found by the traveller in these dense forests bordering the Atlantic
coast. The Indians who once dwelt in this district, like the Aztecs,
Zapotecs and Yucatese had evidently devoted themselves to sculpture; but
whether for the purpose of simple adornment or for idolatry, there are
no facts to apprise us with certainty. The most remarkable relic found
by Norman, was a large head, beautifully cut in fine sandstone, of a
dark reddish hue, which abounds in the neighborhood. The face stands out
in bold relief from the rough block, as if it had been left unfinished,
or as if it was originally designed to occupy a place among the
ornamental portions of an edifice. The industrious traveller caused this
object to be borne, with others, to Tampico, and has deposited it in the
collection of the New York Historical Society. Other stones, of a
somewhat similar character, attracted his attention, but the most
extraordinary sculpture he has described in his work is that to which he
assigns the name of the American Sphynx. It is the image of a gigantic
turtle, with the head of a man protruding boldly from beneath its carved
and curving case. The back was correctly and artistically wrought, and
all the lines of the scales were neatly cut in exact proportions. There
were also in many parts fainter lines, shewing that the peculiar and
graceful arabesques which are wrought by nature on the shell of this
amphibious animal, had not been overlooked by the artist. This huge
figure, raised on its four legs, was placed upon a large block of
concrete sandstone. All its parts were equally true to nature. It was
much mutilated, and the human head had been especially injured, but not
sufficiently to obliterate the artistic workmanship with which it had
been originally chiselled.
The place where Mr. Norman found these remains had evidently been the
site of a large city; and, proceeding with his excavations among huge
masses of earth or stones of every size and shape, he was, at length,
rewarded by the discovery of another ancient figure. It was merely a
human face, in full relief from the block, which was entirely cut away
from the top and bottom, but left in two nearly circular projections at
the sides. The ornaments on the head are peculiar, and are formed of
three balls, with slight indentations, connected together by a band
running across the top of the cerebrum and terminating at the sides just
above the gigantic ears, which are nearly half the size of the face. The
features and contour of the head are described as not resembling those
of the American or Mexican Indian in any of their lines. This head is
seventeen inches in length, twenty-one in width, including the ears, and
ten in thickness. It was found on the side of a large pile of ruins, the
remains of dilapidated walls, of which it had unquestionably formed one
of the ornaments. It is to be regretted that Mr. Norman was unable to
devote more time to the exploration of this region. His antiquarian
researches however formed only an episode in his travels through
portions of Mexico, and besides this, his labor was exceedingly great in
cutting his way through the dense shrubbery which covers the ground amid
a wilderness of trees, matted and woven together with thousands of
creepers or plants whose thorns pierced or obstructed him at every
moment. He had, moreover, to contend with myriads of annoying insects,
and he feared the bite of the poisonous alacranes or the spring of the
tiger that sometimes started from the thickets. He received no
assistance from the stupid Indians dwelling in the neighborhood. They
could not conceive that curiosity alone would prompt any one to
encounter the toil and danger which must be endured in explorations in
the TIERRA CALIENTE of Mexico, and imagined that the search for gold and
buried treasure, rather than antiquities, was his real motive for
attempting to penetrate the recesses of their lonely wilderness.
CHAPTER III.
WEST COAST OR PACIFIC STATES.
OAJACA--EXTENT--BOUNDARIES--GEOLOGY--VALLEY--INDIANS--DEPARTMENTS
--POPULATION--MINES--PORTS--PRODUCTIONS--CATTLE--TOWNS--ANCIENT
REMAINS--MITLA--THE PALACE--TOMBS--ANTIQUARIAN
SPECULATIONS--CONNECTION OF MEXICAN REMAINS--QUIOTEPEC, OR CERRO DE
LAS JUNTAS.
THE STATE OF OAJACA.
This rich and beautiful State lies, for 118 leagues, along the Pacific
Ocean. On the north-west, it is bounded by the State of Puebla, on the
north by Vera Cruz, and east by the State of Chiapas and the republic of
Central America or Guatemala. It extends from east to west about 115
leagues, and from north to south 322 leagues, containing an area of
5,046 square leagues.
We pass now from the hot and sickly sands and marshes of the eastern
coast to a region which has been considered by many writers and
travellers as the most delightful in Mexico. Beauty of natural scenery
and salubrity of climate, fertility of soil and richness of productions,
combine to render Oajaca valuable, not only in a commercial aspect, but
as a residence in which it would be agreeable to pass a life time. Nor
is this the opinion only of the present inhabitants, for the remains of
antiquity still found within the limits of the State, prove it to have
been the seat of Indian civilization long before the arrival of the
Spaniards. The geological structure of this State is different from that
of Puebla and Mexico; and the vegetation is quite as vigorous as that of
other prolific regions, without the rankness which produces rapid
decomposition and miasma. The rains are generally abundant from May to
October.
In our general description of the geological and geographical
characteristics of Mexico, we have already shown that the great
Cordillera, forming the spine of this continent, divides into two arms
after leaving the Isthmus, which connects North and South America. One
of these mountain ranges with its high vallies and table lands forms the
barrier along the Pacific, while the other spreads out its massive veins
throughout the middle and eastern portions of Mexico. Between these
formations, the Valley of Oajaca lies embosomed; and from this beautiful
and fruitful region, which was bestowed by the Spanish crown upon
Cortéz, he obtained his Marquisate del Valle de Oajaca, in which his
family still possessed, previous to the revolution, 49 villages, with a
population of 17,700 persons.
In these two mountain regions, thus sundered by the valley, have dwelt,
from the earliest periods, two Indian races known as the Mixtecas and
the Zapotecas; the former of which is characterised by activity,
intelligence and industry. Besides these tribes, seventeen others are
reckoned still to inhabit Oajaca.
* * * * *
The State is divided into eight departments, which are subdivided into
districts or cantons.
1st. The Department of the Centre, with the cantons of Oajaca, Partido
del Toranéo, Etla, Tlacolula, and Zimatlan.
2d. Department of Ejutla, with the cantons of Octolan, Miahuatlan, and
Pochutla.
3d. Department of Jamiltepec, with the cantons of Jamiltepec and
Juquila.
4th. Department of Tehuantepec, with the cantons of Tehuantepec,
Quechapa and Lachixila.
5th. Department of Teposcolula, with the cantons of Teposcolula,
Tlaxiaco and Nocnistlan.
6th. Department of Huajuapam, with the cantons of Huajuapam and
Justlahuaca.
7th. Department of Toochila and Villalta, with the cantons of Ixtlan,
Yalalag and Chuapam.
8th. The Department of Teutitlan del Camino, with the cantons of
Teutitlan and Teutila.
These eight departments and twenty-three cantons,--with nearly 700,000
inhabitants,--contain one city,--the capital, Oajaca;--eight towns; nine
hundred and thirteen villages; one hundred and thirty-seven large
_haciendas_; two hundred and thirty-five _ranchos_; sixty-eight sugar
mills or _trapiches_, and six _estancias_ or cattle estates and grazing
farms. Besides these elements of agricultural wealth, Oajaca possesses
ten mills, driven by water power, nearly all of which lie in the
neighborhood of the capital, and are used chiefly for wheat. Corn is
ground or rubbed, for _tortillas_, on the _metate_ by the Indian women
throughout Mexico; and consequently but little of this kind of grain is
ever brought to the mills. There are five mines or mineral workings in
the State, at Ystepéxi, Taléa, Teojomulco, Peñoles, and Las Péras, with
ten smelting and amalgamating establishments.
There are nine sea ports, roadsteads and anchorages in Oajaca, the best
of which are Tehuantepec, Huatulco, Escondido, Chacáhua, and Jamiltepec.
Corn, chile, agave, cotton, coffee, sugar, cacao, vainilla, tobacco,
cochineal, wax, honey, and a small quantity of indigo, are the staple
productions of this State. Nearly all the fruits which we have already
described as growing in the State of Vera Cruz, are produced here
abundantly, and of excellent quality.
The State is estimated as containing, on an average of years--
44,106 Horses.
18,438 Mules.
10,420 Asses.
171,518 Neat cattle.
213,156 Sheep.
158,009 Goats.
47,947 Hogs.
_______
Total, 663,600 head of cattle.
The worth of which is calculated, in the home market, at $3,332,757.
Gold, silver, copper, quicksilver, iron, rock salt, limestone, gypsum,
&c., are found in Oajaca. In the thirty-nine years between January,
1787, and March, 1826, the official registers show a product in the
State of 4,820 marks of gold, and 544,257 marks of silver; and in the
five years from March, 1826, to the end of 1830, 95 marks of gold, and
21,701 of silver. But these sums must not be regarded as perfect
indications of the absolute product of Oajaca, inasmuch as its proximity
to the sea, and the facilities for smuggling in the lonely districts of
the west coast have no doubt enabled the trading community to export a
large portion of the real avails of the mines, which, of course, never
appear in the authentic registers and returns of the State.
* * * * *
The chief towns and villages of this State are: Oajaca, the capital;
Guayápa or Huazapa, Talistaca, Santa Maria del Tule, Tlacochahuáya,
Teutitlan del Valle, Tlacolula, Mitla, the ancient Leoba; San Dionisio,
Totolapa, San Carlos, Villa de Nejapa, Quijechápa, Quiegolani,
Tequisistlan, Villa de Jalapa, Tlapalcatepec, Tehauntepec, San Francisco
de la Mar, Petapa, Juchuitan, Niltepec Yshuatan, Zanatepec, Tepanatepec,
Xoro or Xojocatlan, Cuylapa, Zachila, the ancient Teozapotlan; San
Bartolomeo de Zapéche, Zimatlan, Villa de Santa Anna, Chilateca, Santa
Cruz Mistepec, San Juan Elotepec, Etla, San Juan del Estado, San Pablo
Huizo or Guajolotitlan, Ejutla, Ocotlan, Chichicapa, Ayoquesco,
Miahuatlan, Pochutla, Santa Cruz de Huatulco, Juchatengo Tonamaca,
Jamiltepec, Acatepec, Juquila, Sacatepéc, Santa Maria Istapa,
Teojomulco, Huajuapan, Justláhuaca, Chicahuástla, Achintla, Teita, Villa
de Teposcolula, Talaxiaco, Santa Maria Chimalapa, Yanguitlan, Los
Pueblos de Almoloyas, San Miguel Chimalapa Nochistlan, Tilantongo,
Xaltepec, Teutitlan del Camino, San Antonio de los Cues, Tecomavaca,
Quiotepec, Cuicatlan, San Pedro Chiezapotl, Donomingullo, Coyula,
Teutila, Villalta, Zoochila, Zolaga, Quetzaltepec, Totontepec, Chuapan,
Chinantla, Istlan.
ANCIENT REMAINS IN OAJACA.
MITLA.
About ten leagues from the capital, on the road leading to Tehuantepec,
are the remains of what antiquarians have styled the sepulchral palaces
of Mitla, lying in the midst of a rocky granitic region, and surrounded
by sad and sombre scenery. According to tradition, these edifices were
erected by the Zapotecs, as palaces and sepulchres for their princes. It
is asserted that at the death of members of the royal family, their
bodies were laid in the vaults beneath, while the sovereign and his
relatives retired to mourn the loss of the departed scion in the
chambers above these solemn sepulchres, which were screened from the
public eye by dark and silent groves.
Another tradition declares that these edifices were the abodes of a sect
of priests, whose duty it was to dwell in seclusion and offer expiatory
sacrifices for the royal dead who reposed in the vaults beneath.
The village of Mitla was called Miguitlan, signifying, in the Mexican
tongue, a place of sadness; while by the Zapotecs it was named Leoba, or
"the tomb."
The palaces or tombs of Mitla, form three edifices, symmetrically
arranged in an extremely romantic site; the principal and best preserved
edifice has a front of nearly one hundred and fifty feet. A
[Illustration: Scale of Varas.
