CHURCHES AND CHARITIES
The churches of Mexico are remarkable for their beauty and solidity.
There is no prevailing style except originality, nor is purity of
style a characteristic of the great buildings. The Gothic, the Moorish
and the Italian are often combined, but the harmony of design is
masterfully secured and a distinctive attraction thereby obtained.
There is a sort of abandon of genius in the designs and decorations of
façades, towers and domes that make the work beautiful and uncommon,
each is a unique picture, each bears the impress of individual artistic
conception.
Of the great church structures of the capital the most notable is
the cathedral, of vast proportions and magnificent details. When
Cortés had Tenochtitlan finally in possession he determined on the
complete destruction of the Aztec city. On the spot where the great
_Teocalli_ had stood, a temple hideous in sight and memory of the
Spaniard, the Christian cathedral should be erected. This with the aid
of unlimited slave labor was quickly accomplished. In 1527, Clement
VII. established the See of Mexico and Fray Juan de Zumarraga was
instituted as the first bishop. In 1545, the bishopric was constituted
an archbishopric and Bishop Zumarraga was elevated to the dignity of
archbishop.
In 1593, the corner stone of the present cathedral was laid, forty-two
years later the foundations were completed; in 1623, the roof above
the sacristy was finished and three years later the first service was
held, but so great a delay had been caused by the great inundation in
1629–1635, that not till 1656 was the formal dedication solemnized;
even then the building was unfinished and its final dedication was not
solemnized until February 2, 1667. In 1791, the magnificent towers
were completed and the bells were hung a year later. The cost of the
completed edifice with its decorations is many millions. Its length is
over four hundred feet, its width one hundred and seventy-seven feet
and the height from roof to floor one hundred and seventy-nine feet.
The towers are two hundred and three feet high. Crowning the edifice is
a splendid and graceful dome and lantern, the work of Manuel Tolsa. The
cathedral was designed by Alonzo Perez Castaneda on the plan of a Latin
cross.
[Illustration: DR. JOSÉ MORA, ARCHBISHOP OF MEXICO.]
The principal façade faces the south. It is broken by three portals
composed of the Doric and Ionic orders, which with the exquisitely
wrought carvings, the friezes and the statuary make a most imposing
and captivating front. The towers are likewise of the two orders in
succession, the Doric and the Ionic, and many cornices carry fine
balustrades with pilasters surmounted by splendid urns and fine statues.
Within, the impression is one of severe grandeur ennobled by vastness
of space. The style is Gothic and Doric. The lofty vaulted arches are
borne on massive fluted columns of stone. The dome is illuminated with
paintings of sacred subjects, among them an Assumption of the Virgin.
In the aisles are fourteen chapels dedicated to various saints. In that
of San Felipe de Jesus are some relics of this saint, and here lie
the remains of Iturbide, the unfortunate emperor, beneath a monument
erected to “The Liberator.” In the chapel of San Pedro lie the bodies
of Archbishop Zumarraga, the first prelate of Mexico, and Gregorio
Lopez, the Mexican Man with the Iron Mask, who is said to have been
the son of Philip II. of Spain. There are some very fine altars; the
chief of which, the altar de los Reyes, is very imposing and rises to
the arches of the roof. It is most sumptuously ornamented with carving,
gilding and other decorations, and is the delight and admiration of
the Indians especially. Beneath this altar lie the remains of the
Independence martyrs, Hidalgo, Allende, Aldama and Jimenez, which were
transported thither from Guanajuato after their dishonor in that city
and buried in the cathedral on the independence being secured. There
are many fine pictures in this great cathedral; a _San Sebastian_
by La Sumaya, the wife of Baltazar Echave, a _Candelaria_ by
Echave, the _Assumption_ and the _Epiphany_ by the Mexican
painter Juan Rodriguez Juarez; the _Entry into Jerusalem_ and the
_Catholic Church_ and the _Assumption_ by Juan Correa, the
_Triumph of the Sacrament_, the _Immaculate Conception_,
and the _Glory of St. Michael_, by Villalpando, the _Last
Supper_ and the _Triumph of Faith_, by Alcibar, the _Virgin
of Bethlehem_ by Murillo, the _Virgin_ by Cortona, and _John
of Austria imploring the Virgin at the Battle of Lepanto_.
