_A Description of some of the most important Places in Mexico._
In an easterly direction from the city of Mexico lies _Tlascala_, a
town, which, two hundred years ago, at the time of the Spanish invasion,
had a numerous population, and was in a wealthy and flourishing state.
The inhabitants of this place were implacable enemies of the Mexicans,
and aided the Spaniards in the conquest of their country. It is now,
however, little more than a village, containing about three thousand
inhabitants. Some parts of the ancient walls still remain, and are
composed of alternate strata of brick and clay.
Six leagues south-west from Tlascala, and in the midst of a delightful
valley, watered by a river which runs south-west to the Pacific Ocean,
stands _Puebla_, the capital of an intendancy, and the see of a bishop.
It is a large and regularly built manufacturing town, notorious for the
profligacy of its inhabitants.
_Cholula_, once a sacred Indian town, to which pilgrimages were
frequent, but now a mean village, is not far from Puebla. This place is,
at present, remarkable only for a curious monument of antiquity, a
pyramid which consists of four stages, and is about one hundred and
seventy-seven feet in perpendicular height, and one thousand four
hundred and twenty-three feet at the base. Its structure appears to
consist of alternate strata of bricks and clay. In the midst of this
pyramid there is a church, where mass is, every morning, celebrated by
an ecclesiastic of Indian extraction, whose residence is on the summit.
Eastward of the intendancy of Puebla is that of _Vera Cruz_. This
district is enriched with various natural productions, extremely
valuable both in a commercial and economical view. The sugar-cane grows
here in great luxuriance: chocolate, tobacco, cotton, sarsaparilla, are
all abundant; but the indolence of the inhabitants is so great, and all
their wants are so easily supplied, by the natural fertility of the
soil, that the country does not produce one half of what, under good
management, it might be made to produce. The sugar and cotton
plantations are chiefly attended to; but the progress made in these is
not great.
The chief city of the province is _Vera Cruz_; a sea-port, the residence
of the governor, and the centre of the Spanish West Indian and American
commerce. This city is beautifully and regularly built; but on an arid
plain, destitute of water, and covered with hills of moving sand, that
are formed by the north winds, which blow; with impetuosity, every year,
from October till April. These hills are incessantly changing their
form and situation: they are from twenty to thirty feet in height; and,
by the reflection of the sun's rays upon them, and the high temperature
which they acquire during the summer months, they contribute much to
increase the suffocating heat of the atmosphere.
The houses in Vera Cruz are chiefly built of wood; for no stone whatever
is found in the vicinity of the place. The public edifices are
constructed of materials obtained from the bottom of the ocean: the
stony habitations of a kind of marine animals called madrepores. The
town is of great extent; and is surrounded by a wall, and defended by a
kind of citadel, which stands on an adjacent rocky island. The harbour
is well protected; but the entrance into it is so narrowed by rocks,
that only one ship can pass at a time.
On the annual arrival of the flota, or fleet of merchant-vessels from
Old Spain, Vera Cruz is crowded, from all parts of the adjacent country;
and a kind of fair is opened, which lasts many weeks. The principal
inhabitants are merchants, but very few of them reside wholly in the
town; for the heat of the climate, the stagnant water in the vicinity of
the place, and the bad quality of the water used for drinking, are the
cause of yellow fever and numerous other diseases.
The churches of Vera Cruz are much decorated with silver ornaments. In
the dwelling houses, the chief luxury consists of porcelain and other
Chinese articles. The whole number of inhabitants is estimated at about
thirteen thousand. They are, in general, proud and indolent. The women,
few of whom are handsome, live much in retirement.
During the rainy season, the marshes south of the town are haunted by
alligators. Sea-fowl of various kinds are here innumerable; and the
musquitoes, at certain seasons of the year, are very troublesome.
Earthquakes are not unfrequent. The north winds are so tremendous as
often to drive vessels on shore: these gales sometimes load the walls
with sand; and so much inconvenience is occasioned by them, that,
during their continuance, ladies are excused by the priests from going
to mass.
The richest merchants of this place have country-houses at _Xalapa_, a
town, in a romantic situation, about twenty leagues distant. Here they
enjoy a cool and agreeable retreat from the arid climate and noxious
exhalations of Vera Cruz. In the vicinity of Xalapa, thick forests of
styrax, piper, melastomata, and ferns resembling trees, afford the most
delightful promenades imaginable.