RUINS AT MITLA.]
stair-way through a dark shaft leads to a subterranean apartment of one
hundred feet in length, by thirty in width, whose walls are covered with
Grecian ornaments similar to those on the exterior of the edifice, as
shown in the plate. These external walls are said to be decorated with
labyrinthine figures, formed by a mosaic of small porphyritic stones,
and we recognize in them the same designs which are admired in the
ancient vases, falsely called Etruscan, and on the frieze of the old
temple usually assigned to the god Redicolus, which lies near the grotto
of Egeria at Rome.
But the objects which chiefly distinguish the architectural remains of
Mitla from all other Mexican antiquities are six porphyritic columns,
which support the ceiling of a vast saloon. These singular
columns,--almost the only ones found in the New World,--evince the
extreme infancy of art;--they have neither bases nor capitals, and are
cut in a gradually tapering shape from a solid stone, more than fifteen
feet in length.
The distribution of the apartments in this extraordinary edifice
presents some striking analogies with the monuments of Upper Egypt,
described by Denon and the _savants_ who composed the institute at
Cairo. Don Pedro de Laguna, who examined them carefully many years ago,
discovered on their walls some curious paintings of sacrifices and
martial trophies. In order to form an idea of the almost Cyclopean style
of architecture, we may remark the extraordinary dimensions of the
stones above the entrances to the principal halls. Mr. Glennie states
that one of these masses is eighteen feet eight inches long, four feet
ten inches broad, and three feet six inches thick. A second is nineteen
feet four inches long, four feet ten and a half inches broad, and three
feet nine inches thick, whilst a third is nineteen feet six inches long,
four feet ten inches broad, and three feet four inches thick. The
antiquarian will not fail to observe, that there is some similarity
between the exterior of _these_ Oajacan remains and those which have
been uncovered and described in Yucatan, by Stephens, during his second
expedition. It is not improbable that an intercourse existed between the
inhabitants of these districts, prior to the Spanish Conquest. We
believe that these architectural remains and nearly all of those in
Yucatan, Chiapas and Guatemala, were the abodes and temples of the
Indians who dwelt in Mexico and the adjacent countries when Grijalva and
Cortéz first landed on our continent. The distance from Oajaca, through
Chiapas and Tabasco, to Yucatan is not too great to have prevented even
a rapid communication from Mitla to Uxmal, or Palenque. The reader will
recollect that the realm of Montezuma is alleged to have extended to
near the present limits of the Republic of Central America; nor will he
forget with what rapidity the well trained Indian couriers of the
Emperor passed over the three hundred intervening miles of mountain,
plain and valley, between Vera Cruz and the Valley of Mexico, in order
to inform their sovereign of the Spaniards' arrival and their leader's
determination to visit the Aztec Court. At Cozumel, and elsewhere in
Yucatan, the earliest Spanish adventurers were struck by the
architecture of the edifices which were inhabited by the Indians. In
their letters and narratives they always speak of these "buildings of
stone and lime" as indicating civilization. The Indian deities were, at
that time, unquestionably, worshipped in them. At Cholula, Tlascala, and
Tenochtitlan or Mexico, as well as at Tezcoco,--pyramids, dwellings,
palaces, walls, streets, causeways, were all built of stone cemented by
mortar, and many of these objects were profusely ornamented. There can
be no doubt of these facts, for they were attested at the time by
numerous witnesses, while many of the material relics of that age have
descended even to the present time, and may still be inspected in the
capital of the Republic. Why, then, should we hesitate to believe that a
vast chain of civilized, intelligent and affiliated nations,
_co-existed_ on the central part of this continent in the sixteenth
century, and that the ruined cities, temples and pyramids which are
spread from the waters of the Gila as far south as Peru and Chili, and
whose wonderful remains are now gradually unearthed by the industry of
antiquarians, are the architectural fragments of their national
grandeur?
We do not conceive it necessary to throw back the Indian architects into
the gloom of antiquity, long anterior to the arrival of the Spaniards.
There is a natural yearning in the human mind for the mystery with which
a vague, indefinite epoch, surrounds ruins that are accidentally
discovered. But this is a poetical sentiment, rather than a fair
starting point in archaiological researches; and, in spite of the
national vanity which might be gratified by proving that the aboriginal
civilization of our continent was as old as that of Egypt, we shall
adhere to the belief that Mitla, Palenque, Uxmal and Quemada were
inhabited by the builders or their descendants, whilst the thrones of
Mexico and Peru were occupied by Montezuma and Atahualpa.
QUIOTEPEC, OR CERRO DE LAS JUNTAS.
In 1844, an examination was made by order of the Governor of Oajaca of
the ancient remains situated near the village of Quiotepec, about
thirty-two leagues north from the capital of Oajaca. These ruins are
found on the Cerro de las Juntas, or Hill of the Union, so called from
its vicinity to the junction of the rivers Quiotepec and Salado.
The eminence is covered in almost every direction with remains of
military works of a defensive character, calculated to protect the
dwellings erected on the hill, and the extensive temple and palace,
whose massive ruins still crown the summit. These remains are said to
resemble those of Chicocomoc or Quemada, in the State of Zacatécas,
which will be fully described in our notice of that portion of Mexico.
The similarity consists in the style of the architecture, and the
evident mingling of defence and worship. There is no resemblance,
however, to the remains found in Yucatan as described by Stephens,
Catherwood and Norman, where the designs are all highly ornamental,
denoting a higher state of luxury, taste and progress in civilization.
The teocalli or temple of Quiotepec and that of Chicocomoc or Quemada
are both pyramidal, like most of the Aztec religious structures; but the
architectural style, generally, at the former place, is rather more
sumptuous than at Quemada.[54]
Besides these remains, there are many others in the State of Oajaca,
which are still inadequately known or described, such for instance, as
the turmuli and pyramids at Montealban, two leagues south-west from
Oajaca;--the relics of many strong-holds;--the turmuli at Zachila;--the
ruins at Coyúla and at San Juan de los Cués.
In the museum of the University of Mexico, and in the private collection
of the late Ex-Conde del Peñasco, we found some remarkable figures
chiselled from a finely grained sand stone, two of which are represented
in the succeeding pages. They were found in the State of Oajaca. Their
use or their symbolical character have never been accurately detected;
but in the last of the two we may observe quite a remarkable resemblance
to some of the idols still to be seen in the temples of India.
[Illustration: FIGURE FROM OAJACA.]
[Illustration: FIGURES FROM OAJACA.]
CHAPTER IV.
PUEBLA--DIVISIONS--PRODUCTIONS--FACTORIES.--RIVER--STREAMS--PUEBLA
DE LOS ANGELES--CATHEDRAL--TOWNS--MINES,
QUARRIES--MOUNTAINS--POPOCATEPETL--ATLIXCO--OLIVARES--ASCENT OF THE
MOUNTAIN--THE CRATER--ELEVATION.--PYRAMID OF CHOLULA--VISIT TO THE
PYRAMID CORRECT DIMENSIONS.--TERRITORY OF
TLASCALA--HISTORY--POSITION--SIZE--PRODUCTIONS--TOWNS.
THE STATE OF PUEBLA.
Nearly all of this State lies in the torrid zone, occupying a portion of
the table land, and stretching westwardly down the slopes of the Sierra
Madre to the Pacific Ocean, between the parallels of 16° 17´ and 20° 40´
north latitude. From the mouth of the river Tecoyáme to Mextitlan, it is
126 leagues long, and from Tehuacan to Mecameca, 53 leagues broad. It
contains an area of 2,700 square leagues. On the north it is bounded by
the State of Queretaro, north-easterly by the State of Vera Cruz,
easterly by Oajaca, westwardly by Mexico and south-westwardly, for 28
leagues, by the Pacific Ocean. The last enumeration of inhabitants to
which we have access, assigned 954,000 individuals to the State of
Puebla, in the year 1832; but the estimate made for the basis of a call
of congress in 1842, gave it only 661,902.
This State is divided into 25 _partidos_, or districts, the chief of
which are Atlixco, Guauchinango, Ométepéc, Puebla, Tepéaca, Tehuacan de
las Granádas, Tlapan, and Zacatlan. It possesses 5 cities and towns, 126
parishes, 590 villages, 412 _haciendas_ or plantations, and 857 large
and small _ranchos_ or farms. The surface of this State is divided
between mountains, vallies, plains or low lands; and produces corn,
wheat, barley, chile, maguey, beans and all the hardier, together with
some of the southern fruits and plants. The wheat flour of Puebla is
celebrated for its excellence, and has sometimes been exported to Havana
and South America.
In the neighborhood of Oajaca cochineal is sometimes produced; and on
the low lands towards the western coast, cotton, rice, and small
quantities of coffee and sugar are cultivated. The Llanos de Apam, in
the neighborhood of the State of Mexico are celebrated for their
fertility, and especially renowned for the excellence of the _pulque_,
produced from the maguey or Agave Americana.
Nearly four-fifths of the real property of Puebla either belongs or is
hypothecated to the church and to hospitals, and consequently the
agriculture of the State is not as well managed as if the land belonged
to independent farmers, who derived their wealth directly from the soil.
Great poverty prevails among the lower classes, and their sad condition
is generally attributed in Mexico to the mismanagement of real estate by
the clergy.
The water power in the neighborhood of the city of Puebla has given a
stimulus to manufactories, and the reader will find in our chapter upon
that branch of Mexican industry some interesting statistical facts
showing the progress made by the inhabitants of this portion of the
Republic.
The only river of any importance in Puebla is the Rio de Tlascala or
Papagallo, which rises in the table lands, and runs southerly from the
village of Ayútla to the Pacific. The Pascaqualca, Tacunapa, Tecoyama,
and the San José are insignificant streamlets along the coast.
[Illustration: CITY OF PUEBLA.]
The chief cities of this State are Puebla or Puebla de los Angeles--the
"City of the Angels,"--which is the capital and the seat of the State
government. It is a beautiful town, lying in the midst of a fruitful
plain bounded by the mountains, and shut in at the west by the gigantic
peaks of Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl. Broad, clean and well paved
streets cross it at suitable distances. The houses are large, convenient
and neat, and numerous churches forever send forth the music of their
bells. A beautiful public walk, planted with rows of trees, runs along a
small stream on the outskirts of the city; and an Alameda, of exceeding
beauty, lies opposite the extensive pile of San Francisco on the west.
In the centre of the town is a large well paved public square,
surrounded by _portales_ or arches, similar to those of Bologna, in
Italy, while in its centre is the massive cathedral whose wealth is
renowned among the Roman Catholic churches of America. A splendid and
weighty chandelier, composed of gold and silver, weighing altogether
several tons, depends from the dome, whilst the figures of saints, the
tops of altars, and the recesses of chapels, gleam, on State occasions
with a display of precious metals and jewels which is perhaps unequalled
even by the cathedral of Mexico or the sanctuary of Guadalupe. There are
other establishments in Puebla belonging to the Franciscan and Augustin
monks, and several churches, which are celebrated for their elegance,
comfort and wealth. The Palace of the Bishop, in the vicinity of the
cathedral, is a massive edifice, containing a library of many thousand
volumes in a saloon 200 feet long by 40 broad.
The other towns of this State are:--CHOLULA, adjacent to the remains of
the _Pyramid of Cholula_, which will be subsequently noticed;--ATLIXCO;
GUAUCHINANGO, in the northern valley of the State, where the Indians
still indulge in their ancient sport of the Juégo del Volador or flying
game;--TEHUACAN DE LAS GRANADAS, containing near 6,000 inhabitants;
TEPEACA or TEPÉYACAC, where Cortéz laid the foundations of a city which
he called "_Segura de la Frontéra_;"--HUAJOCINGO or HUEXOTZINGO;
Chiautla, Tlapan, Tlacotepec, Amozoqué, San Martin, Nopaluca, Acajete,
Ojo de Agua.
