to place sacrificial offerings on the altars of theirdeities. The sacred city was ruled by the long-haired priests of thesun, famous for their austerity and their wisdom. Through the hands ofthese priests, as the Spanish writers tell us, yearly offerings weremade of the first fruits of the fields; and each year at harvest-time, asolemn festival was celebrated, not unattended by human sacrifice. " Inthe neighborhood of these huge mounds there are traces of a large andsubstantially built city having once existed. It is believed to havebeen twenty miles in circumference. Obsidian knives, arrowheads, stonepestles, and broken plaster trowels are often found just below thesurface of the soil. A large number of smaller pyramids stand at variousdistances about the two principal ones which we have named. These do notexceed twenty-five or thirty feet in height, and are thought to havebeen dedicated to the stars, and also to have served as sepulchres forillustrious men. We have mounds of a similar character and size to thesesecondary ones in the Western and Middle States of the Union. 

After passing through several small cities and towns, by taking a branchroad, the city of Pachuca is reached, at eighty-five miles from the cityof Mexico. It is interesting especially as being a great mining centrewhich has been worked long and successfully. It was in this place thatthe process of amalgamation was discovered, and a means whereby thecrude ores as dug from the mines are most readily made to yield up theprecious metal which they contain. It will be remembered in thisconnection that for more than two centuries Mexico has furnished theworld with its principal supply of silver, and that she probablyexports to-day about two million dollars worth of the precious metaleach month. The production of gold is only incidental, as it were, whilethe output of silver might be doubled. The ore of this district isalmost wholly composed of blackish silver sulphides. Mr. Frederick A. Ober, who has written much and well upon Mexico and her resources, tellsus that the sum total coined by all the mints in the country, so far asknown, was, up to 1884, over three billions of dollars, while thepresent annual product is greater than the amount furnished by all themines of Europe. 

Pachuca is the capital of the State of Hidalgo, lying on a plain at analtitude of eight thousand feet and more, environed by purple hills, andis one of the oldest mining districts in the republic, having beenworked long before the Spanish conquest. It has a population of abouttwenty thousand, nearly half of whom are Indian miners. The surroundinghills are scarred all over with the opening of mines. In all, there arebetween eighty and a hundred of them grouped near together at Pachuca. The streets are very irregular and narrow, the houses being mostly onestory in height, and built of stone. The place is said to be healthy asa residence, though in a sanitary sense it is far from cleanly. A muddyriver makes its way through the town, the dwellings rising terrace uponterrace on either side. The market-place is little more than a mound ofdirt; cleanliness is totally neglected, and everything seems to besacrificed to the one purpose of obtaining silver, which is the oneoccupation. The wages of the miners are too often gambled away orwasted in liquor. There are both English and American miners at workwith fair pecuniary success; and this is almost the only locality whereforeign miners have been introduced. Government supports a school herefor teaching practical mining, established in an imposing structurewhich was once a convent. 

Quite a colony of Cornish miners emigrated to this place a few yearssince, many of whom have acquired considerable means and have becomeinfluential citizens. Here and in the immediate district, including Realdel Monte to the northwest, El Chico to the north, and Santa Rosa to thewest, there are nearly three hundred silver mines, all more or lessvaluable. The most famous is named the Trinidad, which has yielded fortymillion dollars to its owners in a period of ten years! Real del Montestands at an elevation of a little over nine thousand feet above thesea. The country which surrounds this district is extremely interestingin point of scenery. It was here that an English mining company came togrief pecuniarily, under the name of the Real del Monte Mining Company. At the organization of the enterprise, its shares were a hundred poundssterling each; but they sold in one year in the London market forsixteen hundred pounds a share! The management was of a very recklessand extravagant character. Economy is certainly more necessary inconducting a silver mine than in nearly any other business. After a fewyears, it was found that sixteen million dollars worth of silver hadbeen mined and realized upon, while the expenses had amounted to twentymillion dollars, --a deficit of four million dollars in a brief period. The property was then sold to a Mexican company for a merely nominalsum, and is now regularly worked at a handsome percentage of profit uponthe final cost. Much of the modern machinery was promptly discarded, andthe new managers returned to the old methods of milling the ore. TheIndians who bring in the supplies from the vicinity for this mining townare typical of the race all over the country. At their homes, far awayfrom the city, they live in mud cabins, under a thatched roof, with theearth for a floor. One room serves for every purpose, and is oftenshared with pigs and poultry. These Indians do not eat meat once amonth, nay, scarcely once a year. Some wild fruits are added to theirhumble fare, which consists almost wholly of tortillas, or cake madefrom maize and half baked over charcoal. A rush mat serves them for abed, a serape as an overcoat by day and a blanket at night. The men weara coarse, unbleached cotton shirt and cotton drawers reaching to theknees, leaving legs and feet bare. The women wear a loose cotton chemiseand a colored skirt wrapped about the loins, the legs, feet, and armsbeing bare. They supply the town with poultry, charcoal, eggs, pottery, mats, baskets, and a few vegetables, often trotting thirty miles overhills and plains with a load of one hundred and twenty pounds or more ontheir backs, in order to reach the market, where a dollar, or perhapstwo, is all they can hope to get for the two or three days' journey. 

An Indian will cheerfully spend four days in the mountains to burn asmall quantity of charcoal, load it upon his back, and take ittwenty-five miles to market, where it will sell for half a dollar orseventy-five cents. When he gets home, he has earned from ten to fifteencents a day, and traveled fifty or sixty miles on foot to do it! If thepoor native lives anywhere within the influence of a Catholic priest, the probability is that the priest will get half of this pittance. Thereis a local saying here that "Into the open doors of the Roman CatholicChurch goes all the small change of Mexico. " This is a sad story, but itis a true one; and it represents the actual condition of a large classof the country people known as Indians. The condition of our own Westerntribes of aborigines is, in comparison, one of luxury. And yet theseMexicans, as a rule, are temperate and industrious. The women, thoughdoomed to a life of toil and hardship, are not made slaves, nor beatenby fathers or husbands, as is too often the case among our Westerntribes. 

We are speaking of the Aztecs pure and simple, such as have kept theirtribal language, habits, and customs. They form nearly two thirds of thepopulace of the republic, and, as a body, are ignorant to the lastdegree, complete slaves to superstition of all sorts. The idolatrousinstinct inherited from their Indian ancestors finds satisfaction inbowing before the hosts of saints, virgins, pictures, and imagesgenerally, which the Catholic Church presents for their adoration; whiletheir simplicity and ignorance permit them to be dazed and overawed, ifnot converted, by a faith which presents itself in such theatrical formas to captivate both their eyes and ears. "This people have changedtheir ceremonies, but not their religious dogmas, " says Humboldt, significantly. 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Puebla, the Sacred City. --General Forey. --Battle-Ground. --View of the City. --Priestly Miracles. --The Cathedral. --Snow-Crowned Mountains. --A Cleanly Capital. --The Plaza Mayor. --A Typical Picture. --The Old Seller of Rosaries. --Mexican Ladies. --Palm Sunday. --Church Gala Day. --Education. --Confiscation of Church Property. --A Curious Arch. --A Doll Image. --Use of Glazed Tiles. --Onyx a Staple Production. --Fine Work of Native Indian Women. --State of Puebla full of Rich Resources. --A Dynamite Bomb. --The Key of the Capital. 

Our next objective point is Puebla, situated seventy-five miles, more orless, southeast of the city of Mexico. It is the capital of the state ofthe same name, and in a military point of view is the key to thenational capital. It has often changed hands with the fortunes of war, both civil and foreign, which have so long distracted this land of thesun. One of the most desperate fights which took place between theMexicans and the French forces occurred here, the event being celebratedby the people of the republic annually as a national festival. Pueblacost the intruders a three months' siege and the loss of many lives intheir ranks before it yielded. General Forey, the commander of thebesieging force, increased as far as possible the difficulties of theconflict, in order to send, with the customary French bombast, brilliantbulletins to Paris, and thus bind a victor's wreath about his own brow, and enable him to obtain a much-coveted marshalship. In this he wassuccessful, as he was promoted to that dignity upon his return toFrance. The fact was that an ordinary fighting column of American orEnglish troops would have taken the place in twenty-four hours, thedefense being totally inadequate, and the Mexican soldiers comparativelyinsignificant. The defenders of the place were raw and undisciplined, and composed of the worst possible material. Many of them were peons whohad been impressed at the point of the bayonet; others were taken fromthe prisons and put at once into the ranks. As we have already stated, this is a common practice in Mexico. 

In the environs of the town is what is called the hill of Guadalupe, famous in the annals of Mexican history, this being the principalbattle-ground of the 5th of May. The Mexican forces were four thousandstrong, defended by earthworks improvised by cutting down the walls ofthe church of Guadalupe. The French troops were six thousand strong. Thedefenders were under command of General Zaragoza; the French, underGeneral de Lorencez, who attacked the fort with great dash and vigor. The Mexicans repulsed them with heavy loss to the attacking party. Itwas not a very important battle, but its moral effect upon the Mexicanswas excellent. They realized that they were comparatively raw troops, and that their enemies were trained soldiers of the much-lauded Frencharmy. Though it was only a gallant repulse, it was heralded all over thecountry as being a great victory, and probably had as much effect uponthe popular mind as though it had been. It gave them courage to continuetheir warfare against the invaders with increased determination. Fiveyears later, the position was reversed, when General Porfirio Diaz--nowPresident--took Puebla by storm and made prisoners of its Frenchdefenders. Between the occurrence of these battles the fortifications onthe hill of Guadalupe had been erected. The view from the fort is one ofextraordinary interest, taking in three snow-capped mountains, andaffording a comprehensive panorama of the city with its myriad domes andfine public buildings, the tree-decked Plaza Mayor, the alameda, thestone bridge over the Aloyac, while over the Cerro de San Juan is seenthe church of Los Remedios, which crowns the great earth-pyramid ofCholula. To the south of the city lies the interesting suburb of Jonaco, and to the north, on the hill of the Loreto, stands the fort of theCinco de Mayo. 

Puebla contains between eighty and ninety thousand inhabitants, and israted as the fourth city of the republic in point of population andgeneral importance. It certainly rivals the larger cities in thecharacter of its principal buildings, which are mostly constructed ofgranite, as well as in some other respects. Among the citizens it bearsthe fanciful name of La Puebla de los Angeles (The City of the Angels). One might reasonably think this was on account of its beautifulsituation and salubrious climate; the veracious chroniclers tell us itwas because the walls of the grand cathedral were erected amid the songsof angels. What would any Roman Catholic institution be in Mexicowithout its mystery and miracles? In this instance, the legend runs tothe effect that the angels built as much each night upon the walls ofthe church while it was erecting as the terrestrial workmen did eachday. It is of basaltic material, supported by massive buttresses, and asa whole is surpassingly grand. High up over the central doorway of themain front is placed in carved stone the insignia of the order of theGolden Fleece. The interior is as effective and elegant as that of anychurch we can recall, having some fine old bronzes and valuablepaintings, the latter well worthy of special attention, and embracingsome thirty examples. The woodwork upon the grand altar shows anartistic excellence which is rarely excelled. The two organs areencased, also, in richly carved wood, exhibiting figures of angelsblowing trumpets. The interior adornments, as a whole, are undoubtedlythe finest of any church or cathedral in Mexico. A majority of writersconsider that the cathedral of the national capital is the grandestchurch on the continent of America, but with this we cannot agree; toour mind, the cathedral of Puebla, all things considered, is itssuperior. 

Puebla might be appropriately called the city of churches, for, at ashort distance, the countless domes and steeples looming above the flattops of the houses are the main feature. We believe that it has as manyedifices occupied for religions purposes as the city of Mexico. The twintowers of its stately cathedral are especially conspicuous andbeautiful. The town was founded three hundred and sixty years ago, andretains, apparently, more of its ancient Spanish character than most ofits sister cities. From any favorably situated spot in the town, forinstance from the hill of Guadalupe, one beholds rising in thesouthwest, twenty-five miles away, the snowy crown of the world-renownedPopocatepetl, the view of this mountain being much superior to that hadat the national capital, while the two hardly less famous mountains ofOrizaba and Iztaccihuatl are also in sight, though at farther distances. The rarefied atmosphere makes all these elevations clear to the viewwith almost telescopic power. 

The nights here are a revelation of calmness and beauty. The stars aremuch brighter than they appear to us in the dense atmosphere we inhabit. The North Star and the Southern Cross are both visible, though only aportion of the Dipper is to be seen. Within the points of the SouthernCross there is a brilliant cluster of stars, which are not apparent tothe naked eye, but which are made visible by the use of the telescope, shining like a group of gems in a choice necklace. How glorious is thesky on such nights as we experienced at Puebla, so full of repose; noforce can disturb its eternal peacefulness! Below, all about us, rages anervous activity; every one is stricken with the fever of living; but weraise our eyes to that broad, blue, star-spangled expanse, and beholdonly the calm, adorable majesty of heaven. 

There are extensive manufactories in Puebla, especially in cotton goods, leather, soap, hats, matches, and earthenware; indeed, it has beencalled the Lowell of Mexico. It is also destined to become eventually aconsiderable railroad centre, having already established connectionswith the capital, Vera Cruz, and other important points. There are sixrailroad depots in the city, each representing a more or less importantrailway line. 

The stranger is agreeably struck with the appearance of Puebla at firstsight, and is confirmed in this impression as he becomes betteracquainted with its mild and healthful climate, tempered by being morethan seven thousand feet above the sea level, its wide, cleanly streets, running exactly east and west, north and south, its beautiful, flower-decked Plaza Mayor, its fine public squares, the interestingMoorish _portales_ nearly surrounding the plaza, its gray old churches, and its neat stores and houses, having their various-colored frontsornamented by iron balconies. The ever-present contrast between wealthand poverty, so striking in most of the Mexican cities, did not seem soprominent here. The people were certainly better clothed, and lookedmore cleanly and respectable. We saw very few beggars in the streets. The lame and the blind must have been taken care of by the municipalauthorities, for none were to be seen in public. The city is clean inall its visible belongings. There are no offensive smells, such as greetone in the badly-drained capital of the republic. The thoroughfares teemwith a bright, cheerful population, often barefooted and in rags, to besure, but still smiling and good natured. True, we first saw the townunder favorable auspices, it being Palm Sunday, and those who had themprobably donned holiday costumes. The Plaza Mayor was radiant with thebrilliant colors of the rebosas and serapes, agreeably relieved by theblack lace mantillas of the more select señoras and señoritas. Many ofthese wore marvelously high heels, not infrequently having only Eve'sstockings inside of their gayly-ornamented boots! The Indian women whohad come to town to see the church ceremonials formed an unconscious butinteresting portion of the holiday show in their sky-blue or redrebosas, and the variegated skirt wound about waists and hips, leavingthe brown limbs and bare feet exposed. They were gathered all about thesquare, awaiting their opportunity; and as half a hundred came pouringdown the broad steps, others hastened to take their places inside thechurch. 

The cathedral already alluded to forms one whole side of the PlazaMayor. It is not quite so large as that of the city of Mexico, though ithas the effect of being so. Like that, it stands upon a raised platform, built of dark porphyritic stone, the surface being five or six feetabove the level of the plaza. The principal front is in the Doric style;but the two tall side towers are Ionic. The two domes, covered with theglittering native tiles, throw back the sunlight with a dazzling mottledeffect. The chapels of the interior are perhaps a little tawdry withtheir profuse gilding, and the main altar is dazzling with gold, havingcost, it is stated, over a hundred thousand dollars. The pulpit isespecially curious, and was carved by a native artist from onyx, whichcame from a neighboring quarry. The floor is of marble, while that ofthe more pretentious edifice at the city of Mexico is of wood, a tokenindicative of more important matters wherein the Puebla cathedral issuperior in finish. The main roof, with its castellated cornice and manypinnacles, its broken outlines, and crumbling, gray old stone sides, iswonderfully picturesque. 

Not many years ago there hung from the lofty ceiling a famous and mostbeautiful golden lamp of exquisite workmanship, the intrinsic value ofwhich is said to have been over one hundred thousand dollars. During thecivil war it was ruthlessly broken up and coined into doubloons to aidGeneral Miramon to keep the field while representing the church party. The bells attached to the cathedral are of the most costly character andof superior excellence. These are eighteen in number, the largest ofwhich weighs about ten tons. One is at a loss to understand why so manyand so expensive bells are required, since they are not arranged aschimes, and have no apparent connection with each other. 

A typical picture is recalled which presented itself as we entered forthe first time the broad portal of the cathedral, where an old, wrinkled, bare-limbed woman, poor and decrepit, sat upon the stones atthe entrance of the church offering rosaries for sale. She did notspeak, but held up a cross with its attachments, accompanied by a lookso cadaverous, so weak and pitiful, that she got the silver she desiredand kept her beads. The poor creature, so aged, emaciated, and ragged, had somehow a strangely significant look about her, suggestive of havingknown better days. It was a festal occasion, and many bright-eyedseñoritas, casting stolen glances about them while accompanied by theirduennas, were passing into the church. What a contrast of youth and age, between these fair young creatures so richly clad, so fresh and full oflife, and the faded, hopeless vender of rosaries resting her weary limbson the flinty portal!

The Mexican ladies have none of the languor of their continentalsisters, but are overflowing with vivacity and spirit. We remember thesebuds of humanity at the church door; they seemed to be "spoiling" for achance flirtation, looking out from deep black eyes full of roguishness. Within the dimly-lighted church the smell of burning incense, the sharptinkling of the bell before the distant altar, the responsive kneelingand bowing of the worshipers, the dull murmur of the officiating priest, the deep, solemn tones of the great organ, --all combined to impressthemselves upon the memory, if not to challenge an unbeliever'sdevotion. 

At midday, on the occasion of our second visit, the priests were clad inthe gayest colors, the robes of some being red, some blue, others white, and all more or less wrought with gold and silver ornamentation. Theattendants and the priests who were not officiating carried tall palmbranches. The marble floor of the nave was covered with kneelingdevotees, among whom every class of the populace was represented; ragsand satins were side by side, bare feet and silken hose were next toeach other. Indians, Spaniards, and foreign visitors mingledindiscriminately; there were few men, but many women. The choir wassinging to an organ accompaniment, while the military band was playingin the plaza close at hand, opposite the open church doors, causingrather an incongruous mingling of sounds, and yet with the remarkablesurroundings it did not strike the ear as inharmonious. Here and there, along the side of the church, a woman was seen kneeling, with her lipsclose to the little grating of the confessional. Now and again theclosely wrapped figure of a man was observed making its way among thecrowd, with a dark and sinister expression upon his face betraying hislawless character. He was here prompted by no devotional impulse, but towatch and mark some intended victim. As we came out of the cathedral, long lines of natives were seen, men, women, and children, sitting onthe edge of the sidewalks, or squatting near the low garden wall of thechurch, eating tortillas, while an earthen jar of pulque wasoccasionally passed among them, all drinking from the same vessel. Another group close by these had a lighted cigarette which they werehanding from one to another, men and women alike, each taking a longwhiff, which was swallowed to be slowly emitted at the nostrils. It wasa gala day, a church festival, of which there are something less thanthree hundred and sixty-five in the year. These idlers had nothing to doand plenty of time to do it in. Puebla has always been most loyal tothe Catholic Church, even when directly under the evil influence of theInquisition. It is visited to-day by thousands of Roman Catholics fromvarious parts of the country at periods when church ceremonials are inprogress, because they are more elaborately carried out here than in anyother city of the republic. Indeed, the place is generally known andspoken of by Mexicans as "The Sacred City. "

It seemed on inquiry and from casual observation that more attention wasgiven to the cause of education here than in some other districts we hadvisited, colleges and schools being maintained by the state as well asby the municipality, however much opposed by the priestly hierarchy. Thefact is, that education is the true panacea for the ills of this people, and it is the only one. It is the poor man's capital. Freedom can existonly where popular education is fostered. The soldier and the priesthave been too long abroad in Mexico. When the schoolteacher's turn shallcome, then let tyranny and bigotry beware. The primer, not the bayonet, should be relied upon to uphold the liberty of a nation. Thirty or fortyyears ago illiteracy was the rule in Mexico; but each year sees a largerand larger percentage of the population able to read and write. Thisevidence of real progress is not confined to any locality, but iswidespread among both those of Spanish descent and the half-castes. Thesituation of the peons is still one of entire mental darkness. 