The intendancy of Vera Cruz contains, within its limits, two colossal
summits; one of which, the _volcano of Orizaba_, is of great height, and
has its top inclined towards the south-east, by which the crater is
visible to a considerable distance. The other summit, the _Coffre de
Perote_, according to M. de Humboldt's measurement, is one thousand
three hundred feet higher than the Pic of Tenerife. It serves as a
land-mark to vessels approaching Vera Cruz. A thick bed of pumice-stone
environs this mountain. Nothing at the summit announces a crater; and
the currents of lava observable between some adjacent villages, appear
to be the effects of an ancient explosion.
The small _volcano of Tuxtla_ is about four leagues from the coast, and
near an Indian village, called Saint Jago di Tuxtla. The last eruption
of this volcano took place on the 2d of March, 1793; and, during its
continuance, the roofs of houses at Oaxaca, Vera Cruz, and Perote, were
covered with volcanic ashes. At Perote, fifty-seven leagues distant, the
subterraneous noises resembled heavy discharges of artillery.
In the northern part of the intendancy of Vera Cruz, and two leagues
from the village of _Papantla_, there is a _pyramidal edifice_ of great
antiquity. It is in the midst of a forest; and the Indians, for more
than two centuries, succeeded in concealing, from the knowledge of the
Spaniards, this object of ancient veneration. It was accidentally
discovered, by a party of hunters, about thirty years ago. The
materials that have been employed in its construction are immense stones
cemented with mortar; and it is remarkable for its general symmetry, for
the polish of its stones, and the great regularity of their form. Its
base is an exact square, each side being eighty-two feet in length. The
perpendicular height is about sixty feet. This monument, like all the
Mexican teocallis or temples, is composed of several stages. Six are
still distinguishable, and a seventh appears to be concealed by the
vegetation, with which the sides are covered. A great stair of
fifty-seven steps, conducts to the top, where human victims were
formerly sacrificed; and, on each side of the great stair, is a small
one. The facing of the stories is adorned with hieroglyphics, in which
serpents and alligators, carved in relief, are still discernible. Each
story contains a great number of square niches, symmetrically
distributed.
On the coast of the Pacific Ocean, and at the distance of about three
hundred miles south-west from Vera Cruz, stands _Acapulco_, the great
western sea-port of Mexico. This place is the principal emporium for the
Indian trade over the Pacific Ocean. The harbour is commodious, capable
of containing several hundred ships, and defended by a strong castle.
The town itself is mean and ill-built, but extremely populous.
Earthquakes are here of such frequent occurrence, that the houses are
all very slightly constructed; and the climate, also, is extremely
unhealthy. These circumstances occasion most of the principal merchants
to reside in the adjacent country, at all times except when business
demands their attention in the town.
Several vessels, called "galleons," laden with the precious metals, and
with merchandise of other kinds, are every year sent, from this port, to
Manila, in the Philippine islands; and others return, laden with the
valuable productions of the East Indies. On the arrival of the latter,
the town becomes populous and gay; and is then filled with the
wealthiest merchants of Mexico and Peru. Such, however, is the general
dread of its unhealthiness, that these do not sleep within the walls,
but reside chiefly in tents in its vicinity.
At some distance east of Acapulco, in a beautiful and populous valley,
stands the town of _Guaxaca_ or _Oaxaca_; distinguished by the
magnificence of its situation, the temperature and salubrity of its
climate, the excellence of its soil, and its general majestic
appearance. The streets are wide, straight, and well paved; and the
houses are chiefly built of stone. The churches and monasteries are
numerous, and richly decorated. On one side of the great square is the
town-house, which is constructed with stone of a sea-green colour. The
bishop's palace and the cathedral form two other sides of the same
square: they are surrounded by arcades, as a shelter against both the
sun and the rain. In the suburbs of Guaxaca are gardens, and plantations
of cactus or prickly pear-trees, on which great numbers of cochineal
insects feed. Guaxaca is not only watered by a beautiful river, but is
abundantly supplied, by aqueducts, with pure water from the adjacent
mountains. Its population, including Indians, mulattoes, and negroes,
amounts to about twenty-four thousand persons.
The _intendancy of Yucatan_ forms a peninsula, about a hundred leagues
in length, between the bays of Campeachy and Honduras. A ridge of low
hills extends along it, from south-west to north-east; and, between this
ridge and the _Bay of Campeachy_, the dry and parched soil produces
logwood in great abundance and of excellent quality. For nearly five
months, during the rainy season, the low grounds are partially
inundated: in February the waters are dried up; and, throughout the
remainder of the year, there is scarcely any stream to be found. Hence
the inhabitants can only be supplied with fresh water by pits and wells.
The eastern coast of Yucatan is so shallow and muddy, that large vessels
cannot approach within four leagues of the shore. The chief productions
of this peninsula are maize, cotton, indigo, and logwood.
The governor resides at a small inland town called _Merida_, situated on
an arid plain, and containing about six thousand inhabitants. The
principal sea-port is _Campeachy_, near the north-west extremity of the
peninsula. This town has a good dock, and a fort which protects both the
place and the harbour. The houses are chiefly built of stone. Campeachy
has some cotton manufactories, and a trade in wax and salt; but its
chief trade is in logwood.
_Honduras_ is an important province, south of Yucatan. Its climate is
superior to that of most other parts of America, within the torrid zone.
With the exception of a few months in the year, it is refreshed by
regular sea-breezes. The periodical rains are here excessively heavy.
The dry season is usually comprehended within the months of April, May,
and June; and the sun, during this time, is excessively powerful. This
province is about three hundred and ninety miles in length, from east to
west, and consists of mountains, valleys, and plains, watered by many
rivers. Honduras abounds in honey, wax, cotton, corn, fruit, and dyeing
woods. It has some gold and silver mines; and its pastures feed great
numbers of sheep and cattle. Its vineyards yield grapes twice in the
year; but, from indolence and want of cultivation, many parts of it have
become desert.
There is a British settlement at a place called _Balize_, near the mouth
of a river of the same name. This town is immediately open to the sea;
and, though in a low situation, the groups of lofty cocoa-nut trees, and
the thickly-interspersed and lively foliage of the tamarind trees,
contribute to give a picturesque and pleasing effect to the dwellings of
the inhabitants. The number of houses, of all descriptions, is about two
hundred; and many of them, particularly such as are the property of the
most opulent merchants, are spacious, commodious, and well finished.
They are built of wood, and are generally raised eight or ten feet from
the ground, on pillars of mahogany. The stores and offices are always on
the lower, and the dining and sleeping apartments on the upper story.
Every habitation, likewise, has its upper and lower piazzas, which are
indispensably necessary in hot climates. Balize stands at the edge of a
swamp many miles in extent, which prevents nearly all intercourse with
the interior of the country.
The principal articles at present imported from Europe into Honduras,
are linens, printed cottons, muslins of the most costly manufacture,
negro clothing, broadcloths, hosiery, hats, shoes, boots, earthen and
glass wares, silver and plated goods, hardware, and cutlery: salted
provisions, from Britain or America, are also in continual demand for
the food of the slaves.
Few countries possess greater commercial advantages, in an agricultural
view, than this. The productions of the West Indian islands, might all
unquestionably be cultivated here, as well as most others which are
grown within the tropics. But the cutting of logwood and mahogany is the
chief occupation of the British settlers. The banks of the river Balize
have long been occupied by mahogany-cutters, even to the distance of two
hundred miles from its mouth.
About thirty miles up the Balize, on its banks, are found what are
denominated the Indian hills. These are small eminences, which are
supposed to have been raised by Indians over their dead; human bones,
and fragments of a coarse kind of earthenware, being frequently dug up
from them.
_Nicaragua_ is a Spanish province, between Honduras and the isthmus of
Darien. It is about eighty leagues in length and fifty in breadth; and
consists, for the most part, of high and wooded mountains, some of which
are volcanic. The valleys are watered by many streams, but only one of
these is of any importance. This is the river _Yare_, which runs, from
west to east, through the northern part of the province. The most
important productions of Nicaragua are timber, cotton, sugar, honey,
and wax. The chief town is _Leon de Nicaragua_, a place of considerable
trade, situated near the north-west border of the lake of Nicaragua; and
in a sandy plain, at the foot of a volcanic mountain, several leagues
from the sea.
* * * * *
From New Spain we must return northward, for the purpose of describing
the British dominions of Nova Scotia and Canada.
Twenty-second Day's Instruction.