In the eighteenth century various mines of gold and silver were wrought
in the old Intendencia de Puebla, at Yxtacmaztillan, Temistla, and
Alatlanquitepec in the district of San Juan de los Llanos, as well as at
Tetéla de Xonotla and at Zacatlan; but none of these are at present
productive. Quarries of fine marble exist at Totaméhuacan and Tecali,
two and seven leagues distant from the capital. Limestone is found in
quantities, and a beautiful transparent alabaster is also procured,
which is used for windows in the library, museum and churches. If the
transportation of these weighty
[Illustration: FLYING INDIANS.]
[Illustration: POPOCATEPETL.]
articles were not so expensive in Mexico, this alabaster might be
profitably exported to Europe, where its extreme purity and clearness
would probably ensure its preference to all indigenous qualities.
Extensive salt works are carried on at Chila, Xicotlan, Ocotlan and
Zapotlan.
Some of the most remarkable geological characteristics of the Mexican
Republic are found in the three celebrated mountains of Popocatepetl,
Iztaccihuatl, and Malinche or Matlacueye, which lie in the State of
Puebla. The latter of these, sometimes called La doña Maria, lies
between the volcanoes of Puebla and those of Orizaba and Perote, but
does not require special mention except as forming a striking and
picturesque feature in the landscape. But the other two deserve our
special notice.
ASCENT OF THE VOLCANO OF POPOCATEPETL.
The mountains of Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl border the State of
Puebla on the west. The following account of the ascent of the former of
these gigantic volcanoes is founded on the journal published in Spanish
in May, 1827, by Messieurs Frederick and William Glennie, who were in
the service of the British United Mining Company, and Mr. John Taylour,
a merchant of the city of Mexico.
On the 16th of April, 1827, the party left the capital early in the day,
accompanied by their servant José Quintana, and, provided with
barometer, sextant, chronometer, telescope, and other instruments,
reached the village of Ameca, on the western slope of the mountain,
where they halted for the night.
On the 17th they continued their route, following the road to Puebla
which leads through the gap of the two mountains, intending to go to
Atlixco. In the highest part of the gap they took the road to the right
which is called "_de los neveros_," (those who procure ice for the
capital,) and having reached the limit of vegetation, which according to
their barometrical measurements is 12,693 English feet above the level
of the sea, they met with some men who informed them, that in this
direction they could not reach the summit, nor prosecute their way to
Atlixco on account of the great quantity of sand. With this information
they returned to the road they had left, and reached the village of St.
Nicolas de los Ranchos.
On the following day they continued towards Atlixco. The road here edges
along the eastern side of the mountain, skirting an extensive district
covered with large rocks and loose stones. Having understood that the
village of Tochimilco is nearest to the volcano, they determined to go
thither to obtain information relative to the adventure. The Alcalde
Don F. Olivares, who, 'though the owner of Popocatepetl, had never
reached the summit, gave them all the information he possessed, offered
to accompany them, and procured guides and carriers for their
instruments. They appointed the next day to go to his Hacienda de St.
Catalina, which is at the very foot of the principal mountain and
belongs to that estate.
On the 19th they proceeded to the hacienda, where they were soon joined
by Señor Olivares, who was prevented by some business from accompanying
them any farther. He furnished them a guide who conducted them through a
thick forest, to the highest limit of the pines, which they found to be
12,544 feet above the ocean. Here they passed the night. At midnight it
rained, which was soon afterwards followed by a severe hoar frost.
On the 20th of April, contemplating to reach the summit this day, they
distributed the instruments among the carriers, and mounted on the
mules, began the ascent at half after three in the morning by the light
of the moon. After travelling a short distance they left all vegetation,
and entered a district of loose stones and sand, which although hardened
considerably by the rain, greatly fatigued the mules. In this manner
they ascended on the south-west side of the mountain, until half past
six when they could proceed no further with the mules, as much because
they were too fatigued, as on account of the steepness of the volcano's
side. They therefore dismounted, and abandoning the mules, gave the
barometer in charge to Quintana. They resumed their ascent through a
soil composed of loose sand and stones, with many fragments of pumice
stone, being desirous of reaching some rocks which appeared to be
connected with the summit. Here, however, the difficulties commenced;
the acclivity was very steep, the footing so loose that every step they
made forward they slipped back nearly the same distance; and the
thinness of the air fatigued them so much that they could not advance
more than fifteen or twenty steps without resting. In this manner they
proceeded about half a mile, until they reached the rocks, where they
waited for the Indians who followed more slowly. During this time the
thermometer stood at 28° of Fahrenheit. The sky was perfectly clear, but
a dense stratum of vapor rested on the horizon, which prevented them
from perceiving any object, and made it appear as if they were in the
midst of an ocean. At 8 o'clock A. M. they first saw the sun. As soon as
the Indians arrived, they took a light breakfast, and continued
ascending among large loose stones, which have rolled from the summit,
and, arrested by each other in their course, have formed a kind of
zone, so lightly supported however, that the slightest touch sets them
in motion. This naturally alarmed the Indians, who declined going any
farther; but by persuasions and promises they succeeded in getting them
to advance. Seeing, however, that the road was becoming rather worse,
all further means of persuasion to induce them to proceed began to fail.
They endeavored to ascend through a gulley which they had perceived on
their left; but the way thither was very difficult, and was rendered
more perilous by clouds which prevented their distinguishing any thing.
Here the Indians entirely refused to stir any further, and having given
them part of the provisions, they were sent with the baggage to wait at
the place where they had encamped the night before. This circumstance
very much discouraged the travellers. Being left without instruments
they had to relinquish the physical and astronomical observations which
they had proposed to make, and thereby missed the principal object of
their journey. They nevertheless determined to persevere, for the
purpose of examining well the situation, and noting such points as might
facilitate any subsequent attempt undertaken with better preparations.
Soon after this the clouds dispersed, and they reached a passage which
was very steep and covered with loose stones, and through which they
ascended with much labor, extending their line so as to prevent the
stones rolling on those below. The fatigue and the pain in their knees,
obliged them to rest every eight or ten paces. After an hour's
travelling in this manner they reached a body of basaltic rock, which
being very steep they could not surmount but with great difficulty, and
only by leaping from one rock to the other, at great risk. After this
they got into a bed of loose sand, (apparently pumice stone reduced to
dust,) and ascended to a very high rock, which from Mexico appears like
a speck. The rock is a great mass of compact black basalt forming some
imperfect pillars, the fissures being filled with solid ice.
They observed from time to time small stones falling upon them, as if
thrown from above, and began to experience headache and nausea, which
affected Quintana more than the others. The barometrical observation
here showed an elevation of 16,895 English feet above the ocean. After
taking some slight refreshments, and resting about an hour, they
continued their ascent.
It is impossible to detail the particulars of the frequent difficulties
and risks encountered until the explorers reached the sandy acclivity
which forms the dome of the mountain, and the firmness with which they
overcame them. At this point they took another short rest--fancying
themselves very near the end of their labors, and deceived by the great
rarefaction of the air, which made objects appear much nearer than they
really were, they forgot what they had already undergone, and Mr.
Glennie was entirely taken up with the prospect of soon putting his
barometer in operation on the very summit. At this time Quintana who had
smoked a good deal and was otherwise much fatigued, complained of
excessive headache and fell down exhausted. They concluded that at these
great elevations smoking is as impracticable as the use of ardent
spirits. The servant was vainly encouraged to proceed, and finding it
impossible, they directed him to await their return where he was.
They had before them a smooth expanse of sand, which on their left was
covered, from the summit down, with ice or crystallized snow, forming a
great variety of cubic and prismatic figures. Continuing their ascent
along the edge of this snow, they heard a noise like distant thunder,
and concluding that it was raining somewhere, they proceeded about a
league, making frequent halts, being greatly distressed with violent
pains in the head and knees, nausea, and difficulty of respiration. They
had passed the whole day in absolute solitude; encountering neither
plant, bird nor even the least insect. All they saw around them, were
fractured rocks, that had undergone fusion, blistered fragments, and
heaps of rubbish, sand and ashes. While contemplating these images of
destruction, they unexpectedly, about five o'clock P. M., arrived at the
border of an immense abyss, throwing up a shower of stones, with a noise
similar to that produced by the waves of the sea beating against a wall.
Natural emotion and surprise obliged them to recede some paces. Their
hair stood on end--their shoulders fell--and they felt a sudden
nauseating emptiness of the stomach. Without being able to speak, they
could but look at each other, until this sensation of sickness and
horror had subsided. They then returned to observe the crater, and
examined the barometer, whose mercurial column measured only 15.63
English inches, while the thermometer attached to it was at 39° and the
detached one 33° Fahrenheit. They then sat down to contemplate the scene
around them, to take notes, and make drawings.
They observed that most of the stones which were thrown up in the
eruptions, fell within the crater, the rest fell over the south side.
The dull sound which was constantly heard within increased from time to
time, and terminated with an explosion, at which time stones, sand, and
ashes were thrown up. Those eruptions were frequent--some stronger than
others. From various places in the interior and near the edge of the
crater, arose small columns of smoke, the principal of which were three
on the east side, and at a considerable depth within the crater. The
crater itself has the appearance of a large funnel, whose sides are but
little inclined, and the bottom of which is not visible. The sides are
furrowed by numerous gulleys which descend from around the mouth of the
crater, having the appearance of the radii of a circle towards the
centre. There are three distinct rings, or excavations, which divide the
crater into four zones of different dimensions, the largest being that
nearest the mouth, and which is of solid rock, the others appear to be
composed of sand. The snow occupies only the exterior part of the
summit, and that part of the interior of the crater which faces to the
north, where its limits cannot be discovered. The mouth of the volcano
is nearly circular, about a mile in diameter, and appears much lower on
the eastern than on the western side. The lip of the southern side is
very thin, and so broken that it seems impossible to walk on it, while
the northern part, on the contrary, is broad and more even.
On account of a thick stratum of mist by which they were surrounded, the
intrepid travellers could only see the summit of the peak of Orizaba,
and the neighboring snow-capped mountains to the north.
Having completed the observations, and night approaching, they descended
by the same way towards the place where they had left the servant, with
the intention of passing the night there and returning to the summit
next morning; but finding the man in a high fever with a violent pulse
and headache, they resolved on descending. To relieve him, he was
carried over the most difficult places, and finding it impossible to
descend by the same path by which they had ascended in the day, they
took at once that bend of the mountain which is called "de los Neveros;"
and which, although very steep, is composed of loose sand through which
they descended very rapidly. It was after night when they arrived at the
limit of vegetation, but having taken a different direction, they did
not strike the place where they expected to meet the Indians. They made
a large fire as a signal, but the Indians did not make their appearance;
and on the following morning, the 21st of April, separating to the right
and left, and after shouting, they soon rallied the Indians. The
reunited party descended to the rancho de la Vaqueria, and from this
they passed through the village of Atlauca; at eight in the evening
reached Ameco, and on the 23d of April returned to Mexico.
Longitude Elevation
N. east from above the
Names of places. Latitude Mexico. level of the
ocean.
Ameco a village 19° 7´ 40´´ 0° 23´ 30´´ 8,216 Eng. feet.
St. Nicolas de los Ranchos 19° 4´ 21´´ 0° 32´ 30´´ 8,087 do.
Tochimilco 6,930 do.
Superior limit of pines 12,544 do.
Limit of all vegetation 12,693 do.
Picacho de S. Guliermo[55] 16,895 do.
The most elevated border of the crater of the
volcano of Popocatepetl 17,884 do.
Rancho de la Vaqueria 10,784 do.
REMAINS OF ANTIQUITY IN THE STATE OF PUEBLA.
THE PYRAMID OF CHOLULA.
The vast plain of Puebla, separated from the Valley of Mexico by its
gigantic chain of bordering mountains, is full of interesting
associations and studies for the antiquarian; but, among all of the
sites signalized in the history of the Aztecs or of the Spanish
Conquest, no one is more generally sought by the traveller than the
Pyramid of Cholula. Its lofty remains lie about three leagues westward
from the city of Puebla, and are easily reached by a pleasant ride over
the plain. The pyramid was originally built of sun dried bricks, or,
_adobes_, rising in four stories connected by terraces. Many years ago,
in cutting a new road from Mexico towards Puebla, it became necessary to
cross a portion of the base of this pyramid, and, in the course of the
excavation, a square chamber was opened, which was found to be
constructed of stone with a roof supported by cypress beams. Some idols,
carved in basalt, a number of painted earthen vases, and two bodies were
found in this cavity, but as no care was taken of these relics by the
discoverers, and as their explorations were not prosecuted deeper into
the bowels of the gigantic mound, the world is now quite as ignorant of
its ancient uses as it was during the possession of the country by the
Spaniards. The most recent publication upon the subject of Cholula by
Señor Gondra, the Curator of the National Museum, in the University of
Mexico, merely repeats the thrice told tales of the last century.
The top of this pyramid is reached by paths that climb its sides amid
masses of _debris_ and groves of bushes which have driven their roots
deeply between the fissures of the bricks. The level summit protected by
a parapet wall,--and once the shrine of Quetzalcoatl--the "Feathered
Serpent," or "God of the Air,"--is now adorned with a small dome-crowned
chapel, surrounded with cypresses and dedicated to the Virgin of
Remedios; while, from all parts of the eminence, a magnificent panorama
of the fruitful plain spreads out at the feet of the spectator.
* * * * *
The following extract from a communication by an officer of our army, in
1847, during the invasion of Mexico, contains some interesting facts,
and corrects scientifically the measurements of the pyramid which were
made by Baron Humboldt:
All the mornings of this elevated region, even in the rainy season, are
bright and charming; the sun rises in unclouded splendor, gilding one of
the most magnificent landscapes the imagination can conceive, whilst the
atmosphere is so pure and elastic that it is a positive pleasure to
breathe it. On such a morning, in company with the 4th regiment of
artillery, acting as infantry, and a squadron of horse, we sallied from
the city through the _garita_ of Cholula, and soon found ourselves in
the extensive plain skirting the base of the volcanoes of
Puebla--Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl. Before us glittered in the
morning's sun their snow-capped summits; on our right rose the Malinche,
with its craggy crest partially enveloped in a wreath of mist; whilst
behind us, in the far distance, towered the indistinct form of the
Orizaba--that well-known landmark of the seaman, that serves to guide
him in calm and in storm, hundreds of miles along the Mexican coast. The
nearer landscape was as soft and picturesque as its more distant
features were grand and sublime. A green meadow or prairie extended
around us for some miles in every direction, dotted with villas and
haciendas, and relieved by occasional patches of cultivation, and
avenues and clusters of the beautiful shade willow. Herds of cattle and
horses grazed as quietly on the surrounding estates as though
"grim-visaged war" had long since "smoothed his wrinkled front," and our
military escort, as it wound its way over the fair landscape, with
glittering arms and glancing banners, seemed more like a holyday
procession than a band of stern veterans so recently from the conflict,
and so soon to enter it again. A ride of an hour and a quarter, which
our horses, as they snuffed the morning breeze and scented the fresh
grass of the meadows, seemed to enjoy as much as their riders, brought
us to the base of the far-famed pyramid, which, independently of its
historical recollection, and the great interest attached to it as a
work of art, forms one of the most picturesque features of the
landscape. At a short distance it presents the appearance of a natural
mound, covered with a luxuriant growth of trees and shrubbery, and is
surmounted by a simple chapel, whose belfry towers some eighty feet
above the pyramid. A road winds round the pyramid from base to summit,
up which we passed on horseback. This road is cut into the pyramid, in
some places, six or eight feet, and here one sees the first evidence of
the artificial construction of the latter. It is built of _adobes_, or
sun-dried brick, interspersed with small fragments of stone--porphyry
and limestone. Its dimensions, as stated by Humboldt, are: base 1,060,
elevation 162 feet; but its altitude is much greater. On the day of our
visit, Lieutenant Semmes, of the navy, who had provided himself with a
pocket sextant and tape-line for the purpose, determined its altitude to
be 205 feet. As this measurement differed so widely from that of
Humboldt, Lieut. S. requested Lieut. Beauregard, of the engineers, who
visited the pyramid a few days afterwards, to test his observations;
which Lieut. B., using a longer base, did, making the altitude 203 feet.
These two observations, from different points, with different bases, and
both with the sextant, show conclusively that Humboldt, who used a
barometer, is in error. The mean of the two is 204 feet, which we may
henceforth regard as the true height of this extraordinary
monument--being nearly half as great as that of the pyramid of Cheops in
Egypt. The pyramid of Cholula is quadrangular in form, and
truncated--the area of the apex being 165 feet square. On this area
formerly stood a heathen temple, now supplanted by the Gothic church of
our Lady of Remedios. The temple on this pyramid was, in the days of
Cortéz, a sort of Mecca, to which all the surrounding tribes, far and
near, made an annual pilgrimage, held a fair, and attended the horrible
human sacrifices peculiar to their superstition. Besides this great
temple, there were, as we learn from the letters of Cortéz to Charles
V., and also from the simple diary of his doughty old Captain, Bernal
Diaz, some 400 others in the city, built around the base of the larger.
The city itself contained 40,000 householders, and the whole plain was
studded with populous villages. The plain is now comparatively a desert,
and two or three thousand miserable leperos build their mud huts and
practice their thievish propensities upon the site of the holy city.
[Illustration: RUINS OF THE PYRAMID OF CHOLULA.]
THE TERRITORY OF TLASCALA.
The history of Mexico has ever held in sacred regard the region of this
ancient republic, whence Cortéz and the Spaniards derived such eminent
assistance in the conquest of the Aztec Empire. Immediately after that
event it was erected into a province, under which character it was
always regarded until the political emancipation of Mexico from Spain,
and even after that event up to the period of the adoption of the Acta
Constitutiva, when Tlascala was raised to the dignity of a State, as an
integral part of the Mexican Republic. The constitution, sanctioned on
the 4th of October, 1824, deferred defining absolutely the political
character of this region; but on the 24th of November of the same year,
it was constitutionally declared to be a Territory of the Confederation.
When the Central Government was subsequently adopted, it was added,
under the denomination of a district, to the Department of Mexico; but
when the federal system was restored by the movement of the 6th of
August, 1846, which was afterwards nationalized by the decree of the
provisional government on the 22d of August of the same year, and
confirmed by the sovereign congress on the 18th of May, 1847, Tlascala
re-entered the federal association in its original character of a
territory.
Tlascala comprehends within its limits a superficial extent of four
hundred square leagues, and contains one city, one hundred and nine
villages, eighteen settlements, one hundred and sixty-eight haciendas or
large estates, ninety-four _ranchos_ or small farms, eight grist mills,
two iron works, and one woollen factory. It is divided into the three
_partidos_ of Tlaxco, Huamantla and Tlascala, the latter of which
contains the capital town of the same name about seven leagues north of
Puebla. The territory is of an oval form, lying between forty minutes
and one degree thirty-three minutes east longitude from Mexico, and
nineteen degrees, and nineteen degrees forty-two minutes of north
latitude. Its climate is mild and healthful, and its population, which
in 1837, was rated at about eighty thousand, has been found to increase,
on comparison of a number of years, about one thousand eight hundred and
seventy-eight annually, of which nine hundred and thirty-seven are
males, and nine hundred and forty-one females.
The productions of Tlascala are chiefly of a cereal character, but its
genial climate and soil are capable of yielding the fruits of the
_tierras calientes_, _frias_, and _templadas_.
The capital town of TLASCALA is situated between two mountains, in 19°
16´ of north latitude, and 58´ east longitude from Mexico, near the only
stream of importance in the territory, known as the Rio Atoyac or
Papagallo, under which name it passes through the State of Puebla on its
way to the Pacific. The ancient numerous population of Tlascala is no
longer found within its limits, and perhaps not more than four or five
thousand individuals now inhabit it. But the town is nevertheless
handsome;--its streets are regular; its private houses, town hall,
bishop's palace and principal church are built in a style of tasteful
architecture, while on the remains of the chief Teocalli of the ancient
Tlascalans, a Franciscan convent has been built, which is perhaps one of
the earliest ecclesiastical edifices in the republic. In the town itself
and in its vicinity many relics and ruins of the past glory of Tlascala
are still found by antiquarians, but they have hitherto been undisturbed
by foreign visiters and remain unnoticed by the natives. Huamantla and
Tlaxco are the chief towns or villages in the _partidos_ which bear
their names.
CHAPTER V.
STATE OF MEXICO--AREA--DIVISIONS--POPULATION--FEDERAL
DISTRICT--VALLEY--HIGHWAYS--LAKES--ZUMPANGO, CRISTOVAL, CHALCO,
XOCHIMILCO, TEZCOCO--SALT-WORKS--CITIES--SAN
AUGUSTIN--FESTIVAL--TEZCOCO--TACUBA--TOLUCA--CASCADE OF
REGLA--TOWNS--VALLEY OF CUERNAVACA--ACAPANTZINGO--ITS INDIAN
ISOLATION--MINES IN THE STATE.
THE STATE OF MEXICO.
This State, which includes the national capital and the federal
district, lies between 16° 34´ and 21° 7´ of north latitude and 100°,
17, 30´´ and 105°, 7´, 30´´ W. longitude from Paris. It is bounded, west
by the States of Guanajuato and Michoacan; south-west by the shores of
the Pacific for 87 leagues; north by Queretaro; east by Puebla; and
north-east by Vera Cruz. Its greatest breadth from east to west, from
Chilapa on the boundaries of Puebla, to the haven of Zacatula, is, 104
leagues, and its extreme length from north to south, from Berdosas on
the confines of Vera Cruz, to the west coast in the neighborhood of
Acapulco and the boundary of Puebla in that direction, is, 124 leagues.
The area of the State is 5,842 square leagues, more than two-thirds of
which are covered with mountains and spurs of mountains, interspersed
with vallies lying between 6,500 and 7,500 feet above the level of the
sea. The _Nevada de Toluca_ is the only mountain of extraordinary
elevation in the State of Mexico, which breaks the uniformity of its
lofty table lands. Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl, on the eastern limit
of the Valley of Mexico, belong, it will be recollected, to the State of
Puebla.
The political divisions consist of eight districts, with 38 partidos, or
cantons, and 183 ayuntimientos or municipalities, subdivided into about
450 cities, towns and villages, as well as into a great number of
_haciendas_, and minor dependencies.
1st. The district of Acapulco, with the cantons of Acapulco, Técpan,
Chilapa, Tixtla, and 13 municipalities.
2d. The district of Cuernavaca, with the cantons of Cuernavaca, Ciudad
Morelos or Cuautla de Amilpas, and Xonatepec, and 17 municipalities.
3d. The district of Tasco, with the cantons of Tasco, Axuchitlan,
Teloloapan, Texupilco, Sultepec, Temascaltepec, and Zacualpan, with 18
ayuntimientos or municipalities.
4th. The district of Toluca, with the cantons of Toluca, Ixtlahuaca,
Tenango, Tenancingo, and 25 municipalities.
5th. The district of Tlalpam, with the cantons of Tlalpam, Chalco,
Tezcoco, Teotihuacan, Zumpango, Tlanepantla, Quautitlan and 49
municipalities.
6th. The district of Tula, with the cantons of Tula, Huichapan, Actopan,
Xilotepec, Ixmiquilpan, Zimapan, and 25 municipalities.
7th. The district of Tulancingo, with the cantons of Tulancingo,
Pachuca, Apam, and 15 municipalities.
8th. The district of Huejutla, with the cantons of Huejutla, Mextitlan,
Zacualtipan, Yahualica, and 21 municipalities.
The population in these districts was estimated in 1842, according to
Mühlenpfordt, at:
1st District, 101,250
2d " 104,100
3d " 187,444
4th " 255,119
5th " 278,800
6th " 241,539
7th " 128,166
8th " 100,855
The call for congress in that year estimated the population of the State
at 1,389,502, to which if we add 10 per cent. for increase since that
period, we shall have a population at present of about 1,528,452.
The Federal District includes the city of Mexico, in the valley of that
name, together with the towns and villages of Tacubaya, Chapultepec,
Santa Fé, Tacuba, Guadalupe, Azcapotzalco, Los Reyes, St. Angel,
Mixcoac, and Mexicalcingo. Its inhabitants may be estimated at
450,000,--about 200,000 of whom reside in the capital.
The Valley of Mexico is in the midst of the ridges of the Mexican
Sierras, at a height of 7,500 feet above the level of the ocean. It is
oval in shape, and hemmed in on all sides by porphyritic mountains and
eminences, from which the volcanoes of Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl,
shoot up beyond the region of eternal snow.
Its greatest length, from the mouth of the stream of Tenango in the lake
of Chalco, to the foot of the Cerro de Sinóc, in the neighborhood of the
canal Huehuetoca is 19-1/2 leagues, and its greatest breadth, from San
Gabriel at Tezcoco, to the sources of the river Acapusalco at
Quisquiluca, is 13-1/4 leagues. Its area is 258-3/8 square leagues,
23-1/3 of which are covered by lakes. On the south, east, and west, the
mountains maintain a probable average height of 10,000 feet above the
sea, while at the north their depression is considerable, and through
the gaps and vallies the waters of the lakes are discharged towards the
Gulf of Mexico.
Six great highways centre in the capital, and leave it to traverse the
principal districts of the confederacy.
1st. The road to Acapulco on the west coast, which passes out of the
valley over its southern rim of mountains at the point known as the Cruz
del Marquez, about 2,284 feet above the city of Mexico, or 9,784 above
the level of the sea.
2d. The road to Toluca, by Tianguillo and Lerma.
3d. The road to Queretaro, Durango, &c. called _El Camino de tierra
adentro_, which leads across the eminences at the north of the valley,
by an elevation of about 100 feet only above the level of the lakes.
This road is the highway for the internal trade of Mexico with the
northern provinces.
4th. The road to Pachuca and Real del Monte in the mining district,
across the Cerro Ventoso.
5th. The road to Puebla, across Bonaventura and the plains of Apam.
6th. The _new_ road to Puebla and Vera Cruz, by Rio Frio and San Martin,
across the northern shoulder of the volcano of Popocatepetl. It greatest
elevation is at the barranca or ravine of Juanes, 10,486 feet above the
level of the sea. Besides the two last mentioned roads there is a third,
between the volcanoes of Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl, by Tlamanalco,
Ameca, La Cumbre, and Cruz del Correo, passing out of the valley of
Mexico into those of Cholula and Puebla.
Five lakes are embosomed in the valley in the immediate neighborhood of
Mexico:--
1st. The lake of Zumpango, is the northernmost, and has an area of about
1-1/4 square leagues. A dam, called _La Calzada de la Cruz del Rey_,
divides it into two basins, the westernmost of which is known as the
Laguna de Zilaltepec, and the easternmost, the Laguna de Coyotepec. It
is 26 feet higher than the mean level of the lake of Tezcoco, and
supplies the rivers Pachuca and Quautitlan. The little village of
Zumpango lies on its northern shore.
2d. The lake of San Cristoval is immediately south of the preceding, and
is likewise divided by a dam into two basins, the northern called the
Laguna de Xaltocan and the southern San Cristoval. In the first of these
divisions are the villages of Xaltocan and Tomantla, built upon islands.
This lake is twelve feet eight inches higher than that of Tezcoco, and
its superficial area nearly 4 square leagues. On its shore lies the
village of San Cristoval.
3d. The lake of Chalco spreads out at the southern extremity of the
valley, and contains the village of Jico built on an island in its
bosom. It is divided from the lake of Xochimilco by a dam, or _calzada_,
across which the road passes from Tuliagualco to San Francisco
Tlaltenango.
4th. The lake of Xochimilco is separated, as we have described, from
that of Chalco; both of these basins cover a superficial area of 6-1/2
square leagues; and their level, according to Baron Humboldt, is 3 feet
9-1/2 inches above the great square of Mexico.
5th. The lake of Tezcoco is that in which the ancient city of
Tenochtitlan was built upon the spot at present occupied by the modern
city of Mexico, whose walls, however, are now reached by a canal of
nearly a mile in length from the western borders of this inland sea. The
rivers Teotihuacan, Guadalupe or Tepeyacac, Papalotla and Tezcoco are
voided into it. The difference between its water-mark and the level of
Mexico, which in Humboldt's time was four feet and one inch has been
found by recent measurements to be 18 inches more. Its superficial
extent is about 10 square leagues, and its waters are plentifully
impregnated with salt, supplying the material for numerous works which
are rudely conducted. A thick crust or deposit of carbonate of soda
constantly whitens the edges of this lake, which are left bare by the
receding of the waters after they have been swept over the leeward
shores by the strong winds that occasionally prevail in the valley. The
deepest parts of the lake of Tezcoco never contain more than from 6 to 8
feet of water, while some portions are not covered by more than two or
three feet. There are two springs of mineral waters in the neighborhood
of the capital;--one at Guadalupe, three miles from Mexico, and another
at El Peñon, a volcanic pustule which rises abruptly from the plain on
the margin of the lake of Tezcoco. The temperature of the latter is
quite high.
The mode in which the valley is relieved from the danger of inundations
in consequence of the rising of the waters of the lakes has been
already noticed in a previous portion of this work.[56] The _desague_,
according to recent reports, requires considerable repairs and
improvements for the future security of the capital.
The principal cities, towns and villages of this State are:--The
national and state capital Mexico;--St. Angel, three leagues from the
capital;--Tacubaya, about equidistant from Mexico, containing a number
of beautiful residences, and an archiepiscopal Palace surrounded by
groves and gardens; Santa Fé, Tlalpam or San Augustin de las Cuevas,
four leagues south of the capital, situated upon the first slopes of the
mountains, and filled with charming dwellings, to which the Mexicans
occasionally retire during the warm season. It is in this town that the
festival of St. Augustin is kept in the month of May, and during the
three days of its celebration, Tlalpam is a scene of gaiety rarely
equalled elsewhere on this continent. Rich and poor pour out from the
capital to partake of the unrestrained amusements of the season, and
thousands of dollars are lost at the gambling table or in the cock-pit,
without which no Mexican festival is considered complete. The Mexican
ladies appear at the balls which are given every night, or during the
afternoon, on the green at the Calvario, and vie with each other in the
splendor and variety of their dresses.
Ajusco, is a village south of Tlalpam:--Chalco, lies on the borders of
the lake of that name, and is surrounded by the villages of Acohualpan,
Totolapan, Tapostlan, Jico, Tlapacoya, Xochimilco, Mexicalcingo,
Iztapalapan, Colhuacan, Huitzilopocho, Itztacualco, Churubusco, and
Cuyuacan, most of which are inhabited by Indians and Mestizos who supply
the markets of the capital. The Indians of Chalco, with their _caballos
de palo_ or "wooden horses," as they fancifully call their boats, carry
on an extensive trade with Mexico and its vicinity. They navigate their
lake and the canal leading to it with great dexterity; and large boats,
capable of containing fifty or sixty persons, are almost daily seen
leaving the landings at Mexico in order to convey passengers and freight
to the neighboring country.
Tezcoco, lies on the eastern shore of the lake of that name, opposite
Mexico, and at the distance of about 12 miles. It is no longer a town of
much importance, but is interesting for its historical associations and
for the ancient remains within its limits and neighborhood which will be
subsequently described.
Tacuba is the site of the Spanish army's refuge after the _noche triste_
or "melancholy night," during which Cortéz and his band were driven
from the Aztec capital in the year 1520. The image of the _Virgin of
Remedios_, has been generally kept in a chapel in this village, and has
often been brought to the capital in seasons of danger, distress or
disease.
TLANEPANTLA; QUAUTITLAN; SAN TOMAS; SAN CRISTOVAL XALTOCAN; TONANTLA;
TEHUILOYUCA; ZUMPANGO; HUEHUETOCA; are towns and villages north of
Mexico.
SAN JUAN DE TEOTIHUACAN, and OTUMBA, lie east of the lake of Tezcoco,
and are interesting for the fertility of their neighborhood and for
their antiquities.
A ridge of lofty mountains, west of the capital, rising from the plain
beyond the limits of Tacubaya separates the valley of Mexico from the
valley of Toluca, in which is found the town of TOLUCA at the foot of
the porphyritic mountains of San Miguel Tutucuitlalpillo, at an
elevation of 8,606 feet above the level of the sea. It is a beautiful
town, celebrated for its soap and candle factories; and the epicures of
hams and sausages, procure their choicest dainties from its
neighborhood. Lerma, lies on the banks of the pond from which the river
Lerma springs; and Istlahuaca, twelve leagues from Toluca, is found in a
spur of the same valley.
[Illustration: THE CASCADE OF REGLA.]
The elevations, north of the valley of Toluca, which separate it from
the valley of the river Tula, vary from 10,000 to 7,500 feet, and, in
the bosom of the latter vale, is found the town of TULA, twenty-two
leagues north-west of the capital. It is regularly built, on broad
streets, and is celebrated for its Sunday-market, to which the Indians
and Mestizos of the adjacent country flock in numbers.
TULANZINGO and APAM, are the chief towns of the districts;--PACHUCA is a
mining town 8,112 feet above the sea, and, next to Tasco, the oldest
mineral work in Mexico. It contains, with its suburbs of Pachuquillo,
about 5,000 inhabitants.
REAL DEL MONTE, is another mining town, two leagues northerly from
Pachuca, at an elevation of about 9,000 feet. Its climate is cold, and
its extremely rarefied air is dangerous for lungs unaccustomed to
breathe the atmosphere of such lofty regions. Within a few leagues of
this place is the celebrated Cascade of Regla.
ATOTONILCO EL CHICO, or EL CHICO, is also a mining village, 7,737 feet
above the sea, 4 leagues north-west from Pachuca, and 25 north-east from
Mexico. It is situated on the slope of a beautiful valley, surrounded by
high mountains, whose peaks peer above the tops of the forest. In the
vicinity of Chico, about 5 leagues west and north-west lie the mines of
Capula and Santa Rosa.
ATOTONILCO EL GRANDE is a village 7 leagues north of Real del Monte.
ACTOPAN and ITZMICUILPAN lie in the midst of fine agricultural regions.
ZIMAPAN, is a mining town, about 10 leagues north-west of Itzmicuilpan,
and 42 from Mexico, situated on the slope of a wide and deep valley,
which is watered by a copious brook.
San José del Oro, is a village and mining district, north of ZIMAPAN.
Huejutla; Mextitlan; and Zacualtipan, complete the enumeration of
important towns or villages in this part of the State.
* * * * *
From the height of 9,784 feet above the sea, at the Cruz del Marquez,
the road descends across the sierra at the southern end of the valley of
Mexico, into the valley of Cuernavaca, which, as we have already
remarked in the historical part of this work, is a corruption of the
Aztec "Quaunahuac." This broad, beautiful and rich valley, lying between
three and four thousand feet _lower_ than the valley of Mexico, winds
gradually into the vallies of Cuautla and Puebla around the eastern
spurs of Popocatepetl, and is remarkable for its fruitfulness and
salubrity. Sugar, coffee, indigo, and all the tropical plants and
trees, are successfully cultivated, and the 48 sugar estates
comprehended within its limits, produce not less than 200,000 hundred
weight of raw and refined sugar, besides 50,000 barrels of distilled
spirits.
The chief town is Cuernavaca, lying 3,998 feet above the sea, 3,426
below the city of Mexico, and 5,786 feet beneath the Cruz del Marquez,
from the neighborhood of which the whole panorama of this splendid
valley bursts upon the traveller. Cuernavaca rests on a tongue of land
projecting into the valley between two steep barrancas or ravines.
Plentifully supplied with water, and situated in the midst of the
_tierra caliente_, it is, of course, buried among luxuriant foliage
which is never touched with frost. The town may, therefore, be justly
called a garden, in whose midst rise the picturesque houses of the
townsfolk,--the walls of the church built by Cortéz,--and the dwelling
that was erected during the Spanish dynasty by the fortunate miner
Laborde. The grounds, attached to this edifice, were laid out with care
and taste. Lakelets spread out among the profuse vegetation; _bellevues_
were erected at every spot whence a favorite prospect of the valley
might be obtained; and bowers were built in the shadiest corners amid
lofty palms or choice varieties of native and exotic plants. Time and
neglect have done their work upon this beautiful structure; but the
vegetation is so abundant and graceful, that the ruined portions are
soon filled up and concealed by flowers or leaves. Few spots on earth
afford a more agreeable retreat to a man who is willing to pass his life
in a tropical climate and in a stagnant society.[57]
ACAPANTZINGO is a village in the neighborhood of Cuernavaca, whose
Indian inhabitants are remarkable for their entire separation from the
rest of the Mexican population. They have never mingled their blood with
the Spaniards during the three hundred years of foreign dominion, but
have always preserved, intact, their own laws, habits, institutions,
language and customs. They work on the neighboring plantations; but,
with this exception, refuse all intercourse with the Mexicans, or part
in their government. The authorities have never forced them to abandon
their secluded system; but seem to have respected their feeble rights,
as the invaders respected the republic of San Marino in Italy during the
wars that succeeded the French revolution.
CACAHUAMILPA, or CACAHUAWAMILPA, an Indian village in whose vicinity
lies the remarkable cavern of that name which winds
[Illustration: CITY OF MEXICO.]
for many miles in the heart of the mountain, and is filled with some of
the most curious and gigantic stalagmites and stalactites on our
continent.
YAUTEPEC is a village between the vallies of Cuautla and Cuernavaca; and
is celebrated for the excellence and quantity of its tropical fruits.
Zapotes, bananas, anonas, guayavas, pomegranates, pine apples grow
luxuriantly, with the least care or labor, and at least thirty thousand
dollars worth of sweet oranges are annually sent from it to the market
of Mexico.
CUAUTLA DE AMILPAS, or CIUDAD MORELOS, is a town in the valley of that
name, and made the staunch and memorable resistance to the Spaniards,
under the heroic Morelos, during the revolutionary war. It lies 24
leagues S. S. East from the Valley of Mexico,--13 east from Cuernavaca,
and is 4,019 feet above the level of the sea. Its climate and
productions resemble those of Cuernavaca, but it has never recovered
from the effects of the deadly siege.
* * * * *
Passing in a south-westerly direction from the Valleys of Cuautla,
Cuernavaca, Mexico and Toluca, we enter the rich metallic region of
Tasco which lies upon the declivities of the Sierra Madre, sloping
towards the Pacific. In this district we find the town of TEMASCALTEPEC,
which grew up in the midst of a mining country, formerly rich in the
production of silver, but now almost abandoned for such purposes. The
North Americans were induced to adventure largely in the mines of this
district immediately after the revolution, but their capitals were
entirely lost in works which were found to have been abandoned by the
Spaniards as valueless, long before they were sold by speculators to
companies from the United States. The climate of Temascaltepec is mild
and agreeable; and, when the mines were productive, it must have been an
agreeable residence. The inhabitants, who have abandoned their former
mineral speculations, now devote themselves to the manufacture of cotton
shawls and _rebozos_.
EL VALLE; REAL DEL CRISTO; SULTEPEC; La Plata; TEXUPILLO; ZACUALPAN;
HUESULTEPEC; ALMOLOYAN; MALINALTENANGO and TECAMOTEPEC are villages in
the vicinity of Temascaltepec.
TASCO is a mining town and capital of the canton or district of that
name, 5,853 feet above the sea. The village itself is not important, but
is nevertheless worthy of note as the oldest mining region in the
confederacy. Soon after the conquest it was wrought for _tin_, which
had been found in the neighborhood by the Indians; and in the year 1752,
Laborde, fully developed its mineral wealth in silver.
* * * * *
Extending our observations further to the south-west, we reach the
district of Acapulco, which is divided between the slopes of the
_Sierra_ and the shores of the Pacific. The declivities of the
Cordillera are cut by deep vallies, which open their long and regular
vistas towards the ocean. The principal places in this part of the State
of Mexico, are CHILAPA, with 4,000 inhabitants; MEZCALA; CHILPANTZINGO;
MAZATLAN; APANDARO, with 3,500 inhabitants; ZIRANDARO, and ACAPULCO.
[Illustration: BAY OF ACAPULCO.]
The city of ACAPULCO is the capital of its district and a port in the
Pacific in 16° 50´ 29´´ north latitude, and 102° 12´ 12´´ west longitude
from Paris. It lies in a bay, 19,700 yards long, from East to West,
protected by a ring of granitic hills and rocks, in which ships may
easily load. The entrance to the bay is broad; and the anchorage good,
but the water is not deep. Acapulco was formerly the seat of Spanish
trade between Mexico and the East; but its small population of 3,000
Mulattos, Zambos and a few Mexicans, who are chiefly pearl divers,
fishermen and farmers, fully indicates the decline of its commerce and
civilization.
* * * * *
The mountains of the State of Mexico are rich in deposits of precious
and base metals. North and north-east of the Valley of Mexico are the
mining districts and mines of Real del Monte, Moran, Atotonilco el
Chico, Pachuca, El Cardinal, Zimapan, Lomo del Toro, Macroni, Pechuga,
and San José del Oro. West and south-west of the Valley, are the
districts of Rancho del Oro, Temascaltepec, Real del Cristo, Sultepec,
Zacualpan, Tasco, Tepantitlan, Tetéla del Rio, and several others. These
were all diligently worked by the Spaniards prior to the revolution, but
have not been found as profitable by the foreigners who undertook their
management since the Independence of Mexico. In the year 1835, numbers
of British subjects and Germans formed companies to work these mines,
and although the results have been favorable in some places, the greater
part of these luckless enterprises have been altogether abandoned.[58]
Such has been the sad issue in most of the speculations in _silver_
mines; but we learn that a native company has explored and worked an
_iron_ mine at the foot of the Volcano of Popocatepetl, which promises
to repay them for their trouble and expense with a plentiful supply of
this useful metal.
CHAPTER VI.
DESCRIPTION OF THE CITY OF MEXICO--CATHEDRAL--ITS ARCHITECTURE AND
RICHES--THE PALACE--UNIVERSITY--MARKET--CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES,
ETC.--PORTALES--MINERIA--LA MERCED--SAN DOMINGO--CHARACTERS AND
COSTUMES--PASEOS--ALAMEDA--AQUEDUCTS--PASSEO NUEVO AND DE LA
VIGA--ALAMEDA--DESCRIPTION OF IT--LIFE IN
MEXICO--THEATRES--OPERA--DOMESTIC LIFE--GENUINE BUT CAUTIOUS
HOSPITALITY--LEGEND OF THE VIRGIN OF GUADALUPE.
THE CITY OF MEXICO.
[Illustration: A STREET IN THE CITY OF MEXICO.]
The city of Mexico has generally been reputed by travellers as the most
beautiful on the American Continent. Its picturesque site, in the lap of
the lovely valley, bordered by broad meadows and lakes, has doubtless
contributed greatly to this opinion, and it is, indeed, necessary for a
stranger to reside for a long time within
[Illustration: INTERIOR OF CATHEDRAL.]
its walls before he becomes sufficiently disenthralled from the spells
of climate and national scenery, in order to do justice to the other
American capitals. Mexico, unquestionably, is the queen of Spanish
cities on this side of the Atlantic; but, in external taste, in modern
elegance, and an agreeable combination of splendor and comfort, it does
not compare favorably with the chief towns in the United States.
Built in regular, square blocks, on a dead level, it wants the
picturesque breaks or abruptness, which are only found on inequalities
of surface. Its houses, erected around quadrangles--with a court yard or
_patio_ in the centre of each,--are stern and massive edifices; but they
have rather the air of castles designed for defence or seclusion, than
of habitations whose cheerful portals extend a hearty welcome to every
passer. They partake of the age in which they were constructed, and of
the traditionary architecture of Southern Europe. Yet,--in the pellucid
air of these lofty regions,--with its fancifully _frescoed_ walls
basking in the pure sunshine, and relieved against the dark background
of surrounding mountains;--its streets filled with a motly and
picturesque crowd;--its towers and domes breaking the regular evenness
of the flat roofed dwellings,--and its splendid groves in the _alamedas_
and _paseos_,--Mexico is, indeed, a capital worthy a great nation, as
well as of the enduring recollection and praise of every traveller who
visits it.
The plan of the city is as regular as that of a checquer board. Its
straight streets divide it from east to west and north to south; whilst,
nearly in the centre, the great square or Plaza spreads out for many an
acre, surrounded by the chief edifices of the State, the Corporation or
the Church.
On the northern portion of the plaza is erected--on the alleged site of
the great _teocalli_, or pyramid temple of the Aztecs,--the cathedral,
with its adjacent _Sagrario_. It is, externally and internally, an
imposing building of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; for
although its architecture is neither regular, classical, nor conformable
to the rules of any distinct order, yet its massiveness and elaborate
detail, impart to it a certain degree of effective grandeur. We have
always found it impossible to receive, or impart an idea of
architectural beauty or magnificence by description alone. The best
writer can but catalogue dimensions and details, and his account is,
therefore, always more of a builder's estimate or bill, than a picture
which impresses our minds with a vivid image of the real object. We
turn, therefore, gladly from the feeble pen to the graphic pencil, and
refer the curious reader to the accurate plates which accompany this
volume, for a better idea of the internal and external appearance of
this sacred edifice, than we can convey by language alone.
Yet there are parts of the cathedral to which even the pencil cannot do
justice. The floor of this magnificent temple,--made of loose and heavy
boards, which are moveable at pleasure, in order to allow sepulture
beneath them,--is the only part of it which seems neglected or shabby.
Every thing else is gorgeous beyond conception, although the splendor is
more colonially barbaric, than nationally classic. Profusion is the
chief characteristic. It seems as if the priests and the pious
worshippers had designed to heap up rather than arrange their offerings
in honor of the Almighty, and as if their piles of precious metals would
form the most graceful as well as grateful emblem of their religious
sincerity. In the wilderness of columns, statues, shrines, oratories,
altars and fonts, the traveller stands amazed and confused; and leaving
the pictures of the church to demonstrate its complete effect, he
retreats upon the _metallic_ standards which surround him, in order to
convey the best estimate of this queen of American temples.
The exterior walls front upwards of four hundred feet on the plaza, and
run back about five hundred feet to the narrow street of Tacuba.
Entering the main portal, whilst the huge bells are clanging in the two
steeples above it, you face the _choir_ for the clergy, which is built
of rare, carved woods, and elaborately covered with gilded images, whose
burnished surface flashes in the sun-light. Beyond this is the high
altar, raised from the floor on an elevated platform, and covered with
ornaments, crosses, and candle-sticks, wrought in the precious metals.
From this sanctuary,--extending around the choir, and probably near two
hundred feet in length,--runs a railing, between four and five feet
high, and proportionally massive, composed of gold and silver very
slightly alloyed with copper. And on the summit of the high altar rests
the figure of the Virgin of Remedios, whose dowry in dresses, diamonds,
emeralds and pearls is estimated at not less than three millions of
dollars.
On the east of the cathedral, fronting the west, and bounding the whole
eastern limit of the plaza, is the national palace, formerly the
residence of the viceroys, and now occupied by the president, as a
dwelling. It is an immense quadrangular building, constructed on the
ground which it is supposed was covered by the palace of Axayacatl, in
which Cortéz was lodged by Montezuma, when he first arrived in the Aztec
capital. Besides affording room for the president and his family, this
huge edifice contains all the offices of the several secretaries of
state; the general treasury and tribunal of accounts; the supreme court;
the headquarters of the general-in-chief; the two chambers of deputies
and the senate, both of which are elegant apartments, and, especially
that of the deputies;--two barracks for infantry, cavalry, and a park of
artillery;--two prisons; some shops; a botanical garden; and the mint.
South of the National Palace, but not fronting the plaza, are the
University, containing the National Museum, in front of which is the
magnificent modern market, built during the administration of Santa Anna
in 1842.
[Illustration: THE CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES.]
Directly opposite the façade of the cathedral, in the south-eastern
corner of the plaza, is the Casa Municipal, or City Hall, which is
occupied partly by the corporate authorities, and partly by the
merchants' Lonja, or exchange. On the western side of the square there
are no public buildings; but the palace of Cortéz, which was erected by
the conqueror and rebuilt and still owned by his descendants, covers a
portion of its front and deserves to be mentioned for its associations
if not for its architectural beauty. The whole of the side walks on the
southern part of the plaza, and a portion of the western, beyond the
Calle Plateros, or street of the silversmiths, are protected by a broad
and massive corridor or portico, called the _portales_, in which the
traveller will constantly find crowds of hawkers, pedlars, shopmen,
letter writers, clothiers, fruit sellers, liquor venders, crockery
dealers and book hucksters. A few squares west of the plaza, is situated
the magnificent palace of the Mineria, or School of Mines, one of the
most elegant edifices in the capital.
[Illustration: COLLEGE OF MINES--(EXTERIOR.)]
In noticing the general splendour and luxury of ecclesiastical
architecture in Mexico we should not omit to mention particularly the
beautiful convent of La Merced, a view of whose elegant interior court
and corridor is presented in the opposite plate. Gloomier recollections,
however, are conjured up from the past by beholding the church of San
Domingo and the neighboring inquisition, which was the prison and the
place of torture to so many unfortunate victims dining the viceroyal
government of New Spain.
It is, in the centre or heart of the city, that all the characteristic
habits and costumes of the people may be most readily observed. The
great body of the crowd is, of course, composed of the common
classes--the males in their shirts and trowsers with a blanket thrown
[Illustration: CONVENT OF LA MERCED]
[Illustration: CARBONERO. BEGGAR. AGUADOR.]
over their shoulders, and the females in chemise and closely cinctured
petticoat of fanciful colors, whilst their heads, and thinly clad
bosoms, are folded and partly concealed in their graceful _rebozos_.
Then there are the wretched _leperos_, whose long and tangled hair falls
in wierd strands over their tawny necks and dirty brows, beneath which
flash the sharp black eyes that are constantly on the watch for
something to do, to drink, to eat, or to steal. In the neighborhood of
the _pulquerias_ or liquor shops, crowds of these social vermin swarm
and sleep.
[Illustration: CHURCH OF SAN DOMINGO AND THE INQUISITION.]
Pushing his way, eagerly and industriously through the crowd, the
laborious _aguador_, or water carrier elbows his way, as he trots his
rounds to fulfil his daily task with his twin jars of the refreshing
fluid, one of which he bears upon his back, suspended by a strap around
his brow, and balanced by another which depends from a leathern thong,
which rests upon the back of his head. Hard by the aguador, appear the
carbonero, or coal dealer,--the poultry seller,--the crockery pedlar, or
the porter,--all of whom bear their burdens on their shoulders, and move
along in that ambling trot which is peculiar to the laborers and Indians
of Mexico. Large numbers of women with oranges, pears, potatoes,
tomatoes, onions, lemons, guyavas, aguacates, chirimoyas, plantains,
fish and eggs, swell the increasing crowds. The butcher drives along a
diminutive donkey, on whose saddle he has erected his peripatetic
shambles, filled with beef or mutton, whilst, at the corners and on the
edge of the side walks, sit long rows of Indian women with pans of
savory _chile_ sauces and heaping baskets or cloths of steaming
_tortillas_. All these eager venders of the necessaries and luxuries of
life, engage public attention by shouting the quality and value of their
wares at the top of their voices. Sound and motion are the predominant
features of the varied panorama; and the stunned stranger is glad to
retreat into quiet nooks and byeways in which he meets the stately
gentlewoman and cavalier, dressed in the becoming habiliments of their
station. When ladies go abroad in Mexico to shop or visit, they
universally use their coaches; yet every woman daily _walks_ to
mass,--and, whilst engaged in this religious pilgrimage, exhibits the
old and habitual costume of black silk gown and lace mantilla, which she
has derived from her Spanish ancestors. This is a charming dress. It
exposes the black, lustrous hair of the graceful wearers, and fully
develops that majestic yet feminine gait with which the Mexican women
seem to glide and undulate along their path. The inseparable fan,--her
constant companion, play thing and interpreter, in the saloon, the ball
room, the theatre or the church,--rests carelessly, in her right hand,
which coquettishly clasps the folds of her mantilla; and, from beneath
its silken folds, her large lustrous eyes gleam soft and languishingly
above her pale but healthful cheeks. If Mexican ladies are not so
variously beautiful as the women of northern lands, in whose veins the
blood of many nations has mingled, they are most loveable creatures in
spite of the uniformity of their national type. There is a degree of
exquisite tenderness, and an expression of affectionate sincerity, in
the face of Mexican women, which instantly wins not only the respect but
the confidence of the gazer. Nor does their character in real life
contradict their amiable physiognomy. Faithful as a friend and as a
wife, the Mexican lady is a person, who, with the educational advantages
enjoyed by their northern sisters, would rightfully maintain as high a
position in the social scale, with, perhaps, a more delicate degree of
sensibility.
The lower classes of females are of course different from the upper
ranks both in appearance and personal qualities. They are of impure
blood. Spaniard, Indian, Negro and Malay, have
[Illustration: FRIAR. PRIESTS. LADY. GENTLEMAN.]
[Illustration: POBLANAS.]
contributed to their ancestral pedigree, and their race is consequently
mixed; yet, impure as they are by descent they have not failed, like all
imitative inferiors to catch the manners and bearing of the aristocracy.
There is hardly a Mexican girl,--whose whole wardrobe consists of her
chemise, petticoat, rebozo, comb, looking-glass and shoes,--who does not
move along the street, when in full dress, with the queenly step and
coquettish display of eye and hair from beneath her cotton _rebozo_,
which we have just admired in the Mexican doña.
The costume of Mexican gentlemen is the usual European dress worn by the
same class among northern nations. But, in addition, the broad folds of
a massive cloak are always thrown over their shoulders upon the
slightest pretext or provocation of the weather, whilst their nostrils
are constantly refreshed by the fragrant fumes of a cigar or cigaritto.
* * * * *
The city of Mexico possesses two magnificent _Passeos_ and an _Alameda_
in which all classes of the people habitually recreate themselves. The
city is supplied with water by splendid aqueducts, bringing the limpid
streams from the neighboring hills.
[Illustration: TERMINATION OF AQUEDUCT IN CITY OF MEXICO.]
The _Passeo Nuevo_ lies west of the city towards Chapultepec and
Tacubaya. It is a broad avenue, laid out tastefully amid the beautiful
meadows that surround the city, and is broken at intervals by fountains
of stone, and shaded by rows of stately trees. When the weather is
fine, which it usually is for six or eight months of the year, the
disengaged people pour out to this gay resort, near sunset, on foot, in
coach, or on horseback, to enjoy the refreshing breeze and to greet each
other on this social exchange. The Passeo is broad enough to allow
several coaches, to drive abreast if needful, but the course is usually
occupied by only two lines of advancing and returning carriages or
horsemen. This promenade parade circulates up and down the highway for
an hour; but when the evening bells toll for _oracion_, every hat is
raised for a moment and every horse's head immediately turned homewards.
The _Passeo de la Viga_, is on the other side of the city, and is
preferred by many persons to the _Passeo Nuevo_. It skirts one of the
canals leading to the lake of Chalco, and affords the stranger an
opportunity of observing the crowds of Indians who linger along the
banks, or push off at evening in their boats, crowned with flowers and
strumming their guitars if the day happens to be one of festivity.
This _Passeo_ was constructed under the viceroyalty of Revilla-Gigedo,
whose improvements of the city and neighborhood of Mexico have
contributed so greatly to the elegance and beauty of the capital.
[Illustration: THE ALAMEDA FOUNTAIN.]
The _Alameda_ is a beautiful grove of lofty forest trees planted in a
rich soil in the western section of the city and on the road to the
[Illustration: PASSEO NUEVO.]
[Illustration: PASEO DE LA VIGA.]
Passeo Nuevo. It occupies a space of ten or twelve acres, enclosed by a
substantial stone wall, which is surrounded by a deep and flooded moat.
The gates are closed daily at the _Oracion_; and the spot is thus
protected carefully from all improper uses as well as from wanton
destruction. Around the whole of the inner wall, lines of substantial
stone seats are erected, and, in front of them, an excellent carriage
road affords a drive for those who are not disposed to mingle in the
gayer circle of the _passeos_. Within this highway the plantations
begin. Paved paths cross and recross the dense groves in a labyrinth of
lines, while, at intervals, fountains and secluded benches break the
uniform solemnity and quietness of the spot. In the centre of the
enclosure, a massive fountain, surmounted by a gilded statue of Liberty,
rises nobly in the midst of a broad area, whose top is almost _domed_
with the arching branches of the trees, which admit a scant but lovely
light through a narrow aperture, like the sky-light of the pantheon at
Rome. The birds, unassailed for years within this grove, have flown to
it as a sanctuary, and the branches are forever vocal with their natural
music. Situated as it is on the edge of the town, and surrounded by
houses, it nevertheless seems buried in the depths of a forest; and
perhaps no spot, in America, is so fitted for the enjoyment of a quiet
man, who can either take his exercise on foot or horseback, beneath the
sheltering trees, or wile away his hours with book and pencil on the
comfortable seats in the shady woods. It is the favorite resort in the
morning of all classes who are obliged to rise betimes and go abroad for
health. Students, priests, monks, lovers, loungers, dyspeptics,
consumptives, nurses, and troops of lovely children resort to the
_Alameda_ as soon as the gates are opened, and study, meditate, pray,
flirt, exercise, or romp, until their appetites or the sun warn them of
the flight of time.
In these drives, in dress, dining, domestic duties, mass, and theatre
the hours of a Mexican's day are chiefly consumed. This catalogue of
"idle occupations," does not, of course comprise all classes, but
includes that portion of the aristocracy which is every where set apart
by its fortunate exemption from necessary toil. In a country so rich as
Mexico this class must necessarily be large; and, if it begins the day
in plain black, and on its knees in chapels, it ends its waking hours
amid the blaze of dress and jewels in the family box in the theatre. In
most of the countries of southern Europe, and in all their old colonial
possessions, the theatre is one of the necessaries of life, and a box is
as indispensable as a dwelling. It forms a neutral ground upon which all
can meet without the requirements of a forced hospitality, and
consequently it affords all the pleasures of general society without the
necessity of expensive entertainment. There are great disadvantages
attending upon this constant dwelling in the public eye and in the blaze
of artificial light; yet it is so agreeable a mode of killing time in
Mexico, that the habits or the nature of the people must change
essentially before we may expect to find them surrounding nightly the
domestic hearth instead of the dramatic stage. Yet we should not be
unjust to the Mexicans in this condemnation of one of their agreeable
habits, which originates perhaps as much in their climate as in their
tastes. Fine skies and genial atmospheres drive people into the open
air. Wintry winds, desolate heaths, ice and snow, gather and group them
into the nestling places of home. When houses become in this way mere
shelters instead of shrines we might well pardon the taste which leads a
sensitive people to enjoy the beautiful landscape as long as day permits
it to be seen, or to retreat, at nightfall, into those splendid theatres
in which they may behold the mimic representation of that varied
activity of life to which their monotonous career is a comparative
stranger.
[Illustration: NEW THEATRE.]
Nevertheless, a well-bred Mexican family is one of the most delightful
circles into which a genteel stranger can be admitted. The
[Illustration: INTERIOR OF A MEXICAN HOUSE.]
formal manners of the Spaniards have descended to the Mexicans. You are
received cordially but carefully, and you must either be useful or
_known_, before you are admitted into the confidence of a family. Until
this occurs your reception and departure from a Mexican dwelling are
quite as ceremonious as your initiation into a Masonic lodge. Bows,
gestures, shrugs, grimaces, and all the ordinary rites of external
politeness are plentifully bestowed on the stranger;--"But sad is the
plight of the luckless knight," who imagines that these elegant
formalities literally mean what they profess. Americans, especially,
whose extraordinary and loose social facilities habituate them to an
unrestrained intercourse with all the members of families as soon as
they are either prudently or imprudently introduced to them,--are often
in danger of making this sad mistake in Mexico. Neither wealth,
education, nor political position, entitle an individual in that
republic to pass the threshold of distant and civil intercourse. The
Mexican's house, purse, or _daughter_, are not at "your disposal,"
although he tells you that everything he possesses is "_à la
disposicion de Usted_!" Yet, when his acquaintance has ripened into
friendship, and he understands that you appreciate his tastes, his
country, his language, his prejudices, his religion, and his habits, or
do not visit him, as many foreigners have done, merely to scoff and
condemn,--then, indeed, the social manners of the Mexican relax into
intimacy, and the attention he bestows on you may be more firmly trusted
because it was so cautiously yielded. The stranger who penetrates a
Mexican house under such circumstances, finds its hospitality unbounded,
and its generous inmates his devoted and faithful servants either for
life or until he forfeits their esteem by treachery or misconduct.
[Illustration: THE VIRGIN OF GUADALUPE.]
In every Mexican church, monastery, convent, palace, house, hut, hovel,
hacienda, or rancho, the traveller will not fail to observe an image of
"The Virgin of Guadalupe." Many men receive the name of "Guadalupe," in
baptism, and almost every woman has it added to the others she receives
from her parents or sponsors. A saint whose tutelary influence is at
once so national and so curious deserves especial mention in the notice
of a country over whose people she is supposed to exercise a mysterious
dominion; and we therefore present the reader the following translation
from the Spanish of Don Ignacio Barillo y Perez, in which the history
of her miraculous appearance is set forth with more detail than we have
elsewhere encountered.
The story of the Virgin is implicitly believed by the great mass of the
people; and the wonderful picture, described in the following account,
adorned with invaluable precious stones, is now preserved in a massive
golden frame, in the collegiate church of Guadalupe erected at the foot
of the hill of Tepeyacac. On the 12th of every December, the anniversary
of the miraculous visit, the people pour forth from the capital to the
sacred shrine and witness the splendid rites instituted in honor of the
saint. In the temple and at the holy well, they are met by crowds of
country folks and Indians, who come from far and near on the same
errand, while the whole pompous ceremonial is countenanced by the
presence and apparent devotion of all the high officers of government
including the president himself.[59]
LEGEND OF THE APPARITION OF THE MOST HOLY VIRGIN MARY OF GUADALUPE;
THE PATRON SAINT AND PROTECTRESS OF MEXICO.
Tepeyacac is a small mountain whose southern side is a scarped and
inaccessible precipice which looks to Mexico, situated on the south of
it at the distance of about three miles. Its ascent, by whatever part
undertaken, except that of the pathways made to facilitate the access,
is extremely rough and stony. Its whole surface is covered with
crowsfeet, buck and hawthorn, which are common to such sterile wastes.
The Indian name, Tepeyacac, signifies the abrupt extremity or
termination of hills, and in this bluff, terminate all the hills to the
north of the capital.
It was celebrated in the days of heathenism for the worship paid in this
place to the mother of the false gods of the Indians, but it is more
celebrated at present for the adoration which is worthily paid to the
Mother of the true God in her beautiful temple.
As Juan Diego,--an Indian recently converted, of pure and unblemished
morals, though of lowly birth, was passing by this place on Saturday,
December 9th, 1531, on his way to hear mass and participate in the
Christian worship which the Franciscan fathers taught in the district of
Tlatelolco, at the hour of early dawn, he heard, upon attaining the brow
of the little mountain, which he was ascending on the western side, a
sweet, sonorous and harmonious music, as of little birds upon its
summit. The ravishing tones and rare melody attracted his attention and
arrested his steps. On looking up, as was natural, he saw a white and
shining cloud, surrounded by a rainbow, and in its centre a most
beautiful lady, like the image we now venerate in the sanctuary, who
calling with a sweet and gentle voice, addressed him in his own language
with wonderful suavity and told him she was the Virgin Mary, Mother of
God, whose mass and doctrine he was going to hear, and she commanded him
to go to the bishop and tell him that it was her will that a temple
should be built to her upon that spot, in which she would show herself a
pious mother towards him, his nation, devotees, and as many as should
solicit her support and protection in their hour of need. She directed
him to tell all he had seen and heard, and added: 'Be sure, my son, for
whom I feel a delicate and tender love, that I will repay all you do for
me; I will render you famous; and I will endow you with benefits for the
diligence and labor you display. Now, my servant, in whom I delight,
thou hast heard my desire, go thou in peace.'
The Indian promptly obeyed and went to the palace of the bishop, the
illustrious Señor Don Francisco de Zumarraga, who since the year 1528,
had resided in Mexico with the title of Protector of the Indians, and
who afterwards became the archbishop. The prelate heard him with
surprise, and prudently directed him to return on some other occasion,
when having well considered and examined into so singular an event, he
might deliberate as to what was proper to be done by him.
The Indian returned with the answer to the Most Holy Virgin whom he
found in the same place. Prostrating himself before her, with words of
submission peculiar to the Indians, he repeated the reply of the bishop,
adding that, in order to secure compliance with her will, it would be
necessary to send some person of authority and credit, as it appeared to
him he was not believed because he was an humble man and a plebeian. The
Most Holy Virgin, with no less benignity and suavity than on the
previous occasion, replied: 'To me neither servants nor followers whom
to send are wanting if I should I wish, since I have multitudes at my
command; but it is agreeable to me now that _thou_ shouldst perform this
mission, and make the solicitation. Through your intervention I wish to
give effect to my will, and desire you to speak again with the bishop,
and tell him he must build a temple in honor of me on this spot; and
that it is the Most Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of the true God, who sends
you to him.' Juan Diego answered: 'Do not be offended, my Queen and Holy
Lady, at what I have said, which is not intended to excuse me from this
office.' Desiring to satisfy the Most Holy Virgin, although fearful the
bishop would not give credit to his story, he pledged himself to repeat
the message the next day; and promised, that at the setting of the sun,
he would be at that spot once more with the reply. Bidding adieu to the
blessed apparition with profound humility, he went to his village and
his house, but it is not known whether he mentioned to his wife, or
other person, his strange adventure.
The following day, Sunday, December 10th, 1531, Juan Diego went again to
hear mass and participate in the Christian worship. Upon the conclusion
of the service, he went diligently to discharge his mission, and
although the servants of the bishop delayed him a long time at the
entrance of the palace, he succeeded at length in coming into the
prelate's presence. With lively expressions of feeling, which made that
dignitary shed tears of tender pleasure, he prostrated himself before
the bishop, and told him he had a second time seen the Mother of God,
who commanded him to return and repeat that it was her will a temple
should be built in honor of her on the spot at which she appeared. The
bishop listened with great attention, and examined him with many
questions, in the answers to which he could detect no discrepancy; and,
in fine, knowing it could neither be a dream nor fiction of the Indian,
he told him that what he had said was not sufficient to ensure
credibility; that he must ask some _sign_ from the Holy Lady, by which
it might be known that it was really the Mother of God who sent him.
The Indian, with intrepid confidence, replied that he would ask whatever
the bishop desired; when the latter, observing that he was not abashed,
but offered to ask for the signs, ordered him to go, but, meanwhile,
secretly despatched two confidential members of his family to follow the
Indian, and to observe with whom Juan Diego spoke on his arrival at the
hill of Tepeyacac. They did so; but when they arrived at the bridge over
the river that empties, at the foot of the hill, into the lake which
lies to the east of Mexico, the Indian disappeared from the spies who
were watching him. They examined the summit, brow, and circumference of
the hill, without failing, in their anxious solicitude, to explore every
ravine, fissure, and fragment of it, but not finding him in any part,
they concluded that the native was a deceitful impostor, and confirmed
in that idea, they returned to the bishop, begging him to punish the
Indian if he repeated his imposition.
As soon as Juan Diego, who was in advance of the servants, arrived at
the top of the hill, he found there the Most Blessed Mary awaiting the
prelate's answer. Pleased with his attention and promptitude, she
directed him to return the next day, when she would give him a sign that
would ensure credibility with the bishop. The Indian promised to do so,
but he could not comply with the mandate of Our Lady, to return the next
day, December 11th, 1531, as he found on reaching home that his uncle,
Juan Bernardino who held the place of father in his affections, had
fallen ill of a malignant fever, which the Indians call _cacolixtli_, on
which account he was detained that day in administering to him some
simples used by the Indians, all of which, however, he applied without
avail. At length, the infirmity assumed a fatal character, and the
patient asked Juan Diego to call in a priest, from whom he might receive
the Holy Sacrament and Extreme Unction.
The 12th of the same month, before the dawn of day, Juan Diego set out
for the Confessor, but on approaching the mountain near the place where
he had seen and spoken to the Most Holy Virgin, foreseeing that she
might blame him for his want of care in not having returned, and that
she might detain him to carry the signs to the bishop, and considering
moreover that the message he bore did not admit of delay, he pursued
another path lower down the mountain, towards the eastern part of the
hill, imagining that there he would not meet the Virgin. But this did
not turn out as he supposed, for passing the spot whence a fountain was
flowing, on turning to the brow of the hill, he saw the Holy Mother
descending from the summit to meet him in the path! The Indian,
surprised by the saintly apparition, was greatly alarmed; but the Holy
Virgin, with an affable countenance, said to him: 'Whither goest thou,
my son? What road is this thou hast taken?' Juan Diego was sadly
confused, frightened, and abashed; but the amenity with which Our Lady
met him renewed his courage; and prostrating himself at her feet, he
said: 'Do not be offended, Beloved Virgin, at what I am about to say to
you.' And, after saluting her _to ascertain the state of her health_, he
began to exculpate himself by briefly narrating the unfortunate
situation of his uncle, begging her to have a little forbearance with
him, and that he would return some other day to obey her commands.
The Holy Mary heard him with incomparable benignity, and replied, 'Hear,
my son, what I say. Do not allow yourself to be disturbed or afflicted
by any thing; neither fear infirmity, affliction, nor grief. Am not I,
your mother, here? Are you not under my shield and protection? Do you
need more? Give yourself neither trouble nor concern on account of the
illness of your uncle, who will not die of this present malady; and,
moreover, rest satisfied that even at this very instant he is perfectly
cured.'