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The Story of the Nations.
MEXICO
* * * * * *
THE STORY OF THE NATIONS.
_Large Crown 8vo, Cloth, Illustrated, 5s._
1. ROME. ARTHUR GILMAN, M.A.
2. THE JEWS. Prof. J. K. HOSMER.
3. GERMANY. Rev. S. BARING-GOULD, M.A.
4. CARTHAGE. Prof. A. J. CHURCH.
5. ALEXANDER'S EMPIRE. Prof J. P. MAHAFFY.
6. THE MOORS IN SPAIN. STANLEY LANE-POOLE.
7. ANCIENT EGYPT. Canon RAWLINSON.
8. HUNGARY. Prof. A. VAMBÉRY.
9. THE SARACENS. A. GILMAN, M.A.
10. IRELAND. Hon. EMILY LAWLESS.
11. CHALDÆA. Z. A. RAGOZIN.
12. THE GOTHS. HENRY BRADLEY.
13. ASSYRIA. Z. A. RAGOZIN.
14. TURKEY. STANLEY LANE-POOLE.
15. HOLLAND. Prof. J. E. THOROLD ROGERS.
16. MEDIÆVAL FRANCE. Prof. GUSTAVE MASSON.
17. PERSIA. S. G. W. BENJAMIN.
18. PHOENICIA. Canon RAWLINSON.
19. MEDIA. Z. A. RAGOZIN.
20. THE HANSA TOWNS. HELEN ZIMMERN.
21. EARLY BRITAIN. Prof. A. J. CHURCH.
22. THE BARBARY CORSAIRS. STANLEY LANE-POOLE.
23. RUSSIA. W. R. MORFILL, M.A.
24. THE JEWS UNDER ROMAN RULE. W. D. MORRISON.
25. SCOTLAND. JOHN MACKINTOSH, LL.D.
26. SWITZERLAND. Mrs. LINA HUG and RICHARD STEAD.
27. MEXICO. SUSAN HALE.
London: T. FISHER UNWIN, Paternoster Square, E.C.
* * * * * *
[Illustration: THE CONVENT OF CAPUCHINAS. (LAST PRISON OF MAXIMILIAN.)]
MEXICO
by
SUSAN HALE
London
T. Fisher Unwin
Paternoster Square
New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons
MDCCCXCI
Entered at Stationers' Hall
By T. Fisher Unwin
Copyright by G. P. Putnam's Sons
(For the United States of America).
CONTENTS.
I.
PAGE
THE SUBJECT 1-11
View from a steamer, 1--Seen by Fernando Cortés, 2; his
ambition, 3--Inhospitable coast, 3--Vera Cruz, 4--Departure,
4--Climate we leave, 5--Climate we are seeking, 5--Three
climates of Mexico, 6--Anahuac, 6; _Tierra templada_,
7--Scenery of the plateau, 7--Its early inhabitants, 8--Destroyed
by Cortés, 8--Traditions of Anahuac, 9--_Teocallis_
changed to cathedrals, 9--The _Conquistadores_, 10--Spanish
rulers, 10--Two emperors, 10--Mexico a republic, 11;
its past and future, 11.
II.
SHADOWY TRIBES 12-23
Meaning of Anahuac, 12--Tula, formerly Tollan, 13--The
Toltecs, 13--Cholula: its legends, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19,
20--Mound builders, 21--Legends of the Nahuas, 21--Huehue-Tlapallan,
22--Atlantis, 22--Noah of the Mexican
tribes, 22--Universal fable of the deluge, 23.
III.
TRADITIONS OF THE TOLTECS 24-37
Their wanderings, 24; ruins of their capital, 26; their resources,
26; language, 27; early faith, 27--Cuernavaca, 28--Toluca,
28--Power of their ruler, 29--Quetzalcoatl,
The Shining Snake, 29; legends of his career, 30;
possible facts, 32; mystery of his departure, 32; image in the
museum, 33; his attributes, 33--Evil days of the Toltecs,
34--The Agave Americana, 34; its properties, 35--Maguey,
35--Xochitl, 36; her beverage, 36--Deterioration of the
Toltecs, 37; dates of their wanderings, 37.