[Illustration: THE CROWN OF THE VIRGIN OF GUADALUPE.]
There are many historical churches in the capital, some of which
date from the sixteenth century. Many were founded as convents and
monasteries through the munificence of private donors or through the
efforts of religious orders, and the history of Mexico is closely
interwoven with not a few of these establishments.
Santa Brigida is the fashionable church of the capital. It was built
in connection with the Order of Saint Bridget which was established in
Mexico by José de Aguirre and his wife, Doña Gertrudiz Roldan.
The Church of the Colegio de las Ninas is an ancient establishment
founded by Fray Pedro de Gante. The college was provided to furnish
free education for girls.
The church and convent of Nuestra Señora de la Concepcion was
established by a Franciscan monk, Fray Antonio de la Cruz.
The Church of San Cosme was founded in 1538, as a hospital for Indians,
the chapel being dedicated to the Arabian doctors Cosmo and Damian. It
later came under the charge of the Franciscans, who built the monastery
and the present church which, however, was not completed till 1675, and
dedicated to Nuestra Señora de la Consolacion, as an act of gratitude
by one who received shelter in the monastery during a storm. A curious
painting in the church represents the grateful donor transferring the
title of patron, which he had declined, to San José. The painting is
the work of José de Alcibar.
In the Church of Santa Cruz y Soledad, built in 1731, but which
was originally founded in 1534 as an Indian mission, are splendid
decorations of altar and chapel by celebrated Mexican artists, but the
most interesting feature is the image of Nuestra Señora del Refugio
which was formerly attached to a wall on the Calle del Refugio.
San Diego contains several paintings by Vallejo, the famous Mexican
artist, the pupil of the Indian painter, Cabrera, the chief of which
are _The Prayer in the Garden_ and _The Last Supper_, and the
famed altar pieces _The Virgin of Guadalupe_ and _San José_.
Santo Domingo is one of the finest and largest churches in the capital
and contains some fine paintings especially _The Crucifixion_ and
_San Ildefonso_. This church stands where the legend says the
Aztecs saw the eagle with a serpent in its beak, the omen that decided
on their establishing their chief seat. This church is on the Plaza de
Santo Domingo in which is erected the handsome commemorative statue of
Señora Doña Josefa Dominguez the heroine of the Independence, whose
timely warning gave the patriots at Querétaro a chance of escape.
The Church of San Francisco, now a protestant temple, is all that
remains of the great religious establishment of the Franciscan Order,
founded on the grounds once occupied by the menagerie of the Aztec
Imperial household. The original church was erected by the Twelve
Apostles of Mexico and Fray Pedro de Gante and the cost of building
was borne by the Conqueror. With the grandeur of Spanish Mexico and
with all the sorrows of Republican Mexico in its earlier days this
great establishment was intimately concerned. It was the last to
conspire against the nationality of Mexico as a republic and this
conspiracy cost it its real existence, for it never recovered either
its prestige or its entire possessions in the interval before the
monastic institution was suppressed by President Juarez, in 1860. The
great treasures of the church, the ornaments, jewels and paintings were
then forfeited and placed in the Academy of Fine Arts. Historically
the Church of San Francisco is the most interesting in the Republic.
It was the centre of all the Catholic religion. Under able and zealous
management it became the most powerful and prosperous church in the
Crown colony. From it sprang the first Indian school and the first
theological seminary and it was here the art of painting was first
taught by the Spaniards. It was the favorite church of Cortés where he
heard the mass.
[Illustration: THE SHRINE OF GUADALUPE.]
Many of the viceroys worshipped here during the three centuries of
Spanish rule. On December 27, 1821, was sung herein the Te Deum to
commemorate the Independence of Mexico. On June 12, 1859, President
Juarez signed the famous Leyes de Reforma, which aimed at the
nationalization of all church property. These took effect in 1860, and
the year after all religious orders were suppressed. This property
of the Franciscans was sold and the money given to the hospitals and
schools.
San Hipolito stands on the spot made sacred by the defeat of the
Spaniards by the Aztecs on _La Noche Triste_. On their recovery
of the city on August 13, 1521, a little adobe chapel was erected
in memory of the soldiers who fell on July 1, 1520, and in 1599
the present magnificent edifice was begun which was not completed
till 1739. For a long time, on the 13th of August, a commemorative
procession bore in march the crimson banner of the Conquest.