The episcopal palace, near the cathedral, is a picturesque edifice, withits red roof tiles faced with white. So late as 1869, the citycontained a dozen nunneries and nine or ten monasteries; but theseinstitutions are happily of the past, the buildings which they onceoccupied having been occupied for various business purposes, ashospitals, public schools, and libraries. When the confiscation of theenormous wealth of the church was decreed and carried out by thegovernment some twenty years since, that organization actually held amortgage on two thirds of the real property of the entire country. Thepriesthood was completely despoiled of even their churches, which theynow occupy only on sufferance, the legal fee in the same being vested inthe government. To emphasize this fact one sees the national flag wavingon special occasions over the cathedrals as well as other governmentproperties. Their other real estate has been sold and appropriated tovarious uses, as we have shown. The indefatigable priesthood are andhave ever since been steadily at work accumulating from the poor, overtaxed, and superstitious people money which we were told was hoardedand so disposed of as not to be again liable to seizure under anycircumstances. It is the boast of the church party that theirconfiscated millions shall all be gathered into their coffers again. They may possibly get back the gold, but their lost power will never beregained. Intelligence is becoming too broadcast in Mexico, and even thecommon people begin to think for themselves. 

In the church of San Francisco, erected in 1667, there was pointed outto us an arch, supporting one of the galleries, so flat that no onebelieved it would stand even until the church was dedicated. Sopertinaciously was the architect badgered and criticised at the time ofits construction, that he finally lost faith in his own design, and fledin despair before the threatening arch was tested. It was therefore leftfor the monks to remove the supporting framework at the proper time. This they ingeniously did without any danger to themselves, by settingthe woodwork on fire and letting the supporting beams slowly burn away!To the wonder of all, when they had been thus removed, the arch stoodfirmly in its place, and there it stands to-day, sound and apparentlysafe, after being in use for two hundred years, and having passedthrough the severe test of more than one slight earthquake. In thischurch, which, after the cathedral, is the most interesting in Puebla, we were shown by an old, gray-haired priest the little doll representingthe Virgin Mother which Cortez brought with him from Spain to Cuba, andthence to Vera Cruz, carrying it through all of his campaigns withapparent religious veneration. It is astonishing to see the reverencewith which this toy is regarded. Adjoining the church is a reconstructedconvent which is now used as a military hospital, and before whichlounged an awkward squad of soldiers belonging to the regular army. There are several very old churches in the city, on whose eaves andcornices small trees and tropical bushes, which have planted themselvesin these exposed places, have grown to considerable size, surrounded bydeep-green moss, shaded by the rounded domes and lofty towers. 

A feature of the town which is sure to attract the attention of astranger is the fanciful manner in which the people adapt richly coloredand highly ornamented glazed tiles for both internal and externaldecoration of public and private buildings. The effect of this wascertainly incongruous, not to say tawdry. There are eight or ten tilefactories in Puebla, and one glass manufactory. Some of the work turnedout in both these lines is really very artistic and attractive. Largequantities are regularly shipped to various parts of the country. Inseveral shops collections of onyx ornaments are to be seen, besideshandsome baskets and mats of colored straw, all of which are of nativeworkmanship. Onyx may be said to be the rage of Puebla. We remember anattractive store solely devoted to the sale of this stone, where thelarge and most artistic display formed a veritable museum. Here membersof our party expended considerable sums of money in the purchase ofpretty mementoes to take home with them as souvenirs of Puebla de losAngeles. Onyx articles are shipped from here in considerable quantitiesto London and Paris, where there are agencies for their sale. Thequarries whence these fine specimens come are fifty miles away from thecity, near Mount El Pizarro. 

The State of Puebla is remarkable for producing a fine quality of wheat, and also for its heavy yield of other cereals. One may look in vainelsewhere for better apples, pears, peaches, and plums than are offeredin the public market of this attractive town, all of which are grown inits immediate vicinity. Articles of embroidery were offered at one ofthe open stands in the market-place fully equal to the Fayal product sowell known in Boston. The very low price demanded for fine linenhandkerchiefs and napkins, representing days of patient labor on each, showed how cheaply these native women estimate their time. They willfollow the most intricate design which may be given to them as apattern, reproducing it with Chinese fidelity, and with as much apparentease as though it were their own conception. It seemed to us, as weexamined this delicate product, that art needlework could hardly gofurther as to perfection of detail. This work is not that of daintyfingers and delicate hands, educated and taught embroidery in someconvent school, but the outcome of very humble adobe cabins, and theinstinctive artistic taste of hands accustomed to the severe drudgery ofa semi-barbarous life. It was found that the sales-people, when theyfirst receive these goods from the natives, are obliged to wash andbleach them thoroughly, they are so begrimed, but they know very wellhow beautifully the work will prove to be executed, and gladly purchaseit even in this soiled condition. 

For so restricted a territory, Puebla contains a great aggregate ofvaluable resources, --a rich and extensive coal-mine near by on the ranchof Santa Barbara, inexhaustible stone-quarries on the hill of Guadalupe, abundant deposits of kaolin close at hand for the manufacture ofporcelain ware, a sufficient supply of material for making lime to lasta hundred years, an iron mine within eight or ten miles which employs alarge foundry, running night and day; while the neighboring foothillsare covered with an almost inexhaustible supply of good merchantablewood. Certainly, no city in Mexico is better situated as to naturalresources. The state is so located as to embrace a great variety ofclimate. In the north it produces wheat, corn, and other cereals, alsoaffording grazing ground to immense herds of domestic animals, while inthe south it yields liberal crops of cotton, tobacco, sugar, rice, and agreat variety of fruits, together with many rich and beautiful cabinetand dye woods. Truly, this is a record which few localities can equal inany zone. 

We have said that Puebla is the key to the national capital. This isproven by the fact that the chief events in its history have been thebattles fought for its possession. A few of those which most readilyoccur to the memory are its capture by Iturbide, August 2, 1821; itsoccupation by Scott, May 25, 1847; its successful defense against theFrench, May 5, 1862; its capture by the French, May 17, 1863; and itscapture _from_ the French, April 2, 1867, by General Diaz, now Presidentof the republic. 

We were told that the thieving populace of Puebla had so provoked theagent of the company who own the road between Mexico and Vera Cruz, byabstracting everything they could lay their hands on, whether availablefor any purpose of their own or not, that he finally resolved to set atrap which should teach them a severe lesson. A small dynamite bomb withits brass screw at the vent was left exposed in the yard at night. Oneof the prowling, thieving peons climbed the wall and attempted toabstract the cap, --not because he was in want of a brass cap to adynamite bomb; he would have stolen a railroad spike or an iron tie allthe same. He hadn't fooled with this instrument more than sixty secondsbefore it was discharged in his hands with a report like a cannon. Theconsequence was, that not enough of that would-be thief could be foundto give the body Christian burial! It was observed thereafter that peonsdidn't feel sufficient interest in the company's affairs to climb thewall which incloses the depot, and meddle with the articles of railroadproperty lying about the yard. This was a pretty severe dose ofmedicine, but it wrought a radical cure. 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Ancient Cholula. --A Grand Antiquity. --The Cheops of Mexico. --Traditions relating to the Pyramid. --The Toltecs. --Cholula of To-Day. -- Comprehensive View. --A Modern Tower of Babel. --Multiplicity of Ruins. --Cortez's Exaggerations. --Sacrifices of Human Beings. --The Hateful Inquisition. --A Wholesale Murderous Scheme. --Unreliable Historians. --Spanish Falsification. --Interesting Churches. --Off the Track. -- Personal Relics of Cortez. --Torturing a Victim. --Aztec Antiquities. --Tlaxcala. --Church of San Francisco. --Peon Dwellings. --Cortez and the Tlaxcalans. 

In leaving Puebla for Cholula, which lies at a distance of only a coupleof leagues to the westward, we first pass on the left the finearchitectural group formed by the church of San Javior and Guadalupe, with its attractive cluster of domes, spires, and pinnacles. Our courselies through broad maguey fields and across the Atoyac River, a shallowstream most of the year; but at times it becomes a rushing torrent. Thecountry hereabouts is under excellent cultivation, though the awkwardplough introduced by the Spaniards centuries ago still does servicehere. Almost as soon as the city disappears from view, there looms inthe distance the grand pyramid of Cholula, crowned by a lofty modernchapel, its dome of enameled and parti-colored tiles glistening in thewarm sunshine. Far beyond the pyramid the volcanoes are seen in theirlonely grandeur. Cholula lies upon a perfectly level plain, broken onlyby the great artificial mound called the pyramid, situated on theeastern outskirt of the present city. The town, Spanish history tellsus, once contained over two hundred thousand inhabitants; but to-daythere are less than nine thousand, while of its four hundred reputedtemples, scarcely a trace now remains. 

When Cortez made his advent here he found Cholula to be the sacred cityof the Aztecs, where their main body of high priests and their mostvenerated temples were located. Is it possible that these mud-builtcabins represent a city once so grand and so populous? Can it be thatthese half-clad, half-fed peons whom we see about us, exhibiting only abenighted intelligence, represent Aztecs and Toltecs who are supposed tohave possessed a liberal share of art and culture; a people, whoseastronomers were able to determine for themselves the apparent motion ofthe sun and the length of the solar year: who had the art of polishingthe hardest of precious stones; who cast choice and perfect figures ofsilver and gold in one piece; and who made delicate filigree ornamentswithout solder? These are achievements belonging to quite a high stateof civilization. The cabins consist mostly of one room, in which lives awhole family, with the bare earth for a floor, the open door oftenaffording the only light which reaches the interior. There are somebetter dwellings here, to be sure; but all are adobe, and this briefdescription is applicable to nine tenths of the people and their rudedwellings. 

Cholula has one grand antiquity, which even the ruthless finger of Timehas made little impression upon, being the remains of one of thoseremarkable earth-pyramids which was probably built by the Toltecs;though how they could erect a mountain without beasts of burden is anendless puzzle. The rains, winds, and storms of ages have openedcrevices in the sides of the artificial hill; but these have only servedto show what labor it must have cost to build the structure in stoutlayers of sun-dried brick, so substantially that it has lasted thusintact for many centuries. It is not at all unreasonable to fix the dateof its completion at a thousand years ago. This peculiar elevation risesa little over two hundred feet above the plain, and measures about athousand feet square at the base, forming one of the most interestingrelics in all Mexico; though its height is less than half that of Cheopsin Egypt, its base is twice as large, covering about as many acres asBoston Common. In its composition it strongly resembles the pyramids ofUpper Egypt. On its summit is a level space one hundred and sixty feetsquare, the view from which is one of vast breadth and beauty, embracingthe entire valley of Puebla. The four sides of the huge mound face thecardinal points, the whole being composed of alternate strata of adobebricks and clay. The sides are mostly overgrown with trees and shrubs;but a winding road, well paved with stones laid in broad, deep steps, leads to the top. The constant wear of centuries has thrown the originalshape somewhat out of harmony with the supposed idea; but there isquite enough extant to establish the original design. One corner hasbeen excavated to a considerable extent to make room for the railway, anexposure which has served a double purpose, since it has proven thewhole elevation to be artificial, constructed in layers, and not anatural hill, as some casual observers have declared it to be. Thematerial of which the pyramid is composed is earth, sun-dried bricks, limestone, and lava. It is thought by some that besides having the apexcrowned originally with a temple of worship, the sides were covered byadobe houses from base to near the summit, accommodating a largepopulation. That there were once terraces and steps here which wouldcarry out such an idea is very clear from the portions which have beenlaid bare by excavation. 

The mounds of our Western and Southwestern States are almost thecounterpart of this grand elevation at Cholula, so far as the idea goes, except that they are mere pigmies in comparison. The fact is worthrecalling that the same species of domestic implements of stone whichare found from time to time deeply buried in portions of the UnitedStates are also exhumed here. So in the museum of the capital one seesstone hatchets, pestles, mortars, and arrowheads of the same shapes thatwe have been accustomed to find beneath the soil of our Northern States. 

The most casual observer will be satisfied that this pyramid dates longbefore the time of the Spanish conquest, and that it was not built bythe race of Indians whom Cortez found in possession. It may represent arace who existed even prior to the Toltecs, to whom the Aztecs wereindebted for all their arts and refinements, and upon which it isdoubted if they much improved. No one can possibly say how manycenturies are looking down upon us from this colossal ruin. We are toldof one tradition, recorded by a Jesuit priest named Torquemada, whichascribes the origin of this pyramid to a period contemporary with thatof the Tower of Babel, in the land of Shinar. The tradition also speaksof a great deluge, and says that this artificial mound was originallydesigned to reach the clouds; but the gods were angered by the attempt, and dispersed the workmen with lightning, after it had got to itspresent height. With mountains close at hand, so much loftier than anyhuman agency could achieve, it is a mystery what motive could haveactuated a people to rear this colossal mound except it was for thefoundation of a temple. The pretended legend of aboriginal origin is nodoubt a pure fabrication, like nine tenths of the priestly recordsrelating to Mexico. 

The ancient builders erected a shrine and sacrificial stone on thesummit of the pyramid. This idolatrous temple was promptly destroyed byCortez, and the place where it stood is now occupied by a Roman Catholicchapel dedicated to the Virgin of Remedios. The present edifice is ofquite modern construction, replacing the original chapel erected by theSpaniards, which was destroyed by fire. It struck us as being more thanusually tawdry in it equipment. Its cupola is decidedly out ofproportion to the small body of the structure. There are traditionsamong the natives here, as is usually the case in relation to allantique remains, telling of interior galleries and chambers of greatextent; but no confidence is placed in such rumors. The excavationalready referred to laid bare a tomb containing two skeletons, with acouple of idols in basalt, also a small collection of aboriginalpottery. The sepulchre was square, with stone walls supported by cypressbeams. The discovery of these two skeletons in one corner and at thebase of the pyramid does not indicate that it was reared for the purposeof a tomb. It would require the discovery of such a burial near thecentre of the immense mound to indicate such a design. 

The hoary-headed monarch, Popocatepetl, looms in the distance, proudlydominating the scene, with Puebla and the hill of Cinco de Mayo on theright. The exceeding transparency of the atmosphere brings these distantobjects seemingly close to the observer, as though he was looking atthem through a telescope. 

The small city of Cholula is spread out at the base of the pyramid, andbeyond it are wide, fertile fields of grain and alfalfa, with gardens ofsemi-tropical fruits. One large orchard seemed to be a very garden ofHesperides, yellow with golden oranges and sweet with fragrant blossoms. The pyramid originally stood near the centre of the town, the streetsradiating from it; but the dwellings which once lined thesethoroughfares have long since crumbled into dust, leaving standing onlythe useless stone churches, of which there are forty dotting the plainhere and there, built without regard to any adjacent population. Twolesser pyramids are visible near the main elevation. Farther away, smallvillages, each with its church tower, add interest to the scene, whilethe mellow notes of distant bells mingle and float upon the air. Themultiplicity of these churches shows how dense must have been thepopulation in the time of Cortez, as it was the practice of the invadingSpaniards to compel the natives not only to demolish their own temples, but to build a Christian church in place of each one thus destroyed. Anumber of the churches are abandoned and are gradually going to decay. "Why, " said a practical individual of our party, "it's all churches andno town. " The site of the ancient city is very evident from the lines ofits regular streets stretching away in all directions. 

"I assure your majesty, " wrote Cortez from Cholula to his sovereign inSpain, "that I have counted from a mosque or temple four hundred mosquesand as many towers, all of which were mosques in this city. " We havehere an example of this adventurer's style of exaggeration andhyperbole. If we take three hundred and sixty from the four hundred"mosques" which he pretends to have seen, there will be forty left, which is probably about the truth. Cortez not only uses oriental wordsto express himself, but is exercised by a truly oriental extravagance inhis stories. There are no "mosques" in Mexico, nor were the nativetemples anything like such structures. There are sufficient remains ofAztec temples left to show that they were plain in construction, ofpyramidal form, without towers, and that their altars were erected onthe summits in the open air, surrounded by broad platforms. 

This pyramid was dedicated to the benevolent god Quetzalcoatl, "thegreat, good, and fair god of the Aztecs. " Yet, it seemed to have beenconsidered necessary to sacrifice human life to his godship in a mostsanguinary manner, as was the practice at the great temple of thecapital. We are told that twelve thousand lives were laid at the feet ofQuetzalcoatl in a single year! If this is true (which we very muchdoubt), one would say that the advent of Cortez with all his cruelty wasa blessing that came none too soon. No matter how low the type ofChristianity which replaced the murderous devotion of these idolaters, any change, it would seem, must have been for the better. The frightfulbarbarity of the Aztecs is apparently shown by the records of Spanishpriests concerning the sacrificial stone, now preserved in the museum atthe national capital, upon which the victims were bound, their heartscut out and laid reverentially thereon, while their bodies were castdown the declivity of the pyramid to the exultant multitude below, whocooked and ate them at religious banquets. Even the hateful Inquisitionwas an improvement upon this ghastly cannibalism covered up by a cloakof religious rites. 

It was Southey who expressed the opinion in poetic lines that heavenmade blind zeal and bloody avarice its ministers of vengeance againstthe Aztec idolaters. Still, the Aztec remains and is the governing racein Mexico, while the Spaniards as a distinct people have virtuallydisappeared. 

But we must take the record of these events with a degree of caution. That fable and history have been indiscriminately mingled by the Spanishauthors is plain enough from the fact that ridiculous miracles areconstantly recorded by them as having actually occurred, which were thepure invention of the priesthood, designed to influence and awe theignorant native race. This reduces us to the unfortunate condition ofbeing obliged to doubt what may have been historically true. TheInquisition exercised a censorship over everything designed forpublication, and unless it subserved the interest of that fiendishinstitution, it was made to do so, or it was suppressed. These factscaused Prescott to say: "In short, the elements of truth and falsehoodbecame so blended that history was converted into romance, and romancereceived the credit due to history. " The confusion of fact and fictionin the writings of Spanish historians, as they are called, is so graveand obvious as simply to disgust the honest seeker after truth. This isthe case not only as relating to Mexico, but the past story of Spainboth at home and abroad. "What is history, " says the first Napoleon, "but a fable agreed upon?"