IV.
CHICHIMECS 38-44
A new dynasty, 38--The Chichimecs, 39; occupations and
customs, 39--The mark of a warrior, 39--The Serpent of
the Clouds, 40--The invasion of Xolotl, 40--Fall of Tollan,
41--Territory of Xolotl, 41--New waves of emigration,
42--Wise rulers, 42--Texcuco, 42--The Aztecs, 43--War
with Atzcapotzalco, 44--Kingdom of Texcuco, 44.
V.
NEZAHUALCOYOTL 45-52
The young prince, 45; in captivity, 45; a faithful friend,
46--Tlaxcaza, 46--The plateau to-day, 46--The Malinche,
46--The Land of Bread, 47--A wise tutor, 47--Maxtla,
48--The homage of Nezahualcoyotl, 48--Maxtla's plot, 48--Open
enmity, 49--Nezahualcoyotl's escape, 49; his
hiding, 50--Tyranny of Maxtla, 50--The true prince
triumphant, 51--Maxtla defeated and killed, 51--The
kingdom of Texcuco Acolhuacan, 52.
VI.
TEXCUCO 53-61
The Golden Age, 53--The government, 53--Council of
Music, 53--Texcucan literature, 54--Lost treasures, 54--A
royal poet, 55--The Laughing Hill, 56--Artificial lakes,
56--Ruins of Tezcotzinco, 56--Baths of Montezuma, 57--A
blot on Nezahualcoyotl's fame, 57; a Mexican Haroun
al Raschid, 58; his religion, 59--From anarchy to civilization,
59--Nezahualpilli, 59--Decline of Texcuco, 60--A
Texcucan historian, 60--Legend or fact? 61.
VII.
MICHOACAN 62-69
The Land of Fish, 62--Lonely lakes, 62--Patzcuaro, 63--The
Place of Delights, 64--The first settlers, 64--Iré
Titatacamé, 65--A dusky princess, 65--Tixiacurí, the first
king of Michoacan, 66--The kingdom divided, 66--Tzintzuntzan,
67--The glorious reign of Zovanga, 67--A city of
birds, 67--Fruitless excavations, 68--The Tarascans, 68.
VIII.
MAYAS 70-82
The first wave of migration, 70--Traces of Mayas in
Yucatan, 70--A great empire, 71--Nachan, the town of serpents,
72; its ruins discovered, 72--Palace at Palenque, 72--Lofty
chambers and strange bas-reliefs, 73--The Temple of
the Cross, 74--An emblem of Christian faith, 75--Meaning
of the tablets, 75--Chichen-Itza, 76--A religious centre, 77--Paintings
and bas-reliefs, 78--Chaak Mool, the tiger-chief,
78--The beautiful Kinich, 78--Tomb of Chaak
Mool, 78--Paved roads of Yucatan, 79--Votan and Zamna,
80--Mayan legends, 80--Weapons and armor, 81--War
with the Toltecs, 82.
IX.
AZTECS 83-95
Best known of the Anahuac tribes, 83--Aztlan, 83--The
migration, 84--Six centuries of wanderings, 84--The name
Mexican, 84,--Their adopted home, 84--Chapultepec, 86--Driven
to the islands, 87--A wretched life, 87--Valor of
the slaves, 87--An abiding city, 87--Tenochtitlan, or
Mexico, 88--Advances in civilization, 88--Results of modern
research, 89--A king chosen, 90--Early years of the
kingdom, 91--The Princess of Cloth, 92--_Canoas_, 92--Chimalpopoca,
94--The usurpation, 94--Maxtla, 95.
X.
MEXICANS 96-110
Itzcoatl, 96--Alliance with Texcuco, 96--War with Maxtla,
96--Victory of the allies, 97--Fall of the Tepanec
monarchy, 97--"The Valley Confederates," 98--Reign of
Motecuhzoma, 98--Height of the Mexican power, 98--Conquest
of the Chalcas, 99--Inundation and famine, 99--Raid
upon neighboring provinces, 100--Laws of Motecuhzoma,
100; his successor, 101--Tizoc, 101--The Drinking-cup
of the Eagle, 101--Human sacrifice, 102--Temple
built by Tizoc, 105--Dikes, 105--A despot, 106--Extent of
the kingdom, 106--Religious fanaticism, 108--Doubtful
records, 109.