The defeat of the Dismal Night is commemorated on a stone tablet
surmounting a corner of this church, which translated reads: “So great
was the slaughter of the Spaniards by the Aztecs at this place on the
night of July 1, 1520, called for that reason the Dismal Night, that
after having in the following year re-entered the city in triumph, the
conquerors resolved to build here a chapel, to be called the Chapel of
the Martyrs; and which should be dedicated to San Hipolito, because the
capture of the city occurred on that Saint’s Day.”
[Illustration: SANTA MONICA, GUADALUPE.]
One of the most notable of the churches is that of Jesus Nazareno. It
was founded as Nuestra Señora de la Purisima Concepcion by Cortés on
the final occupation of the capital and furnished with ample funds for
its erection and maintenance by the provisions of his will. In this
church the bones of the conqueror rested from 1794 to 1823, when they
were removed to Italy. The building began in 1575, and it was dedicated
ninety years later, when its name was changed because of a miraculous
image of Jesus of Nazareth that was bequeathed to the church by a
pious Indian woman. The edifice contains much of the original interior
carved woodwork, altars and other decorations. In this church lie the
remains of Manuel Vilar, the sculptor, Lucas Alaman, the historian and
statesman, Manuel Calderon and Fray Juan Crisostomo Najera.
Nuestra Señora de Loreto was originally founded by the Jesuit Order
in 1573, an edifice of canes and reeds, dedicated to San Gregorio.
In 1675, Padre Juan Zappa brought the image of Our Lady of Loreto to
Mexico. The erection of chapels took place in 1686 and 1738, but the
present church was not dedicated till 1816. The tower of this church
has leaned for seventy-eight years as the result of subsidence of one
side of the edifice owing to inundation. There are some fine paintings
by Joaquin Esquivel.
[Illustration: ORGAN IN THE CATHEDRAL, MEXICO CITY.]
The Church of Nuestra Señora de los Angeles has a singular history. In
1580, an Indian chief, Isayoque, found on the waters of the inundation
a beautiful picture of the Virgin, to preserve which he built an adobe
chapel, but instead of placing therein the original, he had a replica
painted on the wall by an eminent artist. Later this wall was built
into a larger chapel, and in 1607 the inundation almost obliterated
the painting, save the hands and face, which was deemed a miracle. The
present church was completed only in 1808. The miraculous picture is
supplied with a dress to cover the missing parts and is now enclosed in
glass to preserve what is left.
One of the handsomest of the churches is La Profesa which dates from
1595, when it was founded by the Jesuits, whose order accumulated great
wealth and possessed great influence, till they were expelled in 1767.
The decorations of this church are among the finest in Mexico and there
are several pictures of considerable reputation, _The Adoration of
the Cross_ and _The Seven Sacraments_ being of prominent merit.
The splendid altar is the inspiration of Tolsa. This masterpiece was
designed by Pelegrin Clave and his pupils, Petronilo Monroy, Felipe
Castro and José Ramirez. It was in this church that the movement was
planned as the result of which Iturbide acquired the independence of
Mexico.
Santa Teresa La Antigua is one of the very interesting church
establishments. The convent of Santa Teresa was founded in 1616, and
the building of the present church was commenced in 1678, and its
completion and dedication was made in 1684; it was very badly injured
by the earthquake of 1845, but has been splendidly restored. It
possesses a miraculous crucifix brought from Spain in 1545, and long
kept in a church at Cardonal, in Hidalgo state. The legend as to this
crucifix says that it was once so disfigured by an accident that it was
thrown into the fire, without any change resulting, that it was then
buried and when later taken up it reassumed its original freshness and
state. To secure the crucifix a pitched battle was fought between the
partisans of Archbishop Zuniga and those of the Cardonal church, and
the former were victorious, and the treasure was deposited in Santa
Teresa.
Another church founded by Cortés was Santa Vera Cruz, in connection
with a brotherhood whose mission was to comfort condemned criminals.