The horrid pictures of human sacrifice as represented by the Spanishchroniclers, also by the letters and despatches of Cortez, we do notcredit, though undoubtedly they had some foundation in truth. It is thecharacteristic of all these records to persistently distort facts so asto further the purposes of the writers, and as to correctness wherefigures are concerned, they are scarcely ever to be relied upon. Thoughforced to admit this want of veracity, Prescott has relied almostentirely upon these sources for the material of his popular work. Noperson can calmly survey the field to-day, compare the statements of thevarious authors, and visit the country itself, without seeing clearlyhow much of absurd exaggeration and monstrous fiction has been foistedupon the reading public relative to this period of the conquest ofMexico. 

"These chroniclers, " says Bancroft, "were swayed like other writers oftheir time, and all other times, by the spirit of the age, and byvarious religious, political, and personal prejudices. "

"I lay little stress upon Spanish testimonies, " says Adair, "for timeand ocular proof have convinced us of the labored falsehood of almostall their historical narrations. "

At the advent of the Spaniards, Cholula was doubtless the commercialcentre of the plain; Puebla, the now large and thriving capital of thestate, was then a mere hamlet in comparison. It was also the Mecca ofthe Aztecs, who came from far and near to bow down before Quetzalcoatl. The grand public square or plaza is still extant where Cortezperpetrated his most outrageous act of butchery, killing, it is said, three thousand Cholulans who had assembled unarmed and in good faith, incompliance with his request. Everything in and about this spacious areaseems strangely silent and dilapidated, as though stricken by decay. Thepresent interest and attraction of the place exists almost solely inthe pyramid and the tragic legends of its vanished people. A few ancienttrees ornament the neglected plaza, about which a score of weary burroswere seen cropping the scanty herbage which springs up naturally hereand there. The spot is said to exhibit some life on market-days, but itwas lonely and deserted when we looked upon it, while the dry earthseemed on fire under the intense heat of the sun. It was difficult, while looking upon this gloomy area, to realize that the place was onceconspicuous for its trade and manufactures, for its wealth and splendor. The social and official life of Cholula is reported at one time to haveeven rivaled the court of Montezuma. Here religious processions, sacrifices, and festivals were of continual occurrence, and no othercity had so great a concourse of priests and so incessant a round ofceremonies. 

The church known as the Royal Chapel, and also as the Church of theSeven Naves, situated at the northeast corner of the plaza, was ofconsiderable interest. The last named was closed, undergoing radicalrepairs; but our curiosity was aroused, and a small fee soon opened aside door through which entrance was effected. The repairs going on willgreatly change its original appearance. One could not but regret to seeits ancient and delicate Moorish frescoes ruthlessly obliterated, thecolors and designing of which so completely harmonized with thearchitecture and with the dim light which struggled in through the deep, small, mullioned windows. This chapel, with its sixty-four supportingcolumns, forcibly recalled the peculiar interior of the cathedralmosque at Cordova in Spain, which, indeed, must have suggested to Cortezso close though diminutive a copy, for it was built by his specialorders and after his specified plans. 

It is said that the early dwellers in this region excelled in variousmechanical arts, especially in the working of metals and the manufactureof cotton and agave cloth, to which may be added a delicate kind ofpottery, rivaling anything of the sort belonging to that period. Examples of this pottery are often exhumed in the neighborhood, and aswe suspect are quite as often manufactured to order, for the presentgeneration of Aztecs is not only very shrewd and cunning, but also veryable in imitating all given models in earthenware. This sort of workforms a remunerative industry at the present time in Cholula. As we passthe open doors and windows of the dwelling-houses, cotton goods areweaving on hand looms by members of the families. Another local industrywas observed here, namely, the manufacture of fireworks of a toycharacter, which we were told were shipped to all parts of the country. 

The engine which had drawn our train from Puebla hither, after doing so, managed to get derailed, and a Mexican crowd spent hours in anineffectual attempt to get the iron horse once more upon the track. Asthe day drew to its close our party was prepared to return to Puebla;but there was the engine stubbornly fixed upon the sleepers of thetrack, and the wheels partially buried in the ground. Mexican ingenuitywas not equal to the emergency, so Yankee genius stepped forward. Oneof our party conversant with such matters took charge, and by a fewjudicious directions and appliances improvised upon the spot, he soonhad the heavy engine once more in its proper position, and we startedback to Puebla amid the cheers of the Mexicans at Yankee skill andenergy, which seemed to them equal to any exigency. 

A branch railway takes us from Puebla to Santa Ana, from whence ancientTlaxcala is reached by tramway. It is the capital of the state bearingthe same name, and has some four or five thousand inhabitants; it iscredited with having had over fifty thousand three centuries ago. Had itnot been that civil discord reigned at the time of the advent of Cortezhere, he could never have conquered Montezuma; but the Tlaxcalans wereinduced by cunning diplomacy to join the Spaniards, and their unitedforces accomplished that which neither could have done single-handed. One is struck by the diminutive size of the native men and women atTlaxcala. The latter are especially, short in stature, the never absentbaby lashed to their backs making the mothers look still shorter. 

This place is remarkable for the accumulation of Aztec and Spanishantiquities. The municipal palace, situated on the east side of theplaza, contains four remarkable oil paintings bearing the date of theconquest. Here also is preserved the war-worn banner of Spain, which wascarried by Cortez from the time of his first landing at Vera Cruzthroughout all his triumphant career. The material is rich, being ofheavy silk brocade, the color a light maroon, not badly fadedconsidering its age. Large sums of money have been offered for thisancient and interesting banner, the object being to take it back toSpain, from whence it came nearly four hundred years ago; but theTlaxcalans refuse to part with it at any price. Despite the lapse of somany years and its having passed through so many vicissitudes, the flagis nearly perfect at this writing. It is eight or nine feet long and sixbroad, cut in swallow-tail fashion. The iron spearhead bears themonogram of the sovereigns of Spain, and the original staff, now broken, is still preserved with the flag. Here one is also shown the arms ofTlaxcala illuminated on parchment and bearing the signature of CharlesV. , together with the standard presented to the local chiefs by Cortez;the robes which they wore when baptized, and a collection of idols whichhave been unearthed from time to time in this immediate neighborhood, are also shown in the municipal palace. In the corridor stands the greattreasure chest, with departments for silver and gold. This was lockedwith four different keys, one being held by each of four officers whowere unitedly responsible for the treasures, the chest thus requiringthe presence of the four when there was occasion to open it. 

There are many personal relics of Cortez shown to the visitors at themunicipal palace; but the intelligent observer, aided by the light ofhistory, finds it difficult to accord much admiration to this man. He isrepresented to have been handsome, commanding in person, brave, but farfrom reckless, and to have possessed strong magnetic power over hisassociates and those whom he desired to influence. He was eloquent andpersuasive, exercising an irresistible control over the half savagepeople whom he came to conquer. Another secret of his influence with theauthorities at home, in Spain, was his never-failing fidelity to thelegitimate sovereign, and the shrewd despatch of rich presents and muchgold to his royal master. We know him to have been ambitious, cruel, heartless, avaricious, and false. He deserted his faithful wife inSpain, a second in Cuba (whom tradition accuses him of murdering), andwas shamefully unfaithful to the devoted Marina, mother of hisacknowledged son, she who was his native interpreter, and who more thanonce saved his life from immediate peril, finally guiding his footstepsto a victorious consummation of his most ambitious designs. Cortez owedmore of his success to her than to his scanty battalions. If nothingelse would serve to stamp his name with lasting infamy, the infernaltorture which he inflicted upon the ill-fated Guatemozin, for thepurpose of extorting information as to the hiding-place of the imperialtreasures, should do so. The true record of the life of Cortez readsmore like romance than like the truth. This is not perhaps the place torefer to his private life, which history admits to have been perfidious. Landing on the continent with a band scarcely more than half the numberof a modern regiment, he prepared to traverse an unknown countrythronged with savage tribes, with whose character, habits, and means ofdefense he was wholly unacquainted. We know that this romantic adventurewas finally crowned with success, though meeting with various checks andstained with bloody episodes, that prove how the threads of courage andferocity are inseparably blended in the woof and warp of Spanishcharacter. 

Just above the town, on the hillside, is the ancient convent of SanFrancisco, which contains over one hundred paintings more than twocenturies old. The old church of San Francisco, close at hand, datesfrom a period, three hundred and seventy years ago, when Mexican historyoften fades into fable. The approach is over a paved way, and through aroad bordered by a double row of old trees, which form a gothicperspective of greenery. The convent now serves in part for the purposeof a military barrack, before which stand a few small cannon sodiminutive as to have the appearance of toys. A few soldiers loungedlazily about, and some were asleep upon a bench. Probably they weredoing guard duty after the Mexican style. On the hillside above thechurch of San Francisco is a modern church, and beyond it a Campo Santo. 

This gray old church, the oldest in Mexico, is certainly veryinteresting in its belongings, carrying us in imagination far into thedim past. "The earliest and longest have still the mastery over us, "says George Eliot. This was the first church erected by the Spaniards inMexico, and was in constant use by Cortez, who, notwithstanding hisheartless cruelty, his unscrupulous and murderous deeds, his grossselfishness, faithlessness, and ambition, was still a devout Catholic, never omitting the most minute observances of church ceremonies, andalways accompanying his most questionable deeds with the cant phrases ofreligion. The roof of the church of San Francisco is a curiosity initself, being upheld by elaborately carved cedar beams, which wereimported from Spain. In a side chapel is preserved the original pulpitfrom which the Christian religion according to the tenets of the Churchof Rome was first preached in the New World, and also the stone font inwhich the native Tlaxcalan chiefs were baptized. The defacing finger ofTime is visible on all perishable articles. One or two of the mediævalpaintings were scarcely more than tattered, drooping canvas, presentinghere and there a shadowy human figure or a clouded emblem. We were showna series of religions vestments, said to have been worn by the firstofficiating priests in this ancient church; but we instantly realizedthat they could not be so old, for such articles would long ago havebecome too frail to hold together, whereas these were exposed upon anopen table, and were freely handled by any one who chose to do so. Theywere of a light, thin texture, silk and satin, and elaborately trimmedwith gold and silver lace. 

One is shocked on observing the roughly carved figures of bleedingsaints and martyrs, with crucifixion scenes and mangled bodies, suspended from the walls of the church. "The repulsive and ghostlyimages, paintings, and mechanical contrivances, common in the smalltowns and villages, are mostly banished from the capital and other largecities, " says Hon. John H. Rice, in "Mexico, Our Neighbor, " "inobedience to the demands of a more decent civilization. They are used, however, where most practicable (representing the crucifixion anddiverse rites and ceremonies of the church), to hold in awe andsuperstitious thralldom the weak and untutored minds of the degeneratedchildren of the republic; and so to extort from them the last dregs oftheir poverty-stricken purses. "

The prevailing style of this Tlaxcalan church, as well as that of thechurches generally which we visited throughout the country, is of theSpanish Renaissance. Puebla, Guadalajara, and the city of Mexico containcathedrals which will compare favorably even with those of continentalSpain, where the most elaborate and costly religious edifices in theworld are to be seen to-day. The plans of all these churches cameoriginally from Spain, and builders from thence superintended theirerection. The parish church of Tlaxcala, situated on a street leadingfrom the plaza, has a curious façade of stucco, brick, and blue glazedtiles. In this edifice was seen an interesting picture representing thebaptism of the Tlaxcalan chiefs already referred to. This was an eventwhich was of local importance, perhaps, at the time, but which iswithout a shadow of interest to-day, though it is duly emphasized andrepeated by the guides. The dome of the church was destroyed by anearthquake so late as 1864. Near this church are the ruins of a chapel, the façade of which is still standing, and on which are displayed theroyal arms of Spain. 

Regarding the dwellings of the poorer classes of this region, as well asof the country generally, they are of the most miserable character, wanting in nearly all the requirements of health and comfort. Theyconsist of adobe-built cabins, wherein the people live, eat, and sleepupon the bare ground, without light or ventilation, except that whichcomes in through the open door, and where drainage of any sort is noteven thought of. Mud cabins on the bogs of Ireland are not poorer placesto live in. In the warmer regions, the common people live in mere hutsof cane, consisting of a few poles covered with dry plantain leaves, palms, or cornstalks, made into a thatch by braiding and twining themtogether. A mat woven of dried husks and laid upon the ground forms theonly bed. Neither chairs, tables, nor benches are seen in thesecabins, --they are unknown luxuries. In the more tropical regions of thecountry, the cabins have no sides, the thatched roof coming down to nearthe ground, thus forming only a screen from the rain during the seasonof the year when it falls. A sort of instinct causes the common peopleof the tropics to seek some sort of shelter from the stars when theysleep; but half the Indian population of Mexico do not see the insideeven of an adobe cabin from one year's end to another. The universalfood depended upon to support life, besides the wild fruits, is thepreparation of corn called tortillas, and a few vegetable roots. Thegrain is pulverized by hand between two stones, made into a paste ordough, and eaten half baked in thin cakes. We are, of course, speakingof the poor Indian people, but they form probably two thirds of thepopulation, especially in the rural districts. These natives make theirown fermented liquor. On the coast it is what they call palm wine, andrum from sugar-cane; on the table-land, it is pulque, from the magueyplant, --their delight and their curse. After the maguey has yielded itssap to the last quart, and begins to wilt, there appears in the stalk anest of white caterpillars, which the Indians consider to be a greatluxury, and which they eat with avidity, besides which the roots of theexhausted plant are boiled and eaten, possessing considerable nutritiveproperties. The native people of New Zealand exhibit a similar appetite. When the trunks of the tall kauri trees, which have been uprooted bystorms, have lain so long upon the moist ground that they begin todecay, a large worm breeds in the decomposing wood; these, when arrivedat maturity, are eagerly grubbed for and devoured by the Maoris. Ourideas of what constitutes proper food for human beings are governed byvery arbitrary rules. The Chinese consume dogs, cats, and rats; theJapanese and Africans are fond of monkey flesh; the Parisians often eathorse-meat from choice; while some of the South Sea Islanders have stillan appetite for human flesh. The London gourmand revels in snails, andthe New Yorker demands frogs upon his bill of fare. Is the New Zealanderso very exceptional in his fancy for wood-worms? Green goose and broiledchicken are among the delicacies of our table, and yet there isscarcely any sort of foul garbage which they will not consume as food. Why is their flesh considered more delicate than any other?

The better dwellings of Tlaxcala are nearly all adobe houses, standingin a rough, hilly region on the eastern slope of the mountains whichinclose the valley. It is difficult to conjecture what possible industrykeeps the place alive, for, though interesting to the thoughtfultraveler and the scientist, it has no visible business activity beyondthe exhibition of the antiquities to which we have referred, but seemsto smoulder in a sort of moss-grown, picturesque decay. The seats of theold, half-forgotten, and neglected plaza were occupied by groups of idlenatives, who regarded us with a dull, sleepy interest. A few ladenburros passed through the streets bearing charcoal, wood, or bags ofgrain, and others with high panniers of straw lashed in compact form. They carried their noses close to the ground, picking up any edibleobject--banana skins, orange peel, bits of garbage, and similar scraps. This small creature which carries such enormous loads seems to eatanything, no matter how little nutriment it contains, and, strange tosay, keeps in good flesh. The single candy shop under the arches besidethe plaza did a lively business with our party while we remained, itsmembers having suddenly developed a marvelous appetite for dulces. Bright-eyed boys and girls, with a paucity of clothing and any amount ofgood looks, met us at each turn with hands extended, and a cry of"Centavo, centavo!"

It was to Tlaxcala that Cortez and his small band of followers retreatedwhen the natives of the valley of Mexico rose and in desperation drovehim from their midst. Here, after some months devoted to recuperationand being joined by reinforcements from Cuba, he prepared to lay siegeonce more to the Aztec capital. Part of this preparation consisted inbuilding a number of small, flat-bottomed boats in pieces, so that theycould be transported over a mountainous district, and put together onthe shore of Lake Texcoco, thus enabling him to complete the investmentof the water-begirt city. It sounds ludicrous in our times to read ofthe force with which the invading Spaniards laid siege to a nation'scapital. His "army" consisted of forty cavalrymen, eighty arquebusiersand cross-bowmen, and four hundred and fifty foot-soldiers, armed withswords and lances, to which is to be added a train of nine small cannon, about the size of those which are carried by our racing yachts of to-dayfor the purpose of firing salutes. Of course he had a crowd ofTlaxcalans with him, the number of which is variously stated, but whocould not be of much actual use. More than one of these veraciousSpanish historians states the number to have been one hundred and twentythousand! So large a body of men would have been a hindrance, not ahelp, in the undertaking. Cortez neither had nor could he command acommissariat suitable for such an army, and it must be remembered thatthe siege lasted for months. "Whoever has had occasion to consult theancient chronicles of Spain, " says Prescott, "in relation to its warswith the infidels, whether Arab or American, will place littleconfidence in numbers. " We all know how a French imperial bulletin canlie, but Spanish records are gigantic falsifications in comparison. Thissiege lasted for over six months, and finally, on August 13, 1521, Cortez entered the city in triumph, hoping to enrich himself withimmense spoils; but nearly all valuables, including those of the royaltreasury, had been cast into the lake and thus permanently lost, ratherthan permit the avaricious Spaniards to possess them. Cortez's finalsuccess of this invasion caused it to be called a "holy war, " under thepatronage of the church! Had he failed, he would have been stigmatizedas a filibuster. 

A brief visit was paid to the palace once occupied by Cortez, and nowthe residence of the highest city official. It has been so modernizedthat nothing was found especially interesting within the walls. The hotsun of midday made the shade of the ancient trees on the plazaparticularly grateful, and the play of the fountain was at leastsuggestive of coolness. Sitting on one of the long stone benches, wemused as to the scenes which must have taken place upon this spot nearlyfour hundred years ago, and watched the tri-colored flags of Mexicofloating gayly over the two palaces. In the mean time, the swarthy, half-clad natives, regarded curiously and in silence the pale-facedvisitors to their quaint old town, until, by-and-by, we started on ourreturn to Puebla by tramway, stopping now and then to gather sometempting wild flowers, or to purchase a bit of native pottery, whichwas so like old Egyptian patterns that it would not have looked out ofplace in Cairo or Alexandria. 

Occasionally, in this section and eastward, towards Vera Cruz, as westop at a railway station, a squad of rural police, sometimes mounted, sometimes on foot, draw up in line and salute the train. They areusually clad in buff leather uniforms, with a red sash about theirwaists, but sometimes are dressed in homespun, light gray woolen cloth, covered with many buttons. They remind one of the Canadian mountedpolice, who guard the frontier; a body of men designed to keep theIndians in awe, and to perform semi-military and police duty. It is afact that most of these men were formerly banditti, who find thatoccupation under the government pays them much better, and that it isalso safer, since the present energetic officials are in the habit ofshooting highwaymen at sight, without regard to judge or jury. 

CHAPTER XV. 

Down into the Hot Lands. --Wonderful Mountain Scenery. --Parasitic Vines. --Luscious Fruits. --Orchids. --Orizaba. --State of Vera Cruz. --The Kodak. --Churches. --A Native Artist. --Schools. --Climate. --Crystal Peak of Orizaba. --Grand Waterfall. --The American Flag. --Disappointed Climbers. --A Night Surprise. --The French Invasion. --The Plaza. -- Indian Characteristics. --Early Morning Sights. --Maximilian in Council. --Difficult Engineering. --Wild Flowers. --A Cascade. --Cordova. --The Banana. --Coffee Plantations. --Fertile Soil. --Market Scenes. 

After returning to Puebla from Tlaxcala, we take the cars which willconvey us eastward from the elevated table-land towards the tropicalregion of the coast. The steep descent begins just below Boca del Monte(Mouth of the Mountain), where the height above the Gulf of Mexico isabout eight thousand feet, and the distance from Vera Cruz a trifle overone hundred miles. Here also is the dividing line between the states ofPuebla and Vera Cruz. The winding, twisting road built along the ruggedmountain-side is a marvelous triumph of the science of engineering, presenting obstacles which were at first deemed almost impossible to beovercome, now crossing deep gulches by spider-web trestles, and nowdiving into and out of long, dark tunnels, all the while descending agrade so steep as to be absolutely startling. The author remembersnothing more remarkable of the same character, unless it may beportions of the zigzag railway of the Blue Mountains in Australia, andsome grades among the foothills of the Himalayan range in India. Thisroad leading from Vera Cruz to the national capital, a distance of twohundred and sixty miles, ascends seven thousand six hundred feet. Thescenery all the while is so grand and beautiful as to cause the mosttimid traveler to forget his nervousness. We were reminded by an officerof the road of the fact, remarkable if it is true, that no fatalaccident had ever occurred upon the line. The geological formation ofthis region is on a most gigantic scale, the rocks of basalt and graniterising in fantastic shapes, forming ravines and pinnacles unparalleledfor grandeur. Presently we come in full view of the beautiful valley ofLa Joya (The Gem), revealing its lovely gardens, beautifully woodedslopes, and yellow fields of ripening grain. By-and-by the lovely valeand pretty village of Maltrata is seen, with its saffron-colored domesand towers, its red-tiled, moss-enameled roofs, its flower-borderedlanes, and its squares of cultivated fields. These greet the eye far, far down the dizzy depths, two thousand feet, on our right, while on theleft the mountains rise abruptly hundreds of feet towards the sky. Themingled rock and soil is here screened by lovely ferns and a perfectexposition of morning glories, fabulous in size and dazzling in colors. No artificial display could equal this handiwork of nature, thisexhibition of "April's loveliest coronets. " Now and again large treesare seen on the line of the road withering in the cruel coils of aparasitic vine, which winds itself about the trunk like a two-inchhawser, and slowly strangles the stout, columnar tree. Finally theoriginal trunk will die and fall to the ground, leaving the once smallvine to grow and fatten upon its decay until it shall rival in size thetrunk it has displaced. This is a sight common in tropical regions, andoften observed in the forests of New Zealand, where the author has seentrees two and three feet in diameter yielding their lives to the fatalembrace of these parasites. 

We descend rapidly; down, down, rushes the train, impelled by its ownimpetus, approaching the town first on one side, then on the other, until we stop at a huge elevated tank, rivaling the famous tun ofHeidelberg in size, to water the thirsty engine. Here, and at most ofthe stations along the route, boys and girls offer the travelerstropical fruits in great variety at merely nominal prices, includinglarge, yellow pineapples, zapotas, mameys, pomegranates, citrons, limes, oranges, and the like. Large, ripe oranges are sold two for a penny. Onetimid, half-clad, pretty young girl of native blood held up to usdiffidently a bunch of white, fragrant orange blossoms which wereeagerly secured and enjoyed, the child could not know how much. OtherIndians brought roses and various orchids, splendidly developed, whichthey sold for a _real_ (twelve cents) each, with the roots bound up inbroad green leaves. Doyle or Galvin would charge ten dollars apiece forsuch in Boston. Some of them had marvellous scarlet centres, eccentricin shape but very beautiful. As to color, there were blue, green, scarlet, yellow, and purple specimens among them. 

Still winding in and out among the mountains, our ears frequentlygreeted by the music of tumbling waters, we finally arrive at Orizaba, in the State of Vera Cruz. The capital of this state was formerlyJalapa, but it is now Orizaba, which is named after the grand oldmountain whose base is about twenty-five miles away. The State of VeraCruz contains something over half a million of inhabitants. Few placesin Mexico have a more fascinating site, or are surrounded by more lovelyscenery. We are here eighty miles from Vera Cruz, and one hundred andeighty from the city of Mexico. Orizaba, having a little over twentythousand inhabitants, is in many respects the quaintest, as it is one ofthe oldest, cities in the country. Most of the dwellings are but onestory in height, built with broad, overhanging eaves, and are composedof rubble-stone, mortar, sun-dried brick, and a variety of othermaterial; but not including wood. The low, iron-grated windows, souniversal in Spanish towns, are not wanting here, through the bars ofwhich, dark-eyed señoritas and laughing children watch us as we pass, often exhibiting pleasant family groups which were photographed asswiftly and as surely on the brain as a No. 2 Kodak instrument woulddepict them. Some of our party, by the way, were very expert with theirKodaks, and brought away with them illustrated records of their extendedjourney which, for interest, would put these pen-and-ink sketches toutter shame. 

The pitched roofs of the low houses of Orizaba are covered with big redtiles, which afford a sort of ventilation, as well as serving to throwoff the heat of the burning sun, while the dry earth seems to absorb it, radiating a glimmer of heated air, like the sand dunes of Suez. It issingular that everything should be so oriental in appearance, while itwould be puzzling to say exactly wherein lies the resemblance. 

That there are numerous churches here goes without saying, and we mayadd that two or three of them are quite imposing, while all aresuggestive, with a few crippled beggars standing like sentries at theirdoors. An Indian artist, Gabriel Barranco, has contributed oil-paintingsof considerable merit to nearly all the churches in his native town. Heis still alive, or was so a couple of months since, and is a mostinteresting conversationalist, though he is blind and decrepit. Thislocality seems particularly liable to earthquakes in a mild form. Thelargest church here has had its steeple overthrown three times, and thetowers on several others have been made to lean by the same agency, sothat they are considerably out of plumb. No earthquake, however, islikely to make much headway against the low dwellings, which cling tothe ground like one's shoe to his foot. It is pleasant to mention thatseveral good schools have been established at Orizaba, supported by thelocal government. These, we are told on good authority, are in aflourishing condition in spite of all opposition from the church party. There are four schools for boys and three exclusively for girls. Bigotry may make a bold show, but it cannot prosper where a system offree schools prevails. 

A river runs through the city, lending a little life to the sleepy oldplace, and affording ample water power for six or eight mills whichmanufacture sugar, cotton, and flour. The situation is about midwaybetween Vera Cruz and Puebla, on one of the two principal routes fromthe former port to the city of Mexico. The surrounding valley is quitefertile, and is mostly devoted to the raising of coffee, sugar, andtobacco. The climate is said to be very fine all the year round, theaverage temperature being 74° Fahr. In summer and rarely falling below60° at any season, though it seemed to us, who had just come from thehigher table-land, to be about 90°. The scenery is that of Switzerland, the temperature that of southern Italy. It affords an agreeable mediumbetween the heat of the lower country towards the Gulf and the almosttoo rarefied atmosphere of the high table-lands of Mexico. "In thecourse of a few hours, " says Prescott, "the traveler may experienceevery gradation of climate, embracing torrid heat and glacial cold, andpass through different zones of vegetation, including wheat and thesugar-cane, the ash and the palm, apples, olives, and guavas. "

In this vicinity one sees the orange, lemon, banana, and almond growingat their best, while the coffee, sugar, and tobacco plantations rivalthose of Cuba, both in extent and in the character of their products. While Spanish rulers were still masters here, and when all manner ofarbitrary restrictions were put upon trade, the cultivation of tobaccowas confined by law to the districts about Cordova and Orizaba. There isno such handicapping of rural industry now enforced, and sugar andtobacco, which are always sure of a ready market where transportation isto be had, are engaging more and more of the attention of planters. Itwas found that the best of sugar-cane land, that is, best suited for asugar plantation, could be had here for from thirty to forty dollars peracre; superior for the purpose to that which is held at one thousanddollars per acre in Louisiana. Though cotton is grown in about half thestates of Mexico, the states of Vera Cruz and Durango are the mostprolific in this crop. The plant thrives on the table-land up to anelevation of about five thousand feet above the level of the Gulf, andaccording to Mexican statistics the average product is about twothousand pounds to the acre, which is double the average quantityproduced in the cotton-growing States of this Union. The modes ofcultivation are very crude and imperfect, especially at any distancefrom the large and populous centres, but the amazing fertility of thesoil insures good and remunerative returns to the farmer or planter evenunder these unfavorable circumstances. Water is the great, we may saythe only, fertilizer--none other is ever used, and irrigating facilitiesare excellent. The city is elevated more than four thousand feet aboveVera Cruz, but is also as much below the altitude of the nationalcapital. As to the climate, one is prepared to agree with itsinhabitants, who declare it to be "perfection. " The city isovershadowed, as it were, by the crystal peak of Orizaba, though it issome miles away, rising to nearly eighteen thousand feet above the sea. It is probably the second loftiest mountain in North America south ofthe Territory of Alaska, and exceeds the highest point in Europe. Violent eruptions took place from its crater in 1545 and 1546. 

About two miles east of Orizaba, near the hamlet of Jalapilla, is a finewaterfall, known as the Cascade Rincon Grande; this body of water makesa daring plunge of fifty feet over precipitous rocks, amid a gloriousgrowth of tropical vegetation. From here parties are made up to ascendOrizaba (Mountain of the Star). It has stopped business as a volcanosince the last date named, and is the highest mountain in Mexico withthe exception of Popocatepetl. Until about forty years ago, the summitwas considered to be inaccessible to human feet, but a party ofenergetic Americans planted our national flag on the summit at thattime, the tattered remains of which were found to be still there in1851, by Alexander Doignon, an adventurous Frenchman. We were told by aresident of the city of the experience of an English party, who came upfrom Vera Cruz not long since on their way to the city of Mexico, andwho made a stop at Orizaba, intending to ascend the famous mountain. There is said to be no very great difficulty to overcome in climbing tothe top if one has experience in such work and is at the same timestrong and well, but the party referred to had just arrived from thelevel of the sea. The summit of Orizaba is, as we have stated, considerably over seventeen thousand feet above the port of Vera Cruz. This party of confident climbers had to give it up after reaching whatis known as the timber line, simply for want of the necessary breathingpower. One's lungs must become in a degree accustomed to the rarefiedatmosphere of the table-land before attempting to ascend to such aheight. Guides, blankets, and two days' provisions should be taken byany party designing to climb Orizaba. One must seek a favorable point inthe limits of the town to see this elevation to advantage, because ofthe close intervening hills. On the west side of the town is anelevation known as El Borrego, where five thousand Mexicans werecompletely routed by a single company of Zouaves during theill-conceived French invasion. To be sure, this was a night surprise, wherein the French appeared among the sleeping Mexicans and cut themdown as fast as they opened their eyes, until the whole camp took toflight. The importance of military discipline was never more clearlydemonstrated. Probably the average of the Mexican soldiers were ofnearly as good material as the French, but the former were little betterthan a mob, each man for himself. Even to-day, it is observed, in thefew military exhibitions given in public, that the rank and file arelackadaisical, indifferent, undrilled, evincing a want of nearly everyelement of discipline, while their officers lounge along theavenues, --they do not _march_, --presenting an appearance as far fromtrue military bearing as the greatest clown in the ranks. 

It will be remembered that Orizaba was for a considerable time theheadquarters of General Bazaine's army, and it was here that the Frenchgeneral finally, in 1866, bade good-by to the ill-fated Maximilian, whose cause he deserted by order of his royal master, Napoleon theLittle. Stories are told by the residents of the outrages committed bythe French soldiers, who were permitted unlimited license by theircommander. "The whole army, " said an aged citizen to us, "was a body ofcutthroats. They stole everything they could carry away, besides which, cruel and aimless murder was their daily diversion. "

The small plaza is a delightful resort, a wilderness of green with anornamental fountain in the middle, about which are stone seats amongflowering shrubs, orange and other fruit trees. Indeed, the entiresurroundings of Orizaba are gardenlike in fertility and bloom. Thevegetation, owing to the humidity of the atmosphere rising from theGulf, is always intensely green. Huge butterflies flitted in cloudsabout the plaza, many-colored, sunshine-loving creatures, withwidespread, yellow wings shot with purple bars, and bearing stronglycontrasting dots of inky-black and lily-white. A tall cluster of theglorious tulipan, quite by itself, looked like a tree on fire, soglowing was its scarlet bloom. 

The streets of the town are in tolerably good condition, paved with lavaonce vomited from the neighboring mountain, now so quiet. The guttersare in the middle of the thoroughfares, and the sidewalks are only a fewinches in width. Carts or wheeled vehicles of any sort are very littleused, freight being carried almost wholly on the backs of burros andIndians. All vegetables, charcoal, wood, and country produce come intotown on the backs of sturdy, copper-colored natives, men and women, andit is really astonishing to see what loads they will carry for longdistances over the mountain roads at the rate of five or six miles anhour. Humboldt, in his description of these Indians, tells us that theyenjoy one great physical advantage which is undoubtedly owing to thesimplicity in which their ancestors lived for thousands of years. Hereferred to the fact that they are subject to hardly any deformity. Ahunchbacked Indian is not to be seen, and it is very rare to meet amaimed or a lame one. Their hair does not grow gray like that of whitemen, nor do their faces grow wrinkled as they become old. The absence ofdeformity is also supposed to be owing to their general mode of life, simple food, living in the open air, and temperate habits. Theirivory-white teeth contrast strongly with their black hair and bronzedfeatures. The country people rarely indulge in pulque, never unless whenthey come to town, and they have too little money to throw it away inthe purchase of much of even that cheap liquor. It is said that itsinjurious effects upon the system are very trifling compared to those ofAmerican whiskey. It seems to be little more than a powerful narcotic tothose who drink of it freely. The strong distilled liquor made from theroots of the maguey plant is quite another article, and is more likeScotch whiskey in effect. 

If you rise from your couch early enough in the morning, you will seemany Indian men and women coming in to market from the country, allbending under the weight of provisions, pottery, or some other homeproduct. You will see the women (industrious creatures) knitting ornetting as they jog along. And near them long trains of burros ladenwith grain, alfalfa, straw, or wood. You will see some dark-eyed, coquettish girls with inviting bouquets for sale; also here and there apretty señora or señorita, with a dark lace veil thrown over her jetblack hair, hastening to early mass; but, above all, behold the glorioussun encircling the frosty brow of Orizaba with a halo of gold and silverwhich sparkles like diamonds in the clear, crisp morning atmosphere. Howfull of vivid pictures is the memory of these early morning hours inMexico!

In a small village known as Jalapilla, situated about a couple of milessouth of the city, is the spot where Maximilian resided for a briefperiod after the French army had deserted him. Here he held the famouscouncil as to whether he should abdicate the Mexican throne or not. Hewas more than half inclined to do it. It was really the onlycommon-sense course which was left open to him. Had he done so, he mighthave been living to-day. Vera Cruz was close at hand and easily reached, a French steamship lay off San Juan d'Ulloa ready to take him across thesea, but there were three causes working against his abdication. First, his own pride; second, the pressure of the church party; and, last butnot least, the confident counsels of Carlotta. These influencesprevailed, and decided him to remain. He thus challenged the inevitablefate which ended his career at Queretaro. That two generals who were onhis personal staff believed in his star and were wedded to his serviceunder all circumstances, was fully proven in the fact that they made noattempt to escape, but calmly and devotedly died by his side when thecrisis finally came. 

The railroad station at Orizaba adjoined a neat inclosure, which is asmall floral paradise, exhibiting very clearly a woman's taste in thearrangement and cultivation. Roses white and red, lilies tall andpearl-colored, the scarlet hibiscus, tube-roses, orange-trees, coffee-trees full of berries, all are to be seen here, with a fewbananas waving their long, broad green leaves, like pennons, over theundergrowth, and showing their one pendulous blossom as large as apineapple. 

The descent from the high elevation of Orizaba is continued, the routeleading through groves of bananas, maize and sugar plantations, andcreeping down the steep sides of a terrific gorge over a thousand feetdeep, where the purple shadows look like shrouded phantoms hastening outof sight. This abyss is crossed by means of extraordinary engineeringskill, much of the roadway along the nearly perpendicular side of theravine having been hewn out of the solid rock. To accomplish this it wasnecessary at first to suspend workmen by ropes over the brow of thecliffs, lowering them down until they were opposite the point to beoperated upon, and, after making fast the ropes which held them, leavethem there to work for hours with hammer and chisel. There was one pieceof roadbed, not more than ten rods in length, where the track seemed torun on a narrow shelf barely wide enough for the cars to pass, which issaid to have required seven years to render available. We can wellconceive it to have been so, for the whole road from Vera Cruz to Mexicowas about five times seven years in building. The view is at times suchas to incline the experienced traveler to hold his breath, if not toclose his eyes, in a tremor of excitement. In the steepest part of theroute the descent is at the rate of one hundred thirty-three and onethird feet to the mile! Were a wheel to break, an iron nut to give way, or the trusted brakes fail to operate, what a frightful catastrophewould instantly follow!

Between Orizaba and Cordova, a few rods off the line of the railway tothe left as we go from the former to the latter place, is a dark, cavernous passage cut through the hillside a hundred feet or more, leading to the view of a waterfall of great beauty and of considerablesize. It is closely framed on all sides by dark green foliage, tall andgraceful trees partially overhanging it. Dainty orchids and beautifulferns hang upon the damp rocks and the brown tree-trunks. Here the carsstop for a brief period, to enable us to delight our eyes and ears bythe sight and sound of the riotous waters. A waterfall or cascade inthis climate is enhanced in importance for many reasons; the very sightof rushing, foaming water has a cooling and refreshing effect when thethermometer is at 90° Fahr. The rank, tropical verdure, the depth ofthe sombre gorge, the tumultuous, sparkling waters, the cool, welcomeshade, and the ceaseless anthem of the falls make the charming spot ascene long to be remembered. One would have liked to linger there forhours. Finally, after having passed over a distance of nearly twentymiles, we cross the bridge of Metlac, built over a river of the samename, and arrive in sight of Cordova, whose domes and towers are justfar enough away to clothe them in a soft, inviting, amber hue. 

Cordova is situated in the fertile valley of the Rio Seco, and in themidst of a sugar and coffee producing district about seventy miles westof Vera Cruz, nearly upon the direct line between the Gulf and the cityof Mexico. To be exact, it is sixty-six miles from the former city andtwo hundred from the latter. Speaking of coffee, the region wherein itthrives and is remuneratively productive is very large in Mexico. Itgrows down to the coast and far up into the table-lands, but it doesbest in an altitude of from one to three thousand feet above the levelof the sea. In this region, as we have already indicated, a berry isproduced which we consider equal to the product of any land. Underproper conditions the republic could furnish the whole of this countrywith the raw material wherewith to produce the favorite beverage, enormous as is the consumption. The bananas of this region were found tobe especially luscious and appetizing. In growth this is a beautiful, thrifty, and productive annual, forming a large portion of the foodsupply of the humbler classes, and a favorite dessert at the tables ofthe rich. From the centre of its large, broad, palm-like leaves, whichgather at the top of the thick stalk, twelve or fifteen inches indiameter, when it has reached a height of about ten feet, there springsforth a large purple bud, eight or nine inches long, shaped like a hugeacorn, but a little more pointed. This cone hangs suspended from astrong stem upon which a leaf unfolds, displaying a cluster of youngfruit. As soon as these have become fairly set, this sheltering leafdrops off and another unfolds, exposing its little brood of young fruit, and the process goes on until eight or ten rings of small bananas arestarted, forming bunches, when ready to pick, of from seventy-five to ahundred of the finger-like product. After bearing, the stalk and topdie, but it sprouts up again from the roots, once more to go through theliberal process of producing a crop of luscious fruit. It is said thatthe banana is more productive and requires less care or cultivation thanany other food-producing growth in the tropics or elsewhere. 

Neither Florida nor Cuba can furnish finer oranges than are grown invast quantities in the region round about Cordova. Peddlers offer themby the basketful to passing travelers, ripe and delicious, two for apenny; also, mangoes, bananas, pineapples, and other tropical fruits, atequally low prices. Great quantities are shipped to other cities byrail, and passengers carry away hundreds in baskets daily. Coffee andsugar are, however, the staple products. Among the neighboring planters, as we were told, are a few enterprising Americans, who have latelyintroduced more modern facilities than have been in use heretofore forplanting, cultivating, packing, and the like. A coffee plantation is oneof the most pleasing tropical sights the eye can rest upon, wheretwenty-five or thirty acres of level soil are planted thickly with thedeep green shrub, divided into straight lines, which obtains the neededshade from graceful palms, interspersed with bananas, orange and mangotrees. Coffee will not thrive without partial protection from the ardorof the sun in the low latitudes, and therefore a certain number of shadeand fruit trees are introduced among the low-growing plants. The shrubis kept trimmed down to a certain height, thus throwing all the vigor ofthe roots into the formation of berries upon the branches which are notdisturbed. So prolific is the low-growing tree thus treated that thesmall branches bend nearly to the ground under the weight of theripening berries. Conceive of such an arrangement when the whole is inflower, the milk-white blossoms of the coffee so abundant as to seem asthough a cloud of snow had fallen there and left the rest of thevegetation in full verdure, while the air is as heavy with perfume as inan orange grove. 

The soil between here and Orizaba is considered to be of the richest andmost fertile in all Mexico. Plantations devoted to the raising ofcinchona have proved quite profitable. Four times each year may thesower reap his harvest amid perpetual summer. We saw some fine groves ofthe plantain, the trees twelve feet high and the leaves six feet longby two in width. This, together with the banana, forms the chief featureas regards the low-growing foliage in all the tropical regions about theGulf of Mexico, gracefully fanning the undergrowth with broad-spreadleaves, and affording the needed shade. The stem of the plantaingradually decays, like the banana, when the fruit has ripened, afterwhich the young shoots spring up from the roots once more to produce theabundant and nourishing food. It does not seem to have any specialseason, but is constantly in bloom and bearing. The accumulation ofsugar and starch in the fruit makes it a most valuable source of food inthe tropics, while the product from a small area of land is enormouswhen compared with that of cultivated grains and fruits generally. 

The cacao, the source from whence our chocolate comes, was originallyfound in Mexico, where its seeds once formed the money, or circulatingmedium, of the aboriginal tribes. It grows here in abundance and togreat perfection. 

Cordova has between six and eight thousand inhabitants. It is nearlythree thousand feet above sea level, and is rarely troubled with yellowfever; but ague is common. The streets are very regular and are allpaved. On one side of the plaza is the cathedral, a grand edifice with agaudily-finished interior. The central plaza, though small, isexquisitely kept, full of flowers, and vivid with the large scarlettulipan. The ground is well-filled with fruit-trees and palms, interspersed with smooth paths, and furnished with ornamental ironseats. On the outside of the plaza is the market, where rows ofcountry-women sit on their haunches in true Asiatic fashion, besidetheir articles for sale. This class of women here affect high colors intheir rude costumes, wearing a profusion of cheap coral and silverornaments, besides a peculiar headdress, more Neapolitan than Mexican. It is quite the thing in speaking of Cordova to remember that it washere, in 1821, that the treaty was signed between Iturbide and O'Donoju, which officially recognized the independence of Mexico. The vicinity ofthe town abounds in antique remains. An organized party was engaged inexhuming old pottery and other domestic utensils at the time of ourvisit. 

CHAPTER XVI. 

The City of Vera Cruz. --Defective Harbor. --The Dreaded and also Welcome Norther. --San Juan d'Ulloa. --Landing of Cortez. --His Expedition Piratical. --View of the City from the Sea. --Cortez's Destruction of his Ships. --Anecdote of Charles V. --A Sickly Capital. --Street Scenes. --Trade. --The Mantilla. --Plaza de la Constitucion. --Typical Characters. --Brilliant Fireflies. --Well-To-Do Beggars. --Principal Edifices. --The Campo Santo. --City Dwelling-Houses. --The Dark-Plumed Buzzards. --A City Fountain. --A Varied History. --Medillin. --State of Vera Cruz. 

Vera Cruz, which is at present the principal seaport of the republic, and which has heretofore been considered as the gateway of Mexico, iswithout a harbor worthy of the name, being situated on an open roadsteadand affording no safe anchorage among its shoals, coral reefs, and surf. It is not safe, in fact, for vessels to moor within half a mile of theshore. A cluster of dangerous, merciless-looking reefs, together withthe island of San Juan d'Ulloa, form a slight protection from the openGulf. A sea-wall shelters the street facing upon the water, and there isa serviceable mole where boats land from the shipping when a "norther"is not blowing; but when that prevails no one attempts to land fromvessels in the roadstead. No wonder that underwriters charge double toinsure vessels bound to so inhospitable a shore. Even in ordinaryweather a surf-drenching has sometimes to be endured in landing at themole. This is a serious objection to the port where every ton of freightmust be transferred between ship and shore by lighters. Nevertheless, this difficulty might be easily overcome by the construction of asubstantial breakwater, such as has lately been successfully built atColombo, Ceylon, or that which has robbed the roadstead of Madras, India, of its former terrors. To be sure, such a plan requiresenterprise and the liberal expenditure of money. Unless the citizensopen their purses and pay for the needed improvement, which wouldpromptly turn their exposed shore into a safe harbor, they will have tosubmit to seeing the present commerce of the port diverted to Tampico, where suitable engineering is about to secure an excellent harbor. Improvements are of slow growth in this country. The railway betweenthis city and the national capital was over thirty years in building, and cost fully forty million dollars. 

The captain of a freighting steamer sailing out of New York told thewriter that he had more than once been obliged, at certain seasons ofthe year, to sail from Vera Cruz carrying back to his port of departurea portion of his cargo, as there was no time while the ship remainedhere that he dared to risk the landing of valuable goods liable to bespoiled by exposure to a high-running sea. 

When a norther comes on to blow at Vera Cruz, all the vessels remainingnear the city let go an extra anchor and batten down the hatches; or, wiser still, they let go their ground tackle and hasten to make anoffing. The natives promptly haul their light boats well on shore; thecitizens securely close their doors and windows; while the sky becomesdarkened by clouds of sand driven by fierce gusts of wind. It is a factthat passengers have been obliged to remain for a whole week upon aEuropean steamer, unable to land during a protracted norther. Thesestorms are terrific in violence. It is not a straight out-and-out gale, an honest tempest, such as one sometimes meets at sea, and with which anexperienced mariner knows how to cope. A norther is an erraticsuccession of furious squalls with whirlwinds of sand, the wind blowingfrom several points at the same time. When a norther blows, work issuspended in the city, and the streets are deserted until the fury ofthe blast has subsided. This wind, however, like most other seriousannoyances in life, has its bright side. Very true is the saying: "It'san ill wind that blows nobody good. " The norther drives away that fatalenemy of the city, the yellow fever; and when it fairly sets in to blow, that surely ends the disease for the season; its germs are swept away asif by magic. The insect plague is only second to that of the vomito asregards the danger and discomfort to be encountered in this "City of theTrue Cross. " But even mosquitoes succumb to the northers. The muslinbars which surround the beds of the Hotel Diligencia, fronting theplaza, are effectual, so that one can generally sleep during the two orthree nights that he is likely to stay in the city. A longer sojourn issimply inviting disease, besides which there is no possible attractionto keep one here any longer. 

The only good harbor in the Gulf of Mexico within a hundred miles ofthis point is that of Anton Lizardo, about fifteen miles to thesouthward of Vera Cruz, which, in fact, should have been made thecommercial port. This position is now, doubtless to be filled byTampico, in connection with the Mexican Central Railroad branch runningfrom the main trunk of that road to the Gulf, by way of San Luis Potosi. We heard of another element operating very seriously against theinterests of Vera Cruz. It seems that the sand of the Gulf shore, movedby various currents, is gradually depositing itself in the shallowroadstead in such quantities as to seriously imperil navigation. It isadmitted that should this continue for a few years it would close theport to commerce. The railroad management are already talking ofextending the line southward to Anton Lizardo. 

On an island, less than one mile off the shore of Vera Cruz, stands thegrim old fortress of San Juan d'Ulloa, a most conspicuous object withits blackened and crumbling walls. It has often been declared to beimpregnable, and yet, curious to say, it has never been attacked by afoe without being compelled to surrender. Here Cortez landed on Mexicansoil, April 21, 1519. He disembarked on a Friday, a day which the Romishchurch has set apart for the adoration of the cross; he therefore calledthe place Vera Cruz (The True Cross). The mere handful of followerswhich he brought with him to conquer and possess a nation consisted offour hundred and fifteen men at arms, sixteen horses, and seven cannon!These last were mere howitzers. Was ever a more daring and recklessscheme conceived of? Fully realizing the peculiar nature of the venture, and fearing that when his followers should awaken to the extravagantfolly of the invasion, they would mutiny, forcibly seize the ships whichhad brought them, and return in them to Cuba, he deliberately destroyedall the galleys save one, and thus cut off the means of retreat. Thiswas quite in accordance with the desperate nature of the enterprise andthe reckless spirit of its leader, who had boldly taken upon himselfunauthorized responsibility. In bringing about the destruction of hisvessels, Cortez resorted to a subterfuge so as to deceive the peopleabout him. He did not "burn" his ships, as has been so commonlyreported, but ordered a marine survey upon them, employing an officerwho had his secret instructions, and when the report was made public itwas to the effect that the galleys were unseaworthy, leaky, and not fitor safe for service. A certain sea worm had reduced the hulls to mereshells! So the stores and armament were carried on shore, and thevessels sunk or wrecked. "His followers murmured at the loss of theships, " says Chevalier, "but were quieted by Cortez, who promised themsalvation in the next world and fortunes in this. " This is one versionof the famous episode which has come down to us, and which we believe tobe the true one. It is certainly the most in accordance with all theknown facts in the case. 

There are important circumstances connected with this often repeatedepisode which are not always considered in forming an estimate of thewhole affair. The departure of the expedition from Cuba was nothing lessthan open rebellion on the part of Cortez. Had it eventuated in failure, its leader would have been pronounced a pirate and filibuster. It wasTalleyrand who declared that nothing succeeds so well as success. Thusit is that history makes of the fortunate adventurer a hero, neverpausing to consider the means by which his success was attained. "Cortezand his companions, " says Chevalier, "had incurred the necessity ofsignalizing themselves by some great exploit. They had committed a faultwhich the laws of all states treated as crime, and one that the leadersmust expiate on the gibbet and their followers at the galleys, unlessatoned for by brilliant deeds. Their departure from Cuba was an act offlagrant rebellion. " In his great haste to get away from Cuba heembarked in nine small vessels, the largest not over one hundred tonsand some were even undecked boats. Velasquez, the governor of the islandof Cuba, had for some time previously contemplated sending an expeditionto Mexico, and having got it about ready for departure, he wasover-persuaded to give Cortez the command; but after due consideration, repenting of his decision, he took steps to replace him by a moretrusted officer. Cortez learned of this, and hastily got as many of thepeople together who had enlisted for the purpose as he could, andputting the munitions on board, sailed without taking leave! He hadalready been once pardoned out of prison by Velasquez, where he wasconfined for gross insubordination, and for the baseness of his privatelife, which, though he was thirty-four years of age, exhibited all thefaults of earliest manhood. R. A. Wilson pronounces the expedition tohave been "purely piratical, whose leader could have no hope of royalpardon but in complete success. " Cortez knew that it would not answerfor him to return to Cuba, therefore he unhesitatingly destroyed themeans by which even his comrades could do so. These facts rob the actwhich has been so lauded by historians of all heroism. Depend upon it, all our heroes have feet of clay. He had just made a rough campaign withthe natives of Tabasco, in Yucatan, where he learned that farther up theGulf, where he finally landed, there was "a people who had much gold. "That was what he sought. It was not God but gold that drew him onwardfrom Vera Cruz to Montezuma's capital. He was not seeking tochristianize the natives; that was a plausible subterfuge. His aim wasto enrich himself with native spoils and to acquire empire, nor did hepause until he had consummated the ruin of a kingdom and his ownaggrandizement. 

The traveler should not fail to take a boat across the bay to thecastle, and there visit the dark and dismal dungeons built below thesurrounding waters of the Gulf, like those in the castle of Chillonbeneath the surface of the lake of Geneva. One may obtain an admirableview of the city and its neighborhood from the cupola of the loftylighthouse, which is of the first class, and rises grandly to ninetyfeet above the sea. The fortress is now only partially manned, beingused mostly as a place of confinement for political prisoners. As thisisland was the first landing-place of the Spaniards, so it was theirlast foothold in Mexico. There is a familiar anecdote, which is alwaysretailed by the guides to the strangers whom they initiate into themysteries of the fortress upon which Cortez is said to have expendeduselessly many millions of dollars. Charles V. , being asked for morefunds wherewith to add to the defenses of San Juan d'Ulloa, called for aspyglass, and, seeking a window, pointed it to the west, seeming to gazethrough the glass long and earnestly. When he was asked what he waslooking for, he replied: "San Juan d'Ulloa. I have spent so much moneyupon the structure that it seems to me I ought to see it standing on thewestern horizon. "

The low-lying town--nearly eight thousand feet below the city ofMexico--is, perhaps, one of the most unhealthy spots on this continent, where the yellow fever, or _vomito_ as it is called, prevails for six orseven months of the year, claiming myriads of victims annually, while amalarial scourge, known as the stranger's fever, lingers about the placemore or less fatally all the year round, according to the number ofpersons who are liable to be attacked. The yellow fever, which makes itsappearance in May, is generally at its worst in August and September, atwhich periods it is apt to creep upwards towards the higher lands as faras Jalapa and Orizaba, though it has never been known to exist to anygreat extent in either of these places. The dangerous miasma whichprevails seems to be quite harmless to the natives of the locality, orat least they are rarely attacked by it. When a person has oncecontracted yellow fever and recovered from it, as a rule he is presumedto be exempt from a second attack, but this is not a rule without anexception. In summer the streets of Vera Cruz are deserted except by thebuzzards and the stray dogs. These quarrel with each other for scraps offood. The latter by no means always get the best of it. Even theMexicans at such times call the place _Una ciudad de los muertos_ (acity of the dead). 

A large share of the business of Vera Cruz is carried on by French orGerman residents who have become acclimated, or by those born here ofparents belonging to those nationalities. Many of the merchants of thecity keep up a permanent residence at Jalapa for sanitary reasons. It issingular that the climate of this port on the Gulf side of the peninsulashould be so fatal to human life, while the Pacific side, in the samelatitude and quite near at hand, is perfectly salubrious. When theFrench army landed here in 1863-64, the ranks were decimated by theepidemic, and the graveyard where the bodies of between three and fourthousand French victims lie buried near the city has been named by theircountrymen, with grim humor, "Le Jardin d'Acclimatation"!

On viewing the town from the castle of San Juan d'Ulloa, one is struckby the oriental aspect which it presents. Everything is seen through alurid atmosphere. The glare of sunshine reflected by the porcelaindomes and the intense blue of the sky are Egyptian. Groups of mottledchurch towers surmounted by glittering crosses; square, flat-roofedhouses; rough fortifications; a long reach of hot sandy plain on eitherside relieved by a few palm-trees; and scattered groups of low-growingcactus, --these make up the picture of the flat, miasmatic shore. Thereare no suburbs; the dreary, monotonous sand creeps close up to the city. But if the near foreground thus exhibits a certain repulsive nakedness, there looms grandly on the far-away horizon the Sierra Madre range ofmountains, the culminating point of which is the bold, aspiring peak ofOrizaba. It must be clear weather, however, to enable the visitor to seethis remarkable elevation, with its hoary crown, to reach whose basetwenty-seven leagues must be traversed. 

The long, straight, narrow streets are laid out with great uniformity, acharacteristic of all Mexican cities, and cross each other at rightangles, the monotony being broken by green blinds opening on to thelittle balconies which are shaded by awnings. The streets have a sort ofsun-baked hue, though the principal thoroughfares show a fair degree oflife and activity considering that the population is so largely made upof Mexicans. The area covered by the city cannot much exceed sixtyacres, the town being built in a very compact manner, a bird's-eye viewof which makes it resemble the outspread human hand. The port has seenits most prosperous days, if we may judge by present appearances. Theaggregate of the imports and exports amounted to about thirty milliondollars annually before the completion of the railroads to the nationalcapital and thence to El Paso, but, as was anticipated, this newfacility for transportation has diverted a large portion of this amountnorthward through the United States. The streets of Vera Cruz are stillcrowded in business hours with mule carts, porters, half-nakedwater-carriers, Indians, and a few negroes, military officers, andactive civilians. Speaking of negroes, there are a less number in allMexico than in any one State of this Union. In the plaza prettyflower-girls with tempting bouquets mingle with fruit venders, lottery-ticket sellers, and dashing young Mexican dudes, wearing broadsombreros heavy with cords of silver braid. Occasionally there passessome dignified señora, whose head and shoulders are covered with a blacklace mantilla, imparting infinite grace to her handsome figure. Howvastly superior is that soft, drooping veil to the tall hats and absurdbonnets of northern civilization! Broad contrasts present themselves onall hands, in groups of men, women, and children, half clad in rags, perhaps, but gay with brilliant colors, sharing the way with somesober-clad Europeans, or rollicking, half tipsy seamen on shore-leavefrom the shipping at anchor in the roadstead. 

The Plaza de la Constitucion is small in extent, about two hundred feetsquare, but it is very attractive. It is skillfully arranged, having ahandsome bronze fountain in its centre, the gift of Carlotta, theunfortunate, energetic wife of Maximilian. In the evening the place isrendered brilliant by a system of electric lights. The flower plots andmarble walks are ornamented with many lovely tropical flowers, cocoanutpalms, and fragrant roses nodding languidly in the hot summer atmosphereunder a sky intensely blue, and nine tenths of the time perfectlycloudless. The Australian gum-tree and the Chinese laurel wereconspicuous among other exotic varieties. As the twilight approaches, itis amusing to watch the _habitués_, consisting of both sexes, especiallyin shady corners where there is obviously much love-making on the sly, but not the legitimate article of the Romeo and Juliet sort which hasalready been described. Here and there strolls a dude, --a Mexican dude, with his dark face shaded by his sombrero, his tight trousers flaring atthe bottom and profusely ornamented at the side with silver buttons. Heis jostled by a fellow-countryman, who gathers his serape across hisleft shoulder and breast so adroitly as to partially conceal his shabbyattire, while he puffs his cigarette with assumed nonchalance, exchanging a careless word in the mean time with the gypsy-like womanwho offers bananas and zapotas for sale. Dainty señoritas trip acrossthe way in red-heeled slippers of Cinderella-like proportions, whilenoisy, laughing, happy children, girls and boys, romp with pet dogs, trundle ribbon-decked hoops, or spin gaudy humming tops. Flaring posterscatch the eye, heralding the cruel bull-fight or a performance at thetheatre. On Sundays a military band performs here forenoons andevenings. Under the starlight you may look not only among the lowgrowing foliage to see the fireflies, which float there like clouds ofphosphorescence, but now and again one will glow, diamond-like, in theblack hair of the fair señoritas, where they are ingeniously fastened toproduce this effect. It is strictly a Spanish idea, which the author hasoften seen in Havana. So brilliant are these tropical fireflies thatwith three or four placed under an inverted wineglass one can see toread fine printed matter in the nighttime. It is the common peoplemostly who use these insects as evening ornaments on their persons, though sometimes the most refined ladies wear them. The firefly has ahook-like integument on its body by which it is easily fastened to thehair or dress without any harm to itself. It seems as though nature hadanticipated this peculiar use of the "lightning-bug, " and so providedthe necessary means for the purpose. The country people bring them tomarket in little wicker baskets or cages, and it is curious to see withwhat avidity they will consume sugar. As you gaze with interest at thepicture of tropical life, you are quietly asked for a few pennies by aman so well dressed, and apparently so well to do, that it seems morelike a joke than like real begging. Just so the author has been accostedin the streets of Granada, in continental Spain, with a request for atrifling sum of money, by well-dressed people. Comparatively few beggarsimportune one in the large cities of Mexico, being deterred by thewatchful police; but in the environs of any large settlement thepoverty-stricken people are sure to descend upon the stranger like anarmy with banners. 

The architecture of Vera Cruz is of the old Spanish style, with a dashof Moorish flavor in it, recalling Tangier and other cities of Morocco. The governor's palace is a building of some pretension, two stories inheight, with a veranda on each, and a tall square tower at one end ofthe edifice. Having visited the plaza, the alameda, with its fine arrayof cocoa-palms, the municipal palace, the custom-house, the publiclibrary, and the large church fronting the plaza, one has aboutexhausted the main features of interest. This latter structure is animposing building, but it will in no respect compare with the cathedralsof the other cities which we have described. There are a fair number ofpublic schools in the town, two well-endowed hospitals, public baths, and a few other institutions worthy of a progressive people. Athoroughfare, called the Street of Christ, leads out to the Campo Santo, half a mile away. This burial-place is an area surrounded by high walls, built very thick of rubble-stones and adobe, in which the tombs are madeto receive the bodies instead of placing them in the ground. Thisneglected city of the dead has been taken in hand by Nature herself, andwild flowers are seen amid the sombre and dreary surroundings, rivalingin beauty and fragrance many cultivated favorites. 

The city houses are built of coral limestone, stuccoed. The roofs, whenpitched, are covered with tiles of a dull red color, but they are nearlyall flat. The interior arrangements are like those elsewhere described. Each house of the better class has its square inner court, or patio, round which the dwelling is constructed, and this is ornamented more orless prettily, according to the owner's taste, potted plants alwaysforming a prominent feature, together with an array of caged singingbirds. The long windows are guarded by significant iron bars, like thedwelling-houses throughout this country and in Havana. Sometimes on thebetter class of houses this iron work is rendered quite ornamental. Thenarrow streets are kept scrupulously clean, and are paved withcobble-stones which we were told were brought by ships from the coast ofNew England, and have a gutter running down the middle. There is anabundance of active, keen-eyed scavengers waddling about, always on thealert to pick up and devour domestic refuse or garbage of any sort whichis found in the streets. These are the dark-plumed, funereal-lookingbuzzard, or vulture, a bird which is protected by law, and depended onto act in the capacity we have described. They are two feet and over inlength of body, and measure six feet from tip to tip of the wings, orabout the size of a large Rhode Island turkey. Employing these birds forthe removal of refuse is a remedy almost as bad as the disease, sincethe habits of the huge, ungainly, ill-omened creatures are extremelydisgusting. Clouds of them roost upon the eaves of the houses, thechurch belfries, and all exposed balconies, and would invade the patiosof the dwellings were they not vigorously driven away and thus taughtbetter manners. The cathedral façade on the plaza is sometimes blackwith them, the rays of the bright tropical sun being reflected fromtheir glossy feathers as from a mirror. It seems there is one mysterywhich appertains to these unpleasant birds; namely, as to their breedingplaces. No one knows where they go to build their nests and to raisetheir young. The imaginative stranger is perhaps inclined to regard themas tokens of danger to the newcomer. All things considered, many anorthern city has a less efficient street-cleaning department. 

For a striking picture of strong local color, we commend the stranger towatch for a short half-hour the picturesque old fountain at the head ofthe Calle Centrale. Here he will find at almost any time of the dayscores of weary burros slaking their thirst; busy water-carriers fillingtheir red earthen jars; the street gamin wetting his thirsty lips; theitinerant fruit peddler seeking for customers; the gay caballero pausingto water the handsome animal he bestrides; while the tramway mules seektheir share of the refreshing liquid. Dark-hued women are coming andgoing with earthen jars poised upon their heads, wonderfully like theirEastern sisters at the fountains of oriental Cairo. Here are men withcuriously trimmed fighting birds in their arms, wending their way to thecruel cockpit. On the edge of the sidewalk close at hand, women arecooking dough-cakes of corn-meal over charcoal in tiny earthenbraziers, --the universal tortillas. A sand-covered muleteer, justarrived, is testing their quality while his burros are drinking at thefountain. 

Though Vera Cruz has suffered more than any other capital with which weare acquainted from bombardments, change of rulers, ravages ofbuccaneers, hurricanes, fevers, and other plagues, yet it is still aprosperous city, always spoken of with a certain degree of pride by thepeople of the republic as Villa Rica de Vera Cruz, that is, "the richcity of the true cross. " A brief glance at its past history shows usthat, in 1568, it was in the hands of pirates, and that it was againsacked by buccaneers in 1683, having been in the interim, during theyear 1618, swept by a devastating conflagration which nearly obliteratedthe place. In 1822-23, it was bombarded by the Spaniards, who still heldthe castle of San Juan d'Ulloa. In 1838, it was attacked by a Frenchfleet, and in 1847, was cannonaded and captured by the American forces. In 1856, it was nearly destroyed by a hurricane. In 1859, civil wardecimated the fortress and the town. The French and Imperialists tookand held it from 1861 until 1867, when the cause of nationalindependence triumphed. Since this latter date Vera Cruz has enjoyed aperiod of quiet and a large share of commercial prosperity. 

About ten or twelve miles southward from the city is the little town ofMedillin, a sort of popular watering-place, the Saratoga of thisneighborhood. It is made up of a few decent houses of brick and wood, and many very poor ones, having plenty of drinking, dancing, andgambling saloons. The trip thither is most enjoyable to a stranger, forthe glimpse it gives him of the tropical character and the rankfertility of this region. On the way one passes through a floralparadise, where flowers of every hue and teeming with fragrance line theway. Almond-trees, yielding grateful shade, and the _Ponciana regia_, blazing with gorgeous flowers, are in strong contrast to each other. Theproductive breadfruit-tree and the grapefruit with its yellow productabound. Here one sees the scarlet hibiscus beside the _galan de noche_(garland of night), which grows like a young palm to nearly ten feet inheight, throwing out from the centre of its tufted top a group of brownblossoms daintily tipped with white, the mass of bloom shaped like arich cluster of ripe grapes. Truly, the trees and flowers to be seen onthe way to Medillin are a revelation. 

The State of Vera Cruz borders the Gulf for a distance of five hundredmiles, averaging in width about seventy-five miles. No other section ofthe country is so remarkable for its extreme temperature and for thefertility of the soil. The variety of its productions is simplymarvelous. The intense heat is tempered by the northers, which usuallyoccur about the first of December, and from time to time until the firstof April, during which period any part of the state is comparativelyhealthy. A list of the native products would surprise one. Among them wefind tobacco, coffee, sugar, cotton, wheat, barley, vanilla, pineapples, oranges, lemons, bananas, pomegranates, peaches, plums, apricots, tamarinds, watermelons, citrons, pears, and many other fruits andvegetables. The natives push a stick into the ground, drop in a kernelor two of corn, cover them with the soil by a mere brush of their feet, and ninety days after they pluck the ripe ears. There is no other labor, no fertilizer is used, nor is there any occasion for consulting theseason, for the seed will ripen and yield its fruit each month of theyear, if planted at suitable intervals. 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Jalapa. --A Health Resort. --Birds, Flowers, and Fruits. --Cerro Gordo. -- Cathedral. --Earthquakes. --Local Characteristics. --Vanilla. --Ancient Ruins. --Tortillas. --Blondes in a City of Brunettes. --Curiosities of Mexican Courtship. --Caged Singing Birds. --Banditti Outwitted. -- Socialistic Indians. --Traces of a Lost City. --Guadalajara. --On the Mexican Plateau. --A Progressive Capital. --Fine Modern Buildings. -- The Cathedral. --Native Artists. --A Noble Institution. --Amusements. --San Pedro. --Evening in the Plaza. --A Ludicrous Carnival. --Judas Day. 

Jalapa, signifying "the place of water and land, "--pronouncedHalápa, --is situated about sixty miles north-northwest of Vera Cruz, andis considered to be the sanitarium of the latter city, whither many ofthe families who are able to do so resort during the sickly season. Nota few of the prosperous merchants maintain dwellings in both cities. Itssituation insures salubrity, as it is more than four thousand feethigher than the seacoast. The yellow fever may terrorize the lowlandsand blockade the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, as it surely does atcertain seasons of the year, from Yucatan to Vera Cruz, but theatmosphere of the highlands, commencing at Jalapa on the north andOrizaba on the south, is, as a rule, full of life-invigoratingproperties. We do not mean to say that these places are absolutely freefrom yellow fever and miasmatic illness, but they are so far superiorto Vera Cruz in this respect as to be considered health-resorts for thepeople on the shores of the Gulf. The route to Jalapa from the coastpasses through the old national road by the way of Cerro Gordo. Thehamlet bearing this name, where General Scott outflanked and defeatedSanta Anna, April 18, 1847, consists of a few mud cabins in atumble-down condition. It has become a memorable spot, but save itshistorical association is possessed of no attractions. It is not apopulous district: there are few haciendas met with, and fewer hamlets, but the scenery is very grand, and the vegetation is characterized byall the luxuriance of the tropics. Birds and flowers abound, and wildfruits are so plenty that they ripen and decay undisturbed by the handsof the natives. Nature is over-bountiful, over-prolific. There is nosere and yellow leaf here--fruits and flowers are perennial. If a leaffalls, another springs into life on the vacant stem. If fruit isplucked, a blossom quickly appears and another cluster ripens. 

Of birds distinguished for beauty of plumage and sweetness of song thereare, according to Clavigero, between fifty and sixty different species. Of those suitable for food there are over seventy sorts in the republic, according to the same authority. The rage for brilliant-colored featherswith which to decorate the bonnets of fashionable ladies in Americancities has led to great destruction among tropical birds of both Mexicoand South America. Here they have also been always in demand for thepurpose of producing what is termed feather pictures, as elsewheredescribed in these pages. 

The road is very tortuous, winding up long hills and down steep gulches, with here and there a rude, significant wooden cross, held in place by alittle mound of stones, raised above the burial-place of some murderedman. This, it seems, is a conscientious service always rendered inMexico by any one who is the first to discover such a body. Each nativewho afterwards passes the spot adds a small store to the pile, andkneeling, utters a brief prayer in behalf of the dead man's soul. 

Jalapa has a permanent population of some fourteen thousand, which isconsiderably increased at certain seasons of the year. It contains alarge, well-appointed cathedral, with a number of other Catholicchurches. Cortez and his followers covered the land with cathedrals anddemi-cathedrals, but the disestablishment of the church and the generalconfiscation of ecclesiastical property has rendered it impossible tosustain them all, together with the crowds of officiating priests. Theconsequence is that here, as elsewhere in the republic, many arecrumbling into decay, and when an erratic earthquake, which is norespecter of sacred buildings, tumbles over some high-reaching dome ortower, or twists a façade out of plumb, it is left to remain in thatcondition, and soon becomes a partial ruin. We saw several thusdilapidated in different sections of the country. Jalapa enjoys acommanding situation at the base of the Cofre de Perote, on undulatingground on the slope of the so-called hill of Macuiltepec; many of thestreets are therefore very steep, and the scenery, which is reallybeautiful, is quite Alpine in character. 

The low stone houses are perched on the hillsides, and the streets areirregular. This neighborhood is said to produce the prettiest women andthe loveliest flowers to be found in all Mexico, and it is certain thatin its gardens may be gathered the fruits and flowers of every zone. Among other special products of this vicinity is the aromatic vanillaplant, which is indigenous here and grows in wild abundance in theforests, proving a great source of income to the industrious nativegatherers. The plant requires only shade and moisture. The peculiar soiland climate do the rest. The harvest is gathered in March and April. Theflowers of the vanilla are of a greenish yellow, touched here and therewith white. It has a climbing stalk. The pods grow in pairs and areabout as large round as one's little finger, and six inches long, thoughthey vary, and the longer they are the greater is considered theirvalue. These are green at first, gradually turning to yellow, and thento brown, as they become fully ripe. They are carefully dried in thesun, being touched during the process with palm oil, which gives them asoft, glossy effect when they reach the consumers' hands. Chocolateperfumed with vanilla was a Mexican dish which Montezuma placed beforeCortez. The quantity shipped from Jalapa is very considerable in theaggregate, and proves an important source of revenue. We are told thatthe vanilla was successfully cultivated here by the Totonacs, ancientdwellers in this region, the aromatic product being highly appreciatedby the Sybaritic Montezuma and the Aztec nobles generally, andcommanding even in those days a liberal price. Humboldt speaks of "thevanilla, whose odoriferous fruit is used as a perfume, growing in theever-green forests of Papantla. " Here also are found ruins left by someforgotten race who must have reached to a certain degree of highcivilization, judging by these interesting remains. Of this land, lyingfar to the south of the Aztec territory, and of its people, eventradition has nothing to reveal to us. But its ruins are presumed to becontemporary with those better known in Yucatan, which they resemble inmany important particulars. One other notable plant grows wildhereabouts, less pleasing to the senses, but well known as an importantdrug in our medical practice, namely, jalap, which takes its name fromthe locality, or the place is named after the plant. 

The atmosphere of Jalapa is always humid, and the city is oftenovershadowed by clouds which come up from the Gulf of Mexico, heavy withmoisture to be precipitated in the form of rain. A sort of "drizzling"prevails most of the time, like that which one encounters at Bergen, inNorway, or at Sitka, Alaska. In the former place it is said to raineight days in the week. 

The old convent of San Francisco, vast in extent and once equally so ininfluence, is an object of considerable interest, situated in the centreof the town. It is believed to have been erected by Cortez, and was onceoccupied by a powerful community of Franciscans. This was also thebirthplace of General Santa Anna, the most notorious of Mexico'ssoldiers of fortune, and whose now neglected hacienda is pointed out tothe visitor. In his checkered career Santa Anna was constantly fallingfrom position, but this was only the prelude to his rising again and toa greater elevation, from which he was sure to be ignominiously hurled. 

Here the author had a first taste of the universal tortilla, which is tothe people of Mexico what macaroni is to the lazzaroni of Naples, orbread to a New Englander. It is made from Indian corn, as alreadyintimated, not ground in a mill to the condition of meal, but afterbeing soaked in the kernel and softened by potash, it is rolled betweentwo stones, and water being added a paste or dough is formed, which ismanipulated between the palms of the hands to a thin flat cake and bakedover a charcoal fire in an earthen brazier. It is very palatable andnutritious to a hungry person. Those who can afford to do so often mixsome appetizing ingredient with the simple cakes, such as sweets, peppers, or chopped meats. The scores of Indian women who come to marketto offer their grain, baskets, fruits, vegetables, and flowers for sale, are wrapped in rebosas of various colors, but are barefooted, bareheaded, and with no covering on their arms or legs, forming strikingand characteristic groups. 

Though the natives go about during the day only half clad, both men andwomen exposing a large portion of the bare body to the atmosphere, itwas observed that as soon as the evening shadows fell, both sexesprotected their necks and shoulders with wraps; the men winding theirwoolen serapes even over the lower part of their faces, and the womencovering theirs with the universal rebosa. The change of temperaturesoon after sunset and in the early mornings, as compared with the restof the day, is very decided throughout Mexico. Foreigners who observethese native precautions and follow them avoid taking colds, whileothers, more heedless, are liable to pay the penalty. 

One peculiarity was observed at Jalapa. While most of the Mexican womenare quite dark-hued, especially those from the rural districts and ofmixed blood, that is of Indian and Spanish descent, yet a large numberof those one meets in Jalapa are decided blondes, having light hair withblue eyes, and possessing as blooming complexions as the orchids whichso much abound in this district. 

There is a rage for caged singing birds in the better class of houses, aperfect flood of melody floating out of open windows and patios. Thebirds are brilliant both in plumage and in song, a combination notalways found in the low latitudes. As a rule, south of the equator, thegaudily-plumed birds please the eye, and the plain ones delight the ear. The Mexican parrots are the most voluble to be found this side ofsouthern Africa. It seems that there are conventional rules relating tobird-fancying here; the middle and lower classes make pets of the parrottribe, while the more pretentious people prefer mocking-birds, canaries, and the favorite little clarin. Boys walk about the streets ofthe national capital with a species of small paroquet for sale, trainedto run all over the owner's arms, neck, and fingers, showing noinclination to seek liberty by flight. A lady stopping at the Iturbidepurchased a bird of many colors, marvelous to look at, which she hadbeen assured by the itinerant vender would sing gloriously as soon as itbecame acquainted with its new home. It was sufficiently curious, however, because of its remarkably brilliant and queerly disposedcolors. After petting it for a few days the new mistress gave the bird awarm bath, out of which the little fellow came all of one hue, namely adark ash color. The deceitful bird merchant had ingeniously painted himfrom the crown of his head to the very tip of his tail feathers!

Like all these Spanish cities, the windows of the dwellings are securedby a screen of iron bars, and many fronts where the house is of twostories in height have also delightful little balconies, answering aRomeo and Juliet purpose, all courtship being conducted here in asurreptitious manner. A Mexican never goes about a courtship whereby hehopes to win a wife in an open, straightforward manner. On the contrary, he forms cunning schemes for meeting his fair inamorata, and employsingenious subterfuges to gain a stolen interview. He tells his passionnot in words, but with profound sighs and significant glances, as hepasses her flower-decked balcony, while she, although perfectlyunderstanding his pantomime, assumes the most profound innocence andeven indifference. This fires the suitor's ardor; he bows sadly whenpassing her balcony, with his right hand pressed vehemently upon hisleft breast, where a youthful lover's heart is popularly supposed to belocated. Finally, after a good deal of pretentious pantomime, the fairseñorita appears to realize the purport of all this wooing, and seemsgradually to yield to his silent yet expressive importunities. There isalso a language of the fan, of flowers, of the fingers, all of which arepressed into the service of the amorous couple. We were shown a smallpocket manual printed in Spanish and sold in the stores and upon thestreets, containing a printed code of the significance of certainflowers, a "dumb alphabet" for the fingers, and the meaning of theseveral motions of the ever-ready fan which, like a gaudy butterfly, flits before the face of beauty. There is the rapid flirt whichsignifies scorn, another motion is the graceful wave of confidence, anabrupt closing of the fan indicates vexation, and the striking of itinto the palm of the hand expresses anger. The gradual opening of itsfolds intimates reluctant forgiveness, and so on. In short, the fan canbe more eloquent than words, if in the hands of a Mexican señorita, stimulated by the watchful eyes and the adoration of an ardent Romeo. But this is only preliminary. All parents are presumed to be implacablyand absolutely opposed to all lovers' wishes, and great diplomacy isconsequently required. This ludicrous game often continues for atwelvemonth before anything is consummated. The charm of the wholeaffair with these people consists in its secrecy and difficulties eitherreal or assumed. Lydia Languish cared nothing for Beverly when allobstacles to their union vanished; opposition is the spice of love. 

A pleasant story is told of the attractiveness of Jalapa. It seems thatan old traveler came here to pass a day, but was so fascinated with thebeauty of the place and its surroundings, the fragrance of its flowers, the beauty of its women, and the salubrity of the climate, that he neverleft it to the day of his death. Every nook and corner has its charmingbit of verdure, its plot of flowers, its broad green banana leavesoverhanging some low, white wall, or a tall palm with its plume-like topovershadowing a dainty balcony. One often hears Jalapa spoken of amongthe Mexicans as a bit of heaven dropped on earth. 

The great shame and disgrace of Mexico has been the prevalence ofbrigandage in the several states of the republic, and even in theimmediate environs of the national capital. All the efforts of thegovernment for years have proved ineffectual to suppress thislawlessness until very lately, when, for reasons not very clear to astranger, it has seemed gradually to subside. Brigandage has not onlybeen a crying shame to the country, but has paralyzed business, keptvisitors away from Mexico, and caused her to lose her national creditboth in Europe and America. People will not invest money in greatenterprises in regions where the persons of their agents are not safe, and where robbery and kidnapping are every-day occurrences. Anintelligent native attempted to convince the author that thesehighwaymen were not composed of native Indians, half-breeds, orSpaniards, but that they were mostly made up from Italians and otherEuropeans who had been induced to leave their own country for theircountry's good. Our credulity was not, however, equal to this solution. Brigandage was long chronic here, and the brigands were Mexicans. 

When the French army was here, it is said that General Bazaine hadoccasion to be in the city at an opportune moment. Having heard by somechance that the brigands had been very troublesome hereabouts, and alsothat they would probably stop the next mail coach on its way to VeraCruz, he resolved to give these outlaws a lesson which they would notsoon forget. When the expected coach arrived, and while the mules werereplaced by fresh ones, the general ordered the passengers, some of whomwere ladies, to remain in the hotel, while he put ten of his most daringZouaves inside the coach to fill their places. These men were speciallyinstructed, and half of them were disguised as women, the others havingtheir uniforms covered from sight. The driver was sworn to secrecy undera threat of being shot if he disobeyed orders, and was directed to go onhis way as usual. By-and-by, when the coach had arrived at a certainpoint, the driver suddenly drew up his horses, for he saw a row ofmuskets in the hands of a dozen men ranged across the road, pointing athim, and heard the usual order to stop. A moment later the leader ofthese men came to the door of the coach, where he saw, apparently, alady, and in a peremptory voice ordered the passengers to get out uponthe roadway. The door being thrown open, the pseudo woman who sat nextto it was aided to descend to the ground by the leader of the brigandson one side and his lieutenant on the other. At the instant thisindividual alighted, two simultaneous pistol-shots were heard. Thepassenger standing between the two robbers had pressed the triggers oftwo pistols, held one in his right and one in left hand, quiteunobserved. The leading brigand together with his lieutenant fell deadupon the road. In the mean time the opposite door of the coach had beenquickly opened, whence the other nine Zouaves, trained athletes, spranglike cats to the ground, each one selecting his foe among the robbers, who, on their part, were taken so completely by surprise that they firedtheir muskets at random, while the Zouaves with their keen swordbayonets literally chopped them to pieces. There were fourteen of thesegentlemen of the road, only one of whom escaped alive, and he was soseverely wounded that he bled to death in a native hut among the hills. There was no more brigandage, as the reader may well imagine, in thevicinity where the French troops were stationed. 

A small and rather peculiar party of Indians was observed here, somespecial occasion having lured them from their agricultural hamlet. Theywere not attached to any hacienda, but lived in a primitive manner, illustrating a communistic idea, a practice, it appears, which is notuncommon among this class in some parts of the country. Their cabinsare of adobe. Indeed, wooden buildings are almost unknown, wood beingseldom used, even in the cities, for inside finish. These Indianscultivate the land in common, and when the crop is gathered, it isdivided after recognized laws of their own. Irrigation is the sole meansof fertilizing, and it seems to be all the soil requires. They ploughwith oxen, using a crooked stick, which method, several times alludedto, is not so very surprising when we remember that the Egyptian fellahuses a similar instrument to-day, and irrigates the soil by means ofbuckets worked by hand. The women of the group of whom we are speakingwere bareheaded, and wore their long, straight, black hair in braidshanging down over their naked shoulders, their arms being bare, and alsotheir legs to the knee. A loose cotton tunic and short petticoat formedtheir dress. The men wore straw hats with tall crowns, their broad brimsthrowing their swarthy faces into deep shadow. Unbleached cotton shirtsand drawers of the same reaching to the knees completed the costume. Some wore leather sandals, but most were barefooted. There were a fewchildren among them, all slung to the mothers' backs, and quite naked. 

Between the lofty peak of Orizaba and the Cofre de Perote, there existsmany traces of a very numerous native population, who must have occupiedthe country long previous to the advent of the Spanish conquerors. Noteven tradition tells us anything about this locality, which isabundantly supplied with water, is fertile to an extraordinary degree, and possesses a healthy climate. That extensive and intelligentcultivation of the soil was carried on here at some period of the pastis clearly shown by numberless remains. The fact that oak trees fourfeet in diameter are found growing over the stone foundations of ruineddwellings proves that many centuries have passed since the populationdisappeared. The remains of the dwellings are all of stone laid withoutmortar, arranged in streets, or in groups. A series of pyramids of stoneare also found here, the largest of which is over fifty feet in height, and the smallest not over ten or twelve feet, the last seeming to havebeen designed for tombs. Several of these have been opened and found tocontain skeletons and elaborately ornamented burial urns. The localityreferred to is the eastern slope of the sierra towards the coast betweenOrizaba and Jalapa. 

Our next objective point is the city of Mexico, to reach which fromJalapa we return to Vera Cruz, though not necessarily, taking therailway from the port through Orizaba and Puebla. As we have been overthis route with the reader, let us pass on to places which we have notyet spoken of. At the national capital we once more take passage on theMexican Central Railway north-northwest to Guadalajara, the capital ofthe State of Jalisco. This growing and prosperous city is reached by abranch road from Irapuato, being that which is designed ultimately toreach the Pacific at San Blas. One hundred and sixty miles of thisbranch road is completed. Guadalajara is three hundred and eighty milesfrom the city of Mexico, situated in a pleasant valley six thousandfeet above the sea, with a population of one hundred thousand, statingit in round numbers. It will be remembered that we are now on what iscalled the Mexican plateau. The Indian name of the valley is Alemaxac. As to temperature, we found that the annual mean was 70° Fahr. , but ourthermometer gave us 90° Fahr. Nearly all the time during our stay, andeven at midnight it did not fall below 82°. A small river, San Juan deDios, runs through the town about its middle, in a charmingly crookedfashion. In coming hither we pass through the valley of the Rio Lerma, one of the best developed regions as regards agriculture in the entirerepublic. The route takes us through some populous towns and manyinteresting villages, also near to the famous Lake Chapala, the largestbody of water in Mexico, sixty miles long and over fifteen in width. 

Guadalajara is one of the most progressive cities in the country, and isthe second in point of population, supporting an admirable school systemworthy of all commendation. It has numerous public squares, besides thePlaza Mayor and a fine alameda. The plaza is about three hundred feetlong and of nearly the same width, one side occupied by the cathedral, another by the state buildings, and on the two remaining sides is a lineof arches in which are some of the most attractive stores of the town. Alarge number of the public buildings are of modern construction, including the governor's palace, the municipal palace, the mint, andother edifices, all fronting, as usual, on the Plaza Mayor. The onlyAcademy of Fine Arts in the country, outside of the city of Mexico, isto be found here, and it is in a highly flourishing condition, a largelocal interest being pledged to its support. It is somewhat difficult todecide in one's own mind which of the two cities, Puebla or Guadalajara, should rank next to the city of Mexico in wealth, general interest, andcommercial importance. Both are progressive capitals, remarkably so forthis country. 

The grand cathedral was finished in 1618, having a noble façade, agraceful dome, and two lofty towers partly covered with enameled tiles. The front is richly carved, and ornamented by fluted pillars. Theinterior of the dome is as finely frescoed as the famous church ofBurgos, in Spain, or that of the church of St. John, in the island ofMalta. Of this latter church it strongly reminded us. The great altar isfinished in white and gold. A narrow gallery of gilded metal runs aroundthe entire building on a level with the capitals of the pillars whichsupport the roof. It seems that during religious services here a fewyears ago, two of the organists were struck by lightning while playingand instantly killed. The towers of the cathedral show some evidence ofhaving been disturbed by an earthquake, which occurred in 1818. Thereare thirty churches in all in Guadalajara, and, like the other publicbuildings, they are unusually fine. 

This is quite an ancient city, having been founded in 1541. Manufacturing is carried on to a considerable extent; among the articlesproduced are fine pottery, cotton cloth, silk, rebosas, musicalinstruments, and leather goods. The native Indian race hereabouts, and, indeed, in places further south, are great adepts, as already explained, in the manufacture of antiquities. We saw here some remarkably fineexamples of pottery, designed and finished by native artists who hadnever enjoyed an hour's instruction. It was the result of an inbornartistic taste. The lace-like drawn-work produced by the Indian womenfrom fine linen rivals the best work of the kind which comes from SouthAmerica, where the natives have long been famous for fine work in thisspecial line. 

The Hospicio San Miguel de Belen is a very comprehensive andwell-conducted establishment, containing a hospital proper, with maleand female wards, a lunatic asylum, and a primary school. Otherevidences of keeping pace with the times were seen in the presence ofthe telephone, electric lights, and a good system of tramways. Theenvirons of the city are justly famous for many beautiful gardens and agrand paseo shaded by noble trees, mostly elms, with broad, spreadinglimbs and of great age. The Campo Santo is not unlike that at Vera Cruz, the bodies being deposited in niches built in the thick walls about thegrounds. Some of the monumental tombs are of a very impressive andbeautiful character. 

Another remarkable and very interesting institution of this city is theHospicio de Guadalajara, situated on the eastern side of the smallstream which flows through the town. It is approached by a wide, handsome avenue lined with orange-trees. The edifice covers eightacres, being constructed about numerous open areas which are utilized asgardens, devoted to raising flowers and fruits, each also ornamented bya cheerful fountain. There are over twenty of these courts within thegrounds, from which broad, high corridors open, which traverse theseveral departments of the institution. Mangoes, oranges, and bananasthrive on the trees in these patios, and such an abundance of red andwhite roses, in such mammoth sizes, we have rarely seen. The sister whoacted as our guide through the spacious edifice insisted upon pluckingthem freely and presenting them to the ladies of the party. There is aspacious and fine chapel within the group of buildings, as capacious asan ordinary church. Its lofty dome is beautifully frescoed, and manyfine oil paintings adorn the walls. Hundreds of children, ranging frombabyhood to twelve years, were seen in the various departments, whereeverything was scrupulously neat and clean. This admirable Hospicio isused as an asylum for foundlings, a home for the blind, and also for thedeaf and dumb, besides which there is here provided a home for theinfirm who are unable to support themselves. This very worthyinstitution presents an imposing appearance, with its lofty dome andpillared portico facing the broad, tree-lined avenue which leads up toits spacious doors. 

There is a bull-ring and two theatres here. The favorite promenade isthe paseo, which runs for over a mile within the city proper, terminating at the alameda. Gambling, next to the bull-fight, is theaverage Mexican's delight, and just outside the thoroughfare of thealameda all sorts of games of chance prevail. As government legalizesthe lottery-ticket business, it opens the door for much gambling. Tenper cent, of the gross receipts of all lottery enterprises goes into thenational treasury. Even blind men were seen selling lottery tickets, andwhen it was suggested that they were liable to be cheated byunscrupulous purchasers, the reply was that such an act would surelybring ill luck, and no ticket bought under such circumstances couldpossibly draw a prize! This was repeated to us as being the sentimentgoverning the throng of humble purchasers. The Mexicans of the lowerclass are very superstitious, and will often pay a young and innocentchild a trifle to select a ticket for them, believing that good luck maythus be secured. 

A short trip by tramway will take the traveler to the suburb of SanPedro, where the native Indians produce a species of pottery which isboth curious and artistic, each one working independently in his adobecabin. One often detects an article which genius alone could originateand produce. The work is done solely by hand, the workmen employing onlythe most primitive methods. Some of the vases and jars are identicalwith those one finds in Egypt, finely glazed, and enameled in colorswhich are burned in by the maker. These wares are so well appreciated bystrangers that the peons realize good prices for their skill; andtravelers take home with them mementoes worthy of being placed in thebest collections of pottery. 

On the evening of Good Friday the spacious plaza of Guadalajara wasthronged with the citizens, men and women, peons as well as the betterclasses, the former scrupulously keeping within certain limits, whilethe ladies and gentlemen promenaded upon the broad path encircling theplaza, beneath the shade of orange-trees and amid a rose-scentedatmosphere. The moon was near its full, but the electric lamps rivaledits serene brilliancy, and the stars were outshone. When the hands onthe illumined clock over the governor's palace pointed to half-pasteight, the military band, placed in the central pagoda, with soldierlypromptness struck up a grand and elaborate anthem. The thirty performerswere skillful musicians, and the effect was admirable. They were allswarthy natives, descendants of the Aztecs, but fully able to competewith the average French, German, or American musicians. The throngpassed and repassed each other on the gayly lighted paths, or seatedthemselves in a broad circle about the plaza. Merry children, nicelydressed, romped hither and thither, now and again coming up pleasantlyto greet the strangers, and making the most of the few words of Englishat their command, while the big fountain kept up its delightfully-coolingnotes, heard in the intervals of the music. There were thousands ofnatives and foreigners promenading hither and thither about the greatsquare and in the plaza, forming a gay and impressive scene until nearlymidnight. There is a holiday gayety about life in this southern climewhich is quite infectious. 

The fascination of the scene; the delights of a land of perpetualsunshine; the charming surface aspect of everything; the rank, luxuriantvegetation; the perfume of flowers mingling with the delightful musicthat floated upon the air in such an hour as we have described, --allthese did not blind the moral sense, though for the moment the physicalpowers were led captive. One pauses to review the aimless lives of theseindolent but beautiful women, and the useless career of the men who formthe upper class. It is natural to contrast the lives of such with thatof the abject poor, the half-starved, half-naked masses who hung aboutthe outer lines of the assembled throng on the plaza; men and womenliving a mere animal existence, and yet who represented such grand andnoble possibilities. Ah! the puzzle of it all! Who can solve the riddle?Lazarus and Dives jostle each other not alone in Guadalajara, but allover the world. 

In this city, on the Saturday following Good Friday, occurred what ishere termed "Judas Iscariot Day, " when the concentrated vengeance of theChristian world is supposed to be visited upon the vile betrayer of hisMaster. The whole object of the occasion is to heap contumely, derision, and dishonor upon the name of Judas. Extensive preparations are made aweek or more before the special day. The town presented an appearancesimilar to the Fourth of July in the United States. The streets werefull of temporary booths, and all the inhabitants were out of doors. Figures twelve or fifteen inches long, made of paper, rags, or othercombustible material, in various colors, representing Judas, and stuffedwith firecrackers and powder, were sold to men and boys, to be fired atthe proper time. Some of these figures were of life size, containingrockets and blue lights. Judas was represented with folded hands, armsakimbo, with legs in a running posture, and, in short, in everyconceivable attitude. Some of the larger figures bore mottoes abouttheir necks in Spanish, such as "I am a scion of the Devil;" another, "Iam about to die for my treachery;" and a third, "I have no friends, anddeserve none, " "Let me give up the ghost, " etc. Hundreds of these toyfigures were tied to a rope, and hung across the thoroughfares at theheight of the second story, reaching from one balcony to another. Smallpyramids were raised for them and of them in the open squares. Peoplecarried hoops of Judases elevated on the top of a long pole. Some menhad a single large figure with the conventional Judas face dressed inharlequin colors. Everybody on the streets had at least one toy Judas, and some had a dozen. 

Finally, at ten o'clock on the forenoon of Judas day, the great bell ofthe cathedral sounds, a score of other church bells follow suit, and thematches are applied to the fuses with which each emblematic figure issupplied. Young Mexico is almost crazed. Old Mexico approves andparticipates. Everybody is elated to the highest point. Sidewalks andbalconies are crowded with both sexes. Señoras and señoritas arehilarious, and little children clap their hands. The noise of the bellsis great, that of firecrackers, rockets, and fuses is greater, and theshouts of the excited multitude who swarm about the Plaza Mayor is thegreatest of all. People become mentally intoxicated with intenseexcitement. The large Judases in exploding go to pieces, first losingone arm, then a leg, followed by another arm, until at last the bodybursts into fragments, at which one universal shout rends the air. Thesmall Judases keep up their snapping and explosions for an hour or more. At last Judas is utterly demolished, literally done for. Then the bellscease ringing, and the overwrought people gradually subside. The wholeis a queer, strange piece of ludicrous mockery, ending as a good-naturedannual frolic. 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Santa Rosalia. --Mineral Springs. --Chihuahua. --A Peculiar City. --Cathedral. --Expensive Bells. --Aqueduct. --Alameda. --Hidalgo's Prison and his Fate. --Eulalia. --A Large State. --A Grand Avenue of Trees. --Local Artists. --Grotesque Signs. --Influence of Proximity to the United States. --Native Villages. --Dangerous Sand-Spouts. --Reflections on Approaching the Frontier. --Pleasant Pictures photographed upon the Memory. --Juarez, the Border Town of Mexico. --City of El Paso, Texas. --Railroad Interests. --Crossing the Rio Grande. --Greeted by the Stars and Stripes. 