XI.
AZTEC CHARACTER 111-123
Unreliable testimony, 111--Hieroglyphics, 111--Paintings,
112--"Wanderings of the Aztecs," 112--Religion, 114--A
future life, 114--Funeral customs, 114--Domestic life, 115--Laws,
115--Music, 115--The Aztec calendar, 115--Divisions
of time, 116--Names of days, etc., 117--Opinions of
antiquarians, 117--The cycle, 118--Unlucky days, 118--Agriculture,
119--Irrigation, 119--A gentle race, 120--The
Priestesses, 121--Coatlicue, the goddess of the earth, 122--Source
of Aztec greatness, 122--A fatal policy, 123.
XII.
THE LAST OF THE MONTEZUMAS 124-134
Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin, 124; his character, 124--A
coronation festival, 125--Royal robes, 125--The life of
an Aztec king, 126; his capital, 126--Diaz's description, 127--A
life of pleasure, 128--State correspondence, 128--Chapultepec,
129--Montezuma's cypress, 129--Clouds on the
horizon, 130--Sinister predictions, 130--The coming of the
white men, 131--An unhappy monarch, 131--Landing of
the strangers, 132--Velasquez de Léon, 132; his expedition
to Yucatan, 133--Grijalva visits Mexico, 133--Montezuma's
embassy, 133.
XIII.
CORTÉS 135-144
Birth, 135; enters the army, 135; visits Cuba, 135--An
attractive portrait, 135--Defects of character, 136--Velasquez
and Grijalva's expedition, 136--A love story, 137--Cortés
receives a commission, 137; his companions, 137--Jealousy
of Velasquez, 137--The squadron, 138--Jérome
d' Aguilar, 138--First conflict with the Aztecs, 139--Palm
Sunday, 139--A happy people, 140--Rumors of danger,
140--Presents to the strangers, 141--Cortés as Quetzalcoatl,
141--Easter, 141--A perplexed council, 142--Mistaken
policy, 142--Vera Cruz, 142--Cortés visits Cempoallan,
143--Tlaxcalla, 143--The ships destroyed, 144.
XIV.
MALINTZI 145-150
Her birthplace, 145--The little duchess is made a slave,
145--Life in Tabasco, 146--Arrival of Cortés, 146--Treaty
of alliance, 146--The heiress-slave becomes a Christian, 146--Marina
or Malinche, 146--A new interpreter, 147--A
beautiful picture, 147--Splendid gifts, 148--Malintzi's
beauty, 149; her devotion to Cortés, 149; its result, 149.
XV.
TLAXCALLA 151-157
An isolated province, 151--Exaggerated reports, 151--Efforts
for the friendship of the Tlaxcallans, 152--A trap
for the Spaniards, 152--A battle, 152--Defeat of the Tlaxcallans,
153--Peace concluded, 153--Christianity introduced,
153--Cholula, 154--Slaughter of the Cholultecas,
154--Alliance with Ixtlilxochitl, 154--Cacamatzin imprisoned,
155--Cortés reaches Mexico, 156--Cortés and Montezuma,
157--A lesson and a vow, 157.
XVI.
LA NOCHE TRISTE 158-165
Overtures of friendship, 158--Bold measures, 159--Montezuma
in the power of the Spaniards, 159--A rival in the
field, 159--Alvarado, 160--The feast of Huitzilopochtli,
160--The Spaniards in danger, 160--Death of Montezuma,
161--Mexican traditions, 162--Cortés abandons the city,
163--A desperate struggle, 163--_La Noche Triste_, 164--The
scene of the battle, 164; the losses, 165.
XVII.