The church possesses a venerated shrine encircled with seven veils and
within the shrine is a crucifix, a visit to which on a specified day
secures indulgences. The present church dates from 1730.
There are several protestant churches now in the City of Mexico. The
Christ Church, Episcopal, Trinity, Methodist Episcopal and San Lorenzo
for English speaking Catholics.
The legends of a country often have a more real and actuating influence
on its people than does its history. The miraculous or wonderworking
thread woven into the tale appeals more forcefully than the soberer
facts of very truth. The touch of mystery chains the interest while it
seems to silence the spirit of questioning. Mexico is rich in legends,
and their best lore is perpetuated in the many shrines.
[Illustration: CHURCH NEAR COYOACAN.]
Of all the shrines of Mexico, the most sacred and venerated is “Our
Lady of Guadalupe.” Here is the Christian shrine to the Mother of the
Saviour; and here, too, the Aztecs tendered homage and worship to
Tonatzin, who to them was the “Mother of Gods.” The Christian legend
tells that in 1531, a pious Indian named Juan Diego was on his way from
the village of Tolpetlac to attend mass at Santiago Tlaltelolco and
passing around the hill of Tepeyácac, he heard sweet voices singing;
terrified, he looked up and saw a lady who bade him listen to her: he
should go to the bishop and tell him that she willed that a temple in
her honor should be built on that hill. The figure vanished, and Diego
did her command, but the bishop sent him away, giving no credence to
his tale. Returning to the place of the vision, Diego found the lady
awaiting him and he told her of his interview with the bishop. She
bade him to return to the place the next day, Sunday. Diego returned
accordingly and for the third time the vision greeted him, and he
was commanded to repeat his former message to the bishop, who, still
incredulous, required some convincing token of the truth of his
message; at the same time he sent two servants to watch Juan Diego.
On the latter’s approaching the hill he was lost to the view of the
servants and passing round the side of the hill he saw the lady, to
whom he stated the bishop’s requirement. She commanded him to come
again the next day. This he was unable to do, for on returning home he
found his uncle ill and he must attend him. On the day after, the uncle
being at the point of death, Juan Diego set out for Tlaltelolco to
fetch a confessor and fearing delay if he met the lady, he went around
the other side of the hill. There to his surprise he saw her descending
the hillside and calling to him. He made known his urgent case, and
she assured him that his uncle was already cured of his fever. Then
she commanded him to ascend to the barren hilltop to gather roses,
and there, where none had ever grown, they appeared. She directed him
to take these roses to the bishop as the desired token, bidding him
to show them to none other. Happily did Juan fill his _tilma_
with the lovely blooms and set out for the bishop’s dwelling. From
the spot where the lady stood gushed forth a spring of crystal water
which has continued flowing and is a cure for all human ills. Diego
was soon before the bishop and unfolding his _tilma_ as he
dropped the roses at the feet of the bishop, he saw the image of the
Virgin depicted on the coarse fibrous material, painted in wonderfully
beautiful colors, in a cloak of blue velvet bedecked with stars of
gold. The prelate was convinced; he took the miraculous _tilma_
and deposited it in his oratory as a priceless treasure. Diego returned
to his home, escorted by the bishop’s servants, and found that his
uncle had been cured at the very hour when the Virgin assured his
recovery.
[Illustration: FAÇADE OF SAN AGUSTIN.]
On the spot where the roses had miraculously bloomed, a church was soon
built, and on February 7, 1532, the sacred _tilma_ was placed over
the altar within the shrine. From that time an annual festival has been
held on the 12th of December. But it was not until Pope Benedict XIV.,
in 1754, issued a Bull authorizing the feast that official recognition
of the Virgin of Guadalupe as protectress and patroness of Mexico was
gained.
[Illustration: THE SACRED WELL AT GUADALUPE.]
The church was the especial pride of the Indians, and they felt a new
motive for joining the Christian establishment. They now had their
Mother of God. The original portrait is richly framed in gold inlaid
with diamonds and pearls. The picture appears alike on both sides of
the rough canvas, which is without sizing or preparation. Experts have
from time to time examined it without being able to account for its
production or preservation. The coloring process is inexplicable; it
partakes of the characteristics of oil, water and distemper coloring
and relief work, and these processes are apparent in different portions
of the picture; moreover the gilding of the stars embroidered on the
cloak and in its texture, as well as in the light-rays emanating from
the figure, is not applied like any known process, but appears rather
to be woven into the fibre of the canvas than painted on it. A further
miraculous attribute is seen in the complete preservation of the
picture, which for many years was entirely unprotected by a covering,
and exposed to conditions that would have destroyed even very hard
substances.
The devotion accorded to “Our Lady of Guadalupe” is universal in
Mexico. The festival day is a religious holiday throughout the
republic, and is especially kept by the Indians, who come from all
quarters to the shrine for devotion. It was the banner of this Virgin
that was taken from the little sanctuary at Atotonilco by Hidalgo when
on his march on San Miguel and he adopted “Guadalupe” as the battle cry
of independence.
The holy image of the _tilma_ was removed from its shrine on the
occasion of the great inundation of 1629, and the saving of the city by
the Virgin implored. The image was placed in the cathedral, attended
with imposing ceremony in transmission, and there it remained for four
years. Its miracles are reputed wonderful, all manners of healing are
attributed to it.
In 1622, the image was enshrined in a new and much larger church.
In 1709, the large temple was dedicated. The altar was designed by
Tolsa in 1802, but was not completed till 1836. The great chancel was
enclosed by a heavy silver railing set on a base of white marble.
But the crowning glory of the edifice of “Our Lady of Guadalupe” was
the great aspiration and chief lifework of Father Antonio Plancarte
y Labastida, who began the work of restoration and embellishment in
1887 and completed it in 1895, when the _tilma_ was crowned by
authority of Pope Leo XIII., with attendant ceremonies of the most
imposing magnificence, in the presence of thirty-eight archbishops and
bishops, hundreds of priests and fifty thousand laymen from all parts
of Mexico and the rest of the Western Continent, on October 12, 1895.
The crown is a splendid product of the goldsmith’s art and of an
enormous intrinsic value. The gold and the precious stones were
contributed by the women of Mexico from their own most prized jewels
and represent a vast treasure. Around the rim at the base are
twenty-two enamelled shields representing the dioceses of the republic
illumined with sapphires and emeralds. Above this is a row of angels,
each bearing a brilliant ruby on its breast, and supporting six
enamelled escutcheons blazoned with the arms of the six archbishops
of Mexico, framed by exquisitely wrought wreaths and encircled with
diamonds. Rising behind the angels and extending to the apex of the
crown are festoons of roses of gold alternated with stars of diamonds,
which cluster at the top beneath an enamelled globe on which Mexico and
the Gulf are depicted. Above the globe is the Mexican eagle bearing
in one talon the globe and with the other holding aloft a cross of
diamonds. From a ring in the cross the crown is suspended over the
sacred image by a cherub. The fineness and richness of the work, in
which there is no repetition of a single decorative detail, make this
crown the most distinguished of its class in religious use.
The coronation scene was unique in the history of Mexico; the patron
saint of the nation, the especial protectress of the Indians, was to
receive divine honors with all the pomp and ceremony of official
sanction and authority. Gorgeously robed, the dignitaries of the
church surrounded the throne of the archbishop--for the church has the
recognized organization of a cathedral--who received the priceless
crown from the hands of twelve of Mexico’s distinguished women,
representing the contributors, after the papal brief authorizing the
coronation was read, and the action notarially certified. Then the
air was rent with the salute of cannon and the unchained voices of
the bells. Within the walls of the church crowded adorers knelt, and
without, multitudes with bowed heads, reverentially adoring, awaited
the solemn moment when the crown should be raised to the brow of the
Virgin of Guadalupe.
[Illustration: LUNATIC ASYLUM.]
The crown having been blessed by the archbishop, a solemn mass was
celebrated, and then in grand procession it was borne by the canons
through the crowded basilica and outside around the edifice and then
returned to the sanctuary. Here, the archbishop of Mexico, assisted by
the arch-prelate of Michoacán, ascended the lofty platform and placed
the consecrated crown above the head of the Virgin of Guadalupe over
the miraculous _tilma_. As the act of coronation was completed the
devotional enthusiasm of the people broke forth amid tears and sobs,
in shouts of “_Viva Dios!_” “_Viva Madre de Dios!_” “_Viva Mexico!_”
and the cries were taken up without till the hill and the valley had
spoken with tens of thousands of voices; then the bishops, one by one,
ascended the altar steps and in devout homage laid crosiers and mitres
before the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The great event, at the same
moment, gave tongue to every church bell in the land, which proclaimed
the glorious fact of the coronation to the devout children of the
church.
The restoration of the church was completed simultaneously with the
coronation and the sacred image of the _tilma_ was returned from
its eight-years’ repose in the neighboring church of the Capuchin Nuns
to its own repository in the basilica of Our Lady, on September 30,
1895. The benefactor, Father Plancarte y Labastida lived to rejoice in
the crowning culmination of his great work; he died in 1898.
The interior of the basilica is of the Doric order. It is about two
hundred and fifty feet long and one hundred and twenty-five wide. Its
three aisles are divided by eight Corinthian columns. Of the eighteen
arches, the central one carries the dome with its lantern, the top of
which is one hundred and twenty-five feet from the pavement of the
church. The feature of chief interest is the high altar in which is
framed the sacred _tilma_. This is of spotlessly white Carrara
marble, magnificently sculptured and exquisitely wrought with gilded
bronze, done after the designs of the celebrated Mexican artists,
Agea and Salome Pina. The marble was carved by the sculptor Nicoli at
Carrara and the bronze was wrought at Brussels. On the right and left
sides of the altar are, respectively, marble figures of Juan Zumárraga,
the first bishop of Mexico, and the Indian, Juan Diego, to whom the
Virgin of Guadalupe appeared, and in front is the kneeling figure of
Archbishop Labastida y Davalos, whose fostering care made the great
work possible. Over the frame holding the image of the _tilma_
are sculptured in relief three angels, emblematic of the archdioceses
of Mexico, Michoacán and Guadalajara and commemorative of the services
rendered by their archprelates in securing the papal authority for the
coronation of the Virgin. The baldaquin over the altar is of byzantine
style and is carried on pillars of Scotch granite; the arch is
surmounted by a gilded cross of roses. The front arch of the baldaquin
carries the arms of Pope Leo XIII., on the other three are those of
the archbishops of Mexico, Michoacán and Guadalajara, and inscribed
in Gothic letters are the Latin verses written by Leo XIII., for the
occasion of the coronation:
Mexicus heic populus mira sub Imagine gaudet
Te colore, alma Parens, præsidioque frui.
Per te sic vigeat felix, teque auspice, Christi
Immotam servet firmior usque fidem.
LEO PP. XIII.
“The Mexican people rejoice in worshipping Thee, Holy Mother, under
this miraculous image, and in looking to Thee for protection. May
that people, through Thee, flourish in happiness and ever under Thy
auspices, grow stronger in the faith of Christ.” Bronze statues are
placed between the arches, representing Prudence, Justice, Fortitude,
Temperance.
The vaulted roof is studded with gilded cedarwood stars; the beams
are richly ornamented in rich Byzantine style. The dome is profusely
decorated with gold and roses in festoons; and the panels are filled
with frescoes of the Virgin of Guadalupe, of angels bearing scrolls,
and allegorical tributes of the Virgin. In the four spaces between the
dome stand figures of the four Evangelists.
Splendid frescoes adorn the walls of the church.
The homage paid to the Virgin of Guadalupe is universal in Mexico.
In every home of rich and poor alike, her picture is to be found, an
honored possession, even in most of the shops of Mexico a lamp burns
ever before her picture and there are few churches without an altar
before which to do her reverence. When the country was rent by the
passions and fury of war and churches were stripped and despoiled of
their priceless objects and decorations, the shrine of Our Lady of
Guadalupe was too sacred for the despoiler. His hand was nerve-less to
desecrate this revered shrine.
This venerated basilica is the chief of a group of churches connected
with the legend of Our Lady of Guadalupe. To the east of the shrine is
the Chapel of the Well, built on the spot and in commemoration of the
miracle of the spring that gushed where the Virgin stood at the moment
that she dispatched Juan Diego to the bishop with the roses. The chapel
was built in 1791, and the spring is just within its door. Beneath the
dome, which is covered with glazed tiles, is the altar and a carved
pulpit upborne by a figure of Juan Diego; the mural decorations are
paintings of the Indian’s visions of the Virgin. The Chapel of the
Little Hill, is erected on the spot where, at the Virgin’s will,
bloomed the roses on the previously barren rock. The first chapel was
built in 1660, but was replaced by the present edifice early in the
eighteenth century. These auxiliary establishments are connected by a
stone stairway, about halfway up which is a votive offering, the Stone
Sails of Guadalupe, made by sailors who implored the aid of the Virgin
in their distress and, being saved, they accordingly brought before the
shrine the foremast of their vessel and the sails, which latter are
there encased in stone.
[Illustration: THE GENERAL HOSPITAL, CITY OF MEXICO.]
Besides these chapels, there is the church of the Capuchin Nuns,
forming a group of establishments more widely known and honored and
visited by more persons than any other shrine in Mexico. Our Lady of
Guadalupe is the Lourdes of Mexico, the holiest of Mexico’s sacred
places.
Another shrine highly venerated by Mexicans is the Church of “Our Lady
of Los Remedios.” The legend upon which its veneration rests antedates
that of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The story told of the image enshrined in
this church is that it was brought to Mexico from Spain by a soldier
in the following of Cortés, named Juan Rodriguez de Villafuerte, who,
in the flight on the _Noche Triste_ took the image from the great
Aztec temple, where it had been placed in a shrine, and carried it
as far as the hill of Totoltepec, where his strength failing, he hid
it under a broad maguey plant. It was thereafter lost to knowledge
for nearly twenty years, when an Indian chief, who was hunting on the
hill was greeted by the Virgin, who required him to seek for her image
hidden beneath a maguey plant. He searched in vain. Again the Virgin
appeared and repeated her command, with the same result. A third time
the vision appeared, and the same command was given. Further effort at
length rewarded the searcher and he took the image to his home, but
in the morning it was missing, and again was found under the maguey
plant where it had been discovered. This time the Indian placed before
the image a gourd filled with dainties of food; again it disappeared.
Once more the chief brought it home and placed it in a bolted and
locked box, on which, for further safety, he slept; but the box was
empty in the morning. These strange experiences led the Indian to seek
the advice of the _padres_, to whom he told his story, and they,
deeming that a miracle had been wrought and a command conveyed to build
a temple to the Virgin on the spot of her appearance, decided to fulfil
the command.
Soon thereafter, on the spot where the image was found, a shrine
was built and dedicated by the Spaniards to “Our Lady of Succor” in
gratitude for her salvation of their lives. The image is about eight
inches high and is carved in wood; it bears in its arms a figure of the
infant Jesus. The shrine also contains the gourd in which the food was
placed before the sacred image, while under the main altar, near the
remains of the Indian, Juan Aguila Tobar, is the box in which the image
was locked to prevent its escape. The walls of the original church
remain in the existing edifice, completed in 1575; but the church has
lost much of its former magnificence and costly decorations of precious
metals and paintings. The priceless wardrobe and jewels of the Virgin
remain in testimony of the virtue attributed to the miraculous image.
After the battle of Las Cruces, when Hidalgo was within six leagues
of the capital with his independence army, Viceroy Venegas, alarmed,
had the image of the Virgin of Los Remedios brought from Totoltepec to
the cathedral in the capital, and there kneeling before it, invoked
its aid, placed the viceregal staff in its hands, and solemnly hailed
it as “lady captain general of the army.” The royalists inscribed on
their banner the image of _Nuestra Senora de los Remedios_, just
as Hidalgo had adopted for the patriots that of _Nuestra Senora de
Guadalupe_. In seasons of drought, also, this sacred image is taken
from its hill shrine and borne in solemn procession through the streets
of the capital.
Mexico City is liberally furnished with institutions for the care of
the indigent afflicted and for orphans. The special retreats for the
blind, the deaf and dumb strikingly exhibit the conception of the
obligation of the municipality to ameliorate the distressing conditions
which the afflicted in these respects suffer. Every care and comfort is
provided for. So too, the orphans have a home that shields them from
danger, ministers to their needs, and gives them instruction that will
fit them for a life of personal advancement and state advantage.
[Illustration: THE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL. FEDERAL DISTRICT.]
The General Hospital is a monument of enterprise. It is the culmination
of a long-cherished ambition of General Diaz, whose desire was to see
Mexico equipped with a hospital for the poor that would meet all the
needs of the City. It was completed in 1905, and is conceded to be one
of the largest and most splendidly-appointed hospitals in the world.
It has about twenty-eight pavilions and accommodations for over eight
hundred patients.
This splendid institution has every facility of a modern hospital,
being built after years of study of all the hospitals of the world. It
is conducted on scientific principles, and the system and precision
with which it is managed has created great comment from scientists who
have visited it. Its doors are always open and the poor have a refuge
at all hours. There no questions are asked, a warm bed and good food
are ready at all hours. It is under the direction of Dr. Liceago.
The maternity ward is most interesting and there is a school and
kindergarten for poor, infirm children of tender age. In connection
with this there is a school for nurses which has opened a new field for
women, as formerly all trained nurses were foreigners.
The American Hospital and the American Benevolent Society are both good
institutions, the later was founded by Honorable J. W. Foster, who was
at that time American Minister in Mexico.
There are many other charitable institutions of this kind in Mexico and
the suburbs, some of them dating back to the time of Cortés, notably
the Foundling Hospital, founded in 1767, and the Hospital of Jesus of
Nazareth, founded by Cortés in 1527. The first meeting of Cortés and
Montezuma took place on the site of the Hospital de Jesus Narareno.
The quaint architectural features are most attractive. The building is
nondescript, but surrounding this is a beautiful garden. On a tablet
let into one of the walls is the interesting inscription in Spanish--A
Hospital of the Clean Conception of the most Holy Mary and Jesus of
Nazareth. It is the oldest and was founded on this famous site of
Paganism known as Huitzillan, in the year 1527, and re-established and
remodeled in 1838.
El Hospicio De Ninos (the Children’s Hospital) at Tlalpam was founded
in 1765 by Dr. Fernando Ortiz Cortés. It is non-sectarian and is
supported by the government. It has lately been remodeled, and
accommodates a thousand children. All classes of trades and useful arts
are taught and some fine specimens of needle work are done by the girls.
There are splendid charities under the protection of Madame Carmen
Romero Rubio de Diaz, and many private institutions. The Home for
Working Women was founded by her. The object of this establishment is
the teaching and taking care of the children of working women. Madame
Sofia de Osio de Landa y Escandon, the wife of the Governor of the
district, is the president of a society for the protection of the poor.
To this belong the best ladies of the city, who devote much of their
time to the poor and friendless of the capital.
Madame Ramon Corral and her beautiful daughters are most active in all
charitable work.
Under the supervision and encouragement of Madame Diaz the School
of Nurses was established, where the native girls are educated free
in medicine and nursing. Every year diplomas are granted to at least
twenty trained nurses.
The Florence Crittenden Industrial School was established in September,
1902, under the direction of Señora Herlinda de la Guerra de Sepulveda,
beginning with a small number of inmates. Its mission is to receive and
protect poor girls, and to teach them to be self-supporting, giving
them an industrial education and fitting them to take their places well
equipped to render them good wives and mothers. There they receive the
instruction prescribed by the Department of Public Instruction, with
strict attention to the moral and physical development. The management
of this school is under the direction of ladies competent to “instruct
in the best moral training.” The kindergarten is one of the features.
The school is located in the picturesque town of Mixcoac, quite
near the city. It has lovely grounds and gardens and fine hygienic
arrangements, making the place healthy and attractive. It has now
about one hundred girls and the efficiency displayed in the management
entitles this institution to all aid and sympathy.
There are homes for disabled men and women; free hospitals for the sick
and needy. There are churches where bread and nourishing food are given
every day to those who seek it. There are homes for motherless babes,
and a haven for all unfortunates. There are industrial colleges for
wayward boys and girls, who are gently instructed in the ways of good
citizens and many splendid records have been made by former inmates. In
no country are there more charitable institutions than in Mexico.
[Illustration: PAVILIONS OF THE GENERAL HOSPITAL.]
[Illustration: STAIRWAY IN THE COLLEGE OF THE MASCARONES.]
[Illustration: NATIONAL SCHOOL OF MEDICINE.]