Santa Rosalia is a quiet, quaint old place, with six or seven thousandinhabitants; but, being on the direct line of the Mexican CentralRailroad, it is sure to rapidly increase in numbers and in materialprosperity. Though it is now scarcely more than a country village, stillit has its plaza and its alameda, in the former of which a military bandperforms two evenings in each week. A couple of small but most valuablerivers, the Rio Conchos and the Rio Florido, flank the town and affordexcellent means for irrigation, which are improved to the utmost, theeffects of which are clearly visible to the most casual observer, in thedelightful verdure and the promise of teeming crops. The place has amost equable climate, for which reason many northern invalids sufferingfrom pulmonary troubles have come hither annually. A few miles west ofSanta Rosalia are mineral springs believed to possess great curativeproperties, especially in diseases of a rheumatic type. There are yet nocomfortable accommodations for invalids, but we were told that it wascontemplated to build a moderate cost hotel at this point. The ruins ofthe fort captured by the American army on its way to join General Taylorare seen near Santa Rosalia. 

Still pursuing our northward course, bearing a little westerly, over animmense desert tract so devoid of water that the railway train isobliged to transport large cisterns on freight cars to supply thenecessary article for the use of its locomotive, we finally reachChihuahua, --pronounced Chee-waw-waw, --capital of the state of the samename. One would think this immediate region must be well watered, as wecross several rivers while in the state. Among them the Florido, atJimenez; the Concho, just north of Santa Rosalia; the San Pedro, atOrtiz, and the Chubisca, near to the city of Chihuahua. This name isaboriginal, and signifies "The place where things are made. " It wasfounded in 1539, and lies upon a wide, open plain at the base of theSierra Madre, whose undulating heights are exquisitely outlined invarious hues against the sky, and beneath whose surfaces are hidden richveins of iron, copper, and silver. The valley extends towards the northas far as the eye can reach. It is looking southward that we see thedisordered ranks of the mountain range. When we first came upon thetown, it rested beneath a cloudless sky, bathed in a flood of warm, bright sunlight. We were told that these are the prevailing conditionsfor seven months of the year. This is on the main line of the MexicanCentral Railroad, a thousand miles, more or less, north of the city ofMexico, and has a population of about eighteen or twenty thousand; but, like most of the Mexican cities, it once contained a much larger numberof inhabitants than it can boast of to-day. It will be remembered thatthe American forces, in the year 1847, advanced upon and took possessionof the city after the battle of Sacramento, which occurred February 28of that year. This was the force commanded by Colonel Doniphan, and fromhere it made the celebrated march southward, forming a junction with thedivision of General Taylor. 

The city presents a pleasing and thrifty aspect, though most of thehouses are but one story in height and constructed of adobe, with low, flat roofs, very much like an Egyptian town, --a comparison which isconstantly occurring to us in Mexico. The patios of the better class ofhouses are ornamented with flowering plants, and pets of all sorts, especially birds, are numerous, the favorite species being themocking-bird. One patio we noticed full to repletion of tame pigeons, blue, black, white, and mottled fantails. The state and governmentbuildings, the mint with its low, square tower, and a few other edificesare large and handsome structures. In the tower of the mint the patriotHidalgo was confined, with three of his comrades, previous to theirexecution. They were shot here July 31, 1811. In the Plaza de Armasthere stands a fine monument to the memory of Hidalgo. The cathedral, the shell of which cost over eight hundred thousand dollars, stands onone side of the plaza, an area ornamented as usual with beautiful treesand flowers, together with a large fountain in the centre, about whichare winding paths, and benches whereon to enjoy the shade. This is adelightful resort in the evening, when the music-loving populace areregaled with the admirable performance of a Mexican military band threeor four times a week. The cathedral is of the Moorish and Gothic orderscombined, and it has considerable architectural merit, bearing upon itsrather crudely ornamented front thirteen statues, representing SanFrancisco and the twelve apostles. The interior was found to containsome interesting and valuable oil-paintings, though we saw them in anextremely bad light. The towers of this cathedral are remarkable for acostly collection of bells, and the interior of the church for a seriesof magnificent carvings. One of these bells is pointed out to thevisitor as having been broken by a cannon-ball during the bombardment ofthe town by the French in 1866. The other sides of the plaza arebordered by the state buildings and the best stores of the town. 

The gray, crumbling line of an arched stone aqueduct, built long ago tosupply the town with water, forms a picturesque feature of the environs. There is an admirably kept alameda for public enjoyment, divided by fourrows of ancient cottonwood-trees, some of which are five feet indiameter. The Rio Chubisca flows through the city. Crops are raisedsolely by liberal irrigation; water is the one thing most needed onthis high, flat land. Some of the finest grapes in Mexico are raised ingreat abundance here, and are shipped both to the south and across theborder into our own country. A very large share of the republic, withits volcanic soil, is admirably adapted to this industry. Fifteen milesfrom Chihuahua are the rich silver mines of Eulalia. The road thither isa rough one, but many persons enjoy the excursion, over what at firstsight seems to be a plain of lava, though as there is no volcanovisible, one is a little at fault in divining from whence it came. Wewere told finally that it was slag from the workings of the mines atEulalia, and that more modern processes of disintegration andamalgamation might extract good pay in silver from these "tailings, " nowspread broadcast for many miles on the surface of the plain. SantaEulalia is a rude hamlet lying among the mountains, with a very humblemining population and a small stone church. There are over two hundredmines in and about these hills, all of which have been worked more orless successfully. 

This state, by the way, is the largest in the republic, being about thesize of New York and Pennsylvania combined. To be exact, the state isfour hundred and thirty miles long from north to south, and threehundred, thirty-seven miles wide, It is famous for its many sheep andcattle ranches, affording, as it does, great advantages forstock-raising. Large herds are driven over the borders into our owncountry every season, and sold to American herdsmen, to be driven stillfurther north and fattened for the eastern and northern markets. Thereis a quaint, oriental aspect about the adobe-built town which wouldprove very attractive to an artist's eye. One tree-embowered roadwayattracted our attention, which so strikingly resembled the Beacon StreetMall in Boston as to call forth remarks to that effect from more thanone of our party. It is known as the Calle de Guadalupe. The deep shadowof the long gothic arch, formed by the entwined branches, was exquisitein effect. In the busy portion of the town, groups of Indians, wrappedin bright-colored blankets, added variety to the scene. 

Wood carvings and wax figures from the hands of intelligent nativeartists, --for artists they are--come so near to one's ideas ofperfection as to be a surprise. This artistic genius was also observedamong the humbler classes further south, and is by no means confined tothe neighborhood of Chihuahua. After a few moments of watchfulobservation of even a stranger, some of these Indians will retire, andin an almost incredibly brief space of time will return with anexcellent likeness of the individual whom they design to represent, notmerely as regards his ordinary physique, but in facial expression. Practice has made them quite perfect in this impromptu modeling. Chihuahua, if we may credit the historians, as well as judge by theremains, once had a population of two hundred thousand. 

A singular and most disagreeable custom was observed here which prevailsin some other Mexican cities: that of placing fantastic signs, paintedin gigantic size, on the outside of shops. These are grotesquerepresentations of the business carried on within. It would seem asthough the object was to ridicule the proprietor's occupation by thevulgarity of these signs. Be this as it may, the inevitable half dozenpulque drinkers lean upon the counter all the while, absorbing theliquid which brings insensibility. As they drop off one by one, theirplaces are taken by others, who are promptly supplied by the plethoricbar-tender. In the plaza peons were offering for sale a very smallspecies of dog indigenous to this district, tiny creatures, peculiarlymarked and evidently stunted by some artificial means. However, some ofour party were captivated, and became purchasers of the delicate littletremulous creatures. Considerable building was observed to be inprogress here, not structures of adobe, but fine stone edifices, of anattractive and modern style of architecture, three stories in height. One of these was designed for a hotel, and would be an ornament to anycity. 

Though Chihuahua is two hundred and twenty-five miles south of the RioGrande, still it shows many signs of its proximity to this country. Suchbuildings as we have just referred to would not be thought of in middleor southern Mexico. American fashions in many things are obvious; alarge portion of the population speak English; the faces of the commonpeople evince more intelligence; and the masses are better clothed thanthey are a little further south. We found that free schools wereestablished and other matters of higher civilization were in progress. Many of the customs prevailing north of the national boundary line havebeen adopted here. The universal burro of Mexico begins to disappear, and strong, shapely mules and large horses take his place. Beggars arefew and far between. 

There is very little of interest to engage the traveler's attention onthe route of the Mexican Central Railroad between Chihuahua and Juarez, formerly known as Paso del Norte. The country is quite sterile, variedby occasional long, tedious reaches of cactus and mesquite bushes, or afew cottonwood-trees wherever a water-course is found. The mesquitegrows to the height of ten or twelve feet. The seeds are contained in asmall pod, and are used by the natives to make a sort of bread which issweet to the taste. The wood is extremely hard and heavy. At longdistances apart a native village comes into view, composed of low, square, adobe cabins. The treeless character of this section of countryis not without a depressing influence, while the want of water is onlytoo manifest everywhere. Sometimes one sees for hours a fairly goodgrazing country, and, where water is available, some cereals are raised. Corn, wheat, and barley occasionally form broad expanses of delightfulgreen. Still, only the most primitive means of agriculture are in use, reminding the observer of the unfulfilled possibilities of the reallycapable soil. Where these fertile districts are seen, the results arebrought about by the same irrigating ditches that the aborigines usedmore than three hundred years ago. The touch of moisture is like theenchanter's wand. In California, water is conveyed thirty, forty, andeven fifty miles, by means of ditch and flume; here the sources ofsupply are not usually half the first-named distance away. Grapes aregrown, as at Chihuahua, in great abundance, the soil seeming to beparticularly adapted to their cultivation. Many tons of the big purplefruit are regularly converted into wines of different brands, said to befully equal to the product of California. 

As the sea has its water-spouts, so the land has its sand-spouts, whereby the whirlwinds, forming on and sweeping over the barren plains, gather up the soil and rush circling along with it for miles, sustainingthe mass in the air, two hundred feet or more in height. This phenomenonwas often observed while traveling on the Mexican plateau. Sometimes, ashas already been said, half a dozen were seen at a time. BetweenChihuahua and Juarez they were again observed. The course of these dustypillars of sand was generally towards the foothills of the high ranges. The moment any large obstacle is encountered, as is the case with awater-spout at sea, they are at once broken and disappear. Any ordinarycabin or other frail building which is struck by a sand-spout is prettysure to be demolished. This might not always follow, as they move withdifferent degrees of force, some being vastly more powerful than others. Trees are not infrequently broken and destroyed by them. We were toldthat horses and cattle exposed upon the plain were sometimes taken up inthe suction of air caused by their progress, carried a hundred rods ormore, and then dropped to the ground lifeless. Other stories were heardof the erratic performances of sand-spouts on the Mexican plateau, butthey were of a nature requiring too much credulity for us to repeat themin these pages. 

As one approaches the frontier, a feeling of regret steals over thetraveler that he is hourly leaving behind him a country in which so muchdelight has been briefly experienced. That discomforts have beenencountered is very true, --withering heat, dust, fatigue, andindifferent food, but these quickly fade into mere shadows. Not thepains, but the pleasures, of such a journey remain indelibly fixed inthe memory. No cunningly painted canvas is so retentive as the activebrain. While we roll over the broad cactus plains, closing the eyes inthought, a panorama moves before us, depicting vivid tableaux from ourtwo months' experience in Aztec Land. We listen in imagination at thesunset hour to distant vesper bells, floating softly over the hills, andsee the bowed heads and folded hands of the peons. Once more we gazedelighted upon lovely valleys, dark shadowy gorges, far-reaching plainsof cacti and yucca palms, bordered by lofty, snow-tipped mountains; wesee again the exuberant fruitfulness of the tropics, and the lovelinessof the floral kingdom in this land of the sun; once more we strollthrough the dimly lighted aisles of grand cathedrals, listening to thesolemn chant of human voices, and the organ's deep reverberating tones;or view again the suggestive ruins of a vanished race. Groups of thenative population in many colors, long lines of heavily-laden burros, dashing caballeros and lovely señoritas, pass in turn before the mind'seye. Now a grand comprehensive scene comes before us, a view from thebattlements of Chapultepec, from the hill of Guadalupe, or the Pyramidof Cholula, and, above all, that presented from the towers of the superbcathedral of Mexico. This is not an enchanting dream, but the exquisitephotography of memory, a store of glowing pictures for future mentalenjoyment. It is such experiences and memories which render us neverless alone than when alone. 

Juarez is the northern end of the great railway line, the border townbetween Mexico and the United States, where we cross the Rio Grande toenter the city of El Paso, Texas, a town which promises in due course tobecome a grand commercial centre. At the present time the mostremunerative business of the thrifty but ugly looking place, seems to bethat of smuggling, which is carried on with a large degree of enterpriseby the people of both nationalities. This arises from the excessiveduties put on both the necessities and luxuries of life by the Mexicantariff. Juarez is an old settlement, dating from 1585, and is situatedthree thousand eight hundred feet above the sea. It is subject to greatextremes of heat and cold, the thermometer showing 105° Fahr. At timesin July, and 5° below zero in January. Snow falls here occasionally tothe depth of two feet, while the Rio Grande freezes hard enough to bearheavily laden mule wagons. It is difficult for the place to cast off itsformer name, El Paso del Norte (Passage of the North), so calledbecause of the ford on the river and the pass which nature hereconstructed between the mountains. The town extends along the west bankof the river some three miles, and back from it about one mile. The RioGrande water is passable for drinking purposes, and good for generaluse, though it is somewhat impregnated with alkali. 

Juarez possesses many fine old trees and much attractive verdure. It hasnumerous modern and handsome edifices, and the place is sure eventuallyto be a large distributing railway centre. The Southern PacificCompany's line, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fé, the Mexican Central, and the Texas Pacific railways all diverge from this point. There is anancient stone church here which will be sure to interest the stranger, dark and gloomy within, but full of votive contributions and quaintbelongings, recalling the chapel of Notre Dame de la Garde on the hillwhich overlooks Marseilles, where the Mediterranean seamen havedeposited so many marine toys, images, and curiosities. 

At Juarez the narrow, shallow Rio Grande, with its bare quicksands, wasonce more crossed, and the Texas city of El Paso, shadeless andverdureless, was reached. Its population is what would be expected in afrontier town of this region, while an air of crudeness permeateseverything. As the vestibule train which had been our home for the pasttwo months crossed the iron bridge, and as we came once more on to thesoil of our own country, the American flag on the custom-house stationwas dipped three times in acknowledgment of our hearty cheers, and towelcome the party on its successful return from a long, but delightfuljourney through the states of the Mexican republic. 

_BOOKS BY MATURIN M. BALLOU. _

AZTEC LAND. A New Book. Crown 8vo, $1. 50. 

This fresh book of travel, while extremely interesting as regards thepresent aspect of Mexico, also tells some homely truths about theexaggerations of the Spanish chroniclers. 

THE NEW ELDORADO. A Summer Journey to Alaska. Crown 8vo, $1. 50. 

A charming book of travel, full of information concerning our greatnorthwestern territory. Few persons are aware of the extent and richnessof Alaska. --_Boston Budget. _

DUE WEST; or, ROUND THE WORLD IN TEN MONTHS. Crown 8vo, $1. 50. 

It is a book of books on foreign travel, and deserves to be in the handsof all subsequent writers as combining just the qualities to give thegreater information and zest. --_Boston Commonwealth. _

DUE SOUTH; or, CUBA PAST AND PRESENT. Crown 8vo, $1. 50. 

Full of information concerning the Bahama Islands, the Caribbean Sea, and the island of Cuba. Of the finest and most extensive culture, Mr. Ballou is the ideal traveler. --_Boston Traveller. _

DUE NORTH; or, GLIMPSES OF SCANDINAVIA AND RUSSIA. Crown 8vo, $1. 50. 

The author has the tact to travel without an object; he strolls. He seesthings accidentally; you feel that you might have seen the same things, under the same circumstances. He never lectures; rarely theorizes. It isas useful to read him as it is enjoyable to travel with him. --_Journalof Education_ (Boston). 

UNDER THE SOUTHERN CROSS; or, TRAVELS IN AUSTRALASIA. Crown8vo, $1. 50. 

Few persons have traveled so extensively, and no one more profitably, both to himself and the public, than Mr. Ballou. --EDWIN P. WHIPPLE. 

_EDITED BY MR. BALLOU. _

A TREASURY OF THOUGHT. An Encyclopædia of Quotations from Ancient andModern Authors. 8vo, full gilt, $3. 50; half calf or half morocco, $6. 00. 

The most complete and exhaustive volume of the kind with which we areacquainted. The literature of all times has contributed to it, and therange of reading necessary to its compilation is the widest. --_HartfordCourant. _

NOTABLE THOUGHTS ABOUT WOMEN. A Literary Mosaic. Crown 8vo, $1. 50. 

Full of delicious bits from nearly every writer of any celebrity, English, American, French, or German, early and modern, it is afascinating medley. When one takes up the book it is difficult to lay itdown, for one is led on from one brilliant or striking thought toanother, in a way that is quite absorbing. --_Portland Transcript. _

PEARLS OF THOUGHT. Choice Sentences from the Wisest Authors. 16mo, fullgilt, $1. 25; half morocco, $2. 50. 

The first noticeable thing about "Pearls of Thought" is that the"pearls" are offered in a jewel-box of printing and binding. Theselections have the merit of being short and sparkling. Authors ancientand modern, and of all nations, are represented. --_New York Tribune. _

EDGE-TOOLS OF SPEECH. Crown 8vo, $3. 50; half calf or half morocco, $6. 00. 

A remarkable compilation of brilliant and wise sayings from more than athousand various sources, embracing all the notable authors, classic andmodern, who have enriched the pages of history and literature. It mightbe termed a whole library in one volume. --_Boston Beacon. _

GENIUS IN SUNSHINE AND SHADOW. Crown 8vo, $1. 50. 

Mr. Ballou displays a broad and thorough knowledge of men of genius inall ages, and the comprehensive index makes the volume invaluable as abook of reference, while--a rare thing in reference books--it isthoroughly interesting for consecutive reading. --_The Journalist_ (NewYork). 

*** _For sale by all Booksellers. Sent, post-paid, on receipt of priceby the Publishers_, _HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY, 4 Park St. , Boston; 11 East 17th St. , New York. _

 +--------------------------------------------------+ | Transcriber's Note: | | | | Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the | | original document have been preserved. | | | | Typographical errors corrected in the text: | | | | Page 8 Teotihuachan changed to Teotihuacan | | Page 54 Cohahuila changed to Coahuila | | Page 58 guage changed to gauge | | Page 107 manaña changed to mañana | | Page 180 earthern changed to earthen | | Page 188 differents changed to different | | Page 205 cabalero changed to caballero | | Page 296 word "is" added after "In growth this" | | Page 322 Cope changed to Cofre | | Page 322 Peroto changed to Perote | | Page 335 Gaudalajara changed to Guadalajara | +--------------------------------------------------+