CONQUEST 166-179
An interval of peace, 166--The new emperor, 166--A
legacy of the Spaniards, 167--Cortés _in extremis_, 167--The
Aztec army, 168--Battle at Otumba, 170--The Spaniards
victorious, 170--Preparations for defence, 171--The Spaniards
in Tlaxcalla, 171--Ixtlilxochitl, 171--Cortés at
Texcuco, 172--A new army and a new fleet, 172--The
campaign against Mexico, 173--Suffering in the city, 174--Surrender,
174--The city destroyed, 175--Cortés at
Coyoacán, 175--Search for treasures, 175--The kings
tortured, 175--Military rule, 176--Subjugation of Michoacan,
176--Later conquests, 177--Death of the Aztec kings,
178--Later life of Cortés, 178; return to Spain, 178; death,
178; burial in Mexico, 179.
XVIII.
DOÑA MARINA 180-183
Her position in the camp, 180--After the victory, 180--Life
at Coyoacán, 180--Arrival of Doña Catalina, 181;
her death, 182--Insurrection in Honduras, 182--Marriage
of Marina, 183; her later life and her death, 183--Cortés
visits Spain, 183--A second marriage, 183.
XIX.
INDIANS 184-190
The conquest complete, 184--The name Indian, 184--Origin
of the Nahuatl tribes, 185--Distinguished from the
North American Indian, 186--Military government, 188--The
_Ayuntamiento_, 188--The _Audiencia_, 188--Nuño de
Guzman, 189; his cruelty to the natives, 189--Guadalajara
founded, 189--A second _Audiencia_, 189--A viceroy appointed,
190--Extent of New Spain, 190.
XX.
THE FIRST OF THE VICEROYS 191-202
Antonio de Mendoza, 191; his family and character, 191--Reforms
instituted, 191--Industries encouraged, 192--The
Franciscans, 192--Fray Pedro, 192--Foundation of schools
and colleges, 193--Guadalajara and Valladolid, 193--Michoacan
and its people, 194--The founding of a city,
195--Spanish families in Mexico, 196--Jews and Moors
banished, 196--Vasco de Quiroga, 197; his life in Tarasco,
197; his church at Tzintzuntzan, 198--A wonderful picture,
198--The cathedral at Morelia, 199--Cortés goes to Spain,
200--Popularity of the viceroy, 200--First Mexican book,
202--Departure of Mendoza, 202.
XXI.
FRAY MARTIN DE VALENCIA 203-213
Don Luis de Velasco, second viceroy, 203--New institutions
and industries, 203--Puebla de los Angeles, 204; the
tradition of its founding, 204; the situation, 206--The early
ecclesiastics, 207--The worship of the Virgin, 207--The
"twelve apostles of Mexico," 208--Fray Martin of
Valencia, 208; his life in Amecameca, 209; his death, 210--Relics
of Fray Martin, 211--An object of reverence, 212--Death
of Velasco, 212--A well-regulated government, 213.
XXII.
OTHER VICEROYS 214-223
Events in Spain, 214--Philip II., 214--The character of the
viceroys, 215--The Inquisition, 216--The _Quemadero_, 216--Death
of Philip, 217--Inundations, 217--Martinez and his
canal, 218--Successors of Philip, 219--Wars of succession,
220--Revillagigedo, 220; anecdotes of his administration,
221.
XXIII.
HUMBOLDT 224-232
A distinguished visitor, 224; he arrives in Mexico, 225--Remarks
on the carving, 225--Academy of fine arts, 226; its
later history, 227--The cathedral, 227--Humboldt at
Chapultepec, 228; The market, 228--Teotihuacan, 229--Mexican
mines, 229--Valenciana, 229--At Patzcuaro, 230--The
birth of a volcano, 231.
XXIV.
REVOLUTIONS 233-237
Charles III. of Spain, 233; his successor, 233--Branciforte
and the statue of Charles IV., 234--Napoleon invades
Spain, 235--A change of government, 235--_Juntas_, 235--The
Bourbons restored, 235--Iturrigaray and his administration,
236--Revolt in the air, 237--The policy of Spain,
237--Venegas, 237.
XXV.
HIDALGO 238-249
Birth and education, 238--Colegio de San Nicholas, 238--He
takes orders, 238; life at Dolores, 240; bold schemes,
240--Ignacio Allende, 241; An important step, 241--The
_Grito de Dolores_, 242--A new army, 242--Attack on
Guanajuato, 243--A brave boy, 243--The new viceroy,
243--Hidalgo excommunicated, 244--Valladolid taken,
245--Monte de la Cruces, 245--The insurgents defeated at
Aculco, 246--Hidalgo declared Generalissimo, 246--Battle
of Calderon, 247--Capture and death of the chiefs, 248--End
of the struggle for independence, 248.
XXVI.
MORELOS 250-257
Birth and family, 250--Morelia, 251--Muleteer and student,
251--Morelos joins Hidalgo, 251--Siege of Cuautla, 252--Acapulco,
252--First Mexican Congress, 252--Declaration
of independence, 253--Attack on Valladolid, 253--Mishaps,
254--Morelos a prisoner, 254--Death of Morelos,
255; his character and aims, 255; his object achieved, 256.
XXVII.
YTURBIDE 258-271
The close of Calleja's administration, 258--The insurgents
dispersed, 258--Apodaca and Guerrero, 259--Affairs in
Spain, 259--Agustin de Yturbide, 260; early services,
260; meets Guerrero, 261--"Plan of Iguala," 261--The
"three guaranties," 261--Advance of the insurgents, 262--The
viceroy deposed, 262--A successful campaign, 263--O'Donojú,
263--Treaty of Cordova, 264--Yturbide enters
the capital, 264--The Regency, 264--The Mexican Empire
founded, 265--Work of the new government, 265--Second
Mexican Congress, 265--Yturbide proclaimed Emperor,
266--Signs of dissatisfaction, 267--Santa Anna, 267--The
Casa-Mata, 268--Yturbide banished, 268; his return to
Mexico, 270; his execution, 270; character of Yturbide, 271.
XXVIII.
SANTA ANNA 272-280
A confused story, 272--Santa Anna, 273; his connection
with Yturbide, 273--The Constitution, 273--"Guadalupe"
Victoria, 273--Expulsion of the Spanish, 274--A
presidential election, 274--Mutiny in the capital, 275--Colonization
of Texas, 276--Pedraza, 276--A Spanish invasion,
277--Santa Anna made Commander-in-Chief, 277--Bustamente,
278--Guerrero betrayed and shot, 278--Santa
Anna becomes President, 278--Farías, 279--Insurrection
in Texas, 279.
XXIX.
STILL SANTA ANNA 281-289
Louis Philippe, 281--_Reclamacion de los pasteles_, 281--The
French repelled, 281--Santa Anna's home, 282--Bustamente
recalled, 282--Trouble again, 283--Mejia, 283--A
revolution described, 284--Bustamente resigns, 288--Santa
Anna triumphant, 288.
XXX.
SOCIETY 290-300
Madame Calderon's journal, 290--An ambassador from
Spain, 290--State of society, 291--The Paséo, 291--The
Viga, 292--Women in Mexico, 292--Good-Friday in
Mexico, 294--Robbers, 297--_Guardias Rurales_, 298--A
monarchy proposed, 299.
XXXI.
RUMORS OF WAR 301-310
Results of the Spanish rule, 301--Playing at independence,
301--The appeal to arms, 302--The country exhausted, 302--Misfortunes,
304--The United States, 304--Spread of its
territory, 304--Colonization of Texas, 305--Moses Austin,
304--Revolt against Mexico, 305--Houston and Santa
Anna, 305--Texas independent, 305--Annexed to the
United States, 306--Herrera, Farías, and Paredes, 307--The
Mexican army, 308.
XXXII.
WAR BEGUN 311-322
The beginning of hostilities, 311--Palo Alto and Resaca de
la Palma, 311--The war carried into Mexico, 312--Difficulty
of negotiation, 312--"Indemnity for the past," 313--California,
313--Policy of the United States, 313--Monterey
taken, 314--Fremont enters the capital, 316--Taylor's
campaign, 316--Siege of Monterey, 318--Ampudia's proclamation,
319,--Paredes and his "Plan," 319--Santa Anna
again, 320--Fall of Paredes, 321--Santa Anna at the capital,
321--A new army, 321.
XXXIII.
PUEBLA LOST 323-332
Scott before Vera Cruz, 323--Buena Vista, 323--Raising
money, 323--The religious orders and their influence, 324--Wealth
of the Church, 326--Ecclesiastical property seized,
327--Bombardment of Vera Cruz, 328--The city surrenders,
328--Cerro Gordo, 330--Santa Anna at Puebla, 330--Puebla
occupied by the Americans, 331--Guadalupe and its
surroundings, 331--Santa Anna as Dictator, 332--Patriotism
aroused, 332.
XXXIV.
CHAPULTEPEC TAKEN 333-341
The approach to the capital, 333--Churubusco, 333--Docile
Indians, 333--Another victory for the Americans, 334--Molino
de Rey, 334--Chapultepec taken, 336--Occupation
of the capital, 336--Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, 338--Discovery
of gold, 338--Effects of the war, 339--Attempts
to capture Santa Anna, 340--Santa Anna retires to Jamaica,
341--Grant in the Mexican war, 341.
XXXV.
BENITO JUAREZ 342-347
Peace restored, 342--Herrera and his administration, 342--Santa
Anna again Dictator, 344--An epoch of reform, 344--_Clerigos_
and _liberales_, 344--Benito Juarez, 344; his early
life, 345; governor and exile, 345; restored to office, 346--A
new Constitution, 346--Juarez becomes President, 346--Foreign
intervention, 347.
XXXVI.
FRENCH INTERVENTION 348-356
A foreign squadron, 348--The pretext and the cause, 348--Spain
and England withdraw, 349--The policy of Napoleon
III., 349--A proposed empire, 349--Maximilian, 350;
dreams of "the right divine," 352--The French troops
advance on the capital, 353--Divisions in Mexico 353--The
_Cinco de Mayo_, 354--A bold attack, 355--Defence of
Puebla, 356.
XXXVII.
THE EMPIRE UNDER PROTECTION 357-364
The sovereigns arrive, 357--The imperialist party, 357--Reception
of Maximilian, 358--Relics of royalty, 359--Military
affairs, 360--The new government, 362--Chapultepec
restored, 363--Society at the capital, 363--Apparent
prosperity, 364.
XXXVIII.
THE UNPROTECTED EMPIRE 365-372
Action of the United States, 365--Responsibility for the
intervention, 366--The final word of Napoleon, 367--Carlotta
goes to Europe, 368--Her interview with Napoleon,
369--Maximilian leaves the capital, 370--At Orizaba, 371--Father
Fischer, 371--The Emperor's manifesto, 372.
XXXIX.
MAXIMILIAN 373-382
The French army withdrawn, 373--Advance of Juarez, 374--The
Emperor and his attendants, 374--Investment of
Querétaro, 375--Márquez and Diaz, 375--Personal appearance
of the Emperor, 376--The treachery of Lopez, 377--Maximilian
a prisoner, 378; his death, 380.
XL.
END OF THE EPISODE 383-385
General Vidaurri, 383--The escape of Márquez, 384--General
Diaz, 384--Puebla, 385--Vigor of the liberal government,
385.
XLI.
THE LAST OF SANTA ANNA 386-391
Juarez enters the capital, 386--Peace established, 387--Santa
Anna in retirement, 387; his exile and death, 388--Character
of Juarez, 389--Civil war again, 390--Death of
Juarez, 390--Lerdo becomes President, 391.
XLII.
PORFIRIO DIAZ 392-401
A new "Plan," 392--Birthplace of Diaz, 392--Scenery of
Oaxaca, 393--The Zapotecas, 393--Ruins of Mitla, 394--Early
life of Diaz, 394; his military achievements, 395--An
escape from hostile troops, 396--Triumph of the opposition,
396--Diaz proclaimed President, 397--Presidency
of Gonsalez, 398--Policy of Diaz, 399--Chapultepec at the
present day, 399--Hope for the Indian, 400--Prospects of
development, 401.
XLIII.
PHYSICAL ADVANTAGES 402-411
Climate and vegetation, 402--Mexican flora, 403--The
market-place, 404--A family group, 404--Native pottery,
405--The _cargador_, 405--Wearing apparel, 406--_Serape_
and _rebozo_, 406, 407--The cotton industry, 408--The
source of Mexican wealth, 409.
XLIV.
FUTURE 412-419
Influence of the Catholic Fathers, 412--Extinction of
monasteries, 412--The parish priest, 413--The Mozarabic
liturgy, 413--A missionary field, 414--The policy of the
government, 414--Schools, 415--Literature in modern
Mexico, 416--The Mexican-Spaniard, 417--Railways, 418--Brighter
days to come, 419.
INDEX 421
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
THE CONVENT OF CAPUCHINAS _Frontispiece_.
VALLEY OF TULA 15
COLUMN FROM TULA 24
RUINS FOUND AT TULA 25
QUETZALCOATL 31
PORTICO AT KABOH 43
VASE IN THE NATIONAL MUSEUM, WASHINGTON 63
CASA DEL GOBERNADOR, UXMAL 71
STATUE FROM PALENQUE 73
TABLET OF CROSS AT PALENQUE 74
MAYAN BAS-RELIEF 77
STATUE OF CHAAK MOOL 79
ZAMNA 81
ORGAN CACTUS 85
IDOL IN TERRA-COTTA 89
CANAL OUTSIDE THE CITY OF MEXICO 93
STONE OF TIZOC 103
SCULPTURE REPRESENTING HUMAN SACRIFICE 107
COURT OF THE MUSEUM AT MEXICO 113
VASE. MUSEUM AT MEXICO 120
PYRAMID AT TEOTIHUACAN 169
EARLY POTTERY 187
CATHEDRAL AT MORELIA 201
PUEBLA DE LOS ANGELES 205
TEMPLE OF XOCHICALCO 225
CACTUS HEDGE 239
PANORAMA OF PUEBLA 269
INDIAN HUT IN THE TIERRA CALIENTE 283
CATHEDRAL, CITY OF MEXICO 289
THE VIGA 293
VALLEY OF MEXICO 303
MONTEREY, MEXICO 315
GENERAL TAYLOR 317
GENERAL SCOTT 325
SIEGE OF VERA CRUZ 329
BATTLE OF MOLINO DEL REY 335
STORMING OF CHAPULTEPEC 337
BENITO JUAREZ 343
ARCHDUKE MAXIMILIAN[A] 351
SAN LUIS POTOSI 359
CHAPULTEPEC IN THE TIME OF MAXIMILIAN 361
HEAD-QUARTERS OF JUAREZ AT SAN LUIS DE POTOSI 379
THE CONVENT OF CAPUCHINAS 381
ZAPOTEC ORNAMENT 393
IMAGE OF A ZAPOTEC CHIEF 394
PRESIDENT PORFIRIO DIAZ 397
AQUEDUCT IN THE CITY OF MEXICO 410
[Footnote A: From "The Fall of Maximilian's Empire." By permission of
the author, Seaton Schroeder, Lieut. U. S. N.]
For a number of these illustrations the publishers are
indebted to the courtesy of Messrs. Hochette & Co.,
publishers of "Le Voyage au Mexique," by Jules Leclercq.
THE STORY OF MEXICO.
I.
THE SUBJECT.
The steamer stops, and we are lying off Vera Cruz, in the Gulf of
Mexico. Half a mile off, the long, low shore stretches north and south,
with the white town upon it, flat roofs making level lines on the houses
glaring in the morning sunlight, domes and church towers rising above
the rest; glimpses of bright green tree-tops are to be seen, but outside
the city all is barren and waste. The plain behind rolls up, however,
and the background is the peak of snow-capped Orizaba, silent, lofty,
17,356 feet above our level.
This is what we see to-day, leaning over the bulwark of our large
luxurious steamer which has brought us, easily, from Havana in a few
days, over the smooth, green waters of the Gulf. Our only anxiety has
been the possible chance of a "Norther," which may break loose at any
time in that region, sweeping over the waters with fury and driving the
Stoutest vessels away from the coast they would approach. Our only
exertion has been to keep cool upon the pleasant deck, and to take
enough exercise to be able to enjoy the frequent food provided by the
admirable _chef_ of the steamer.
The scenery is the same that Fernando Cortés looked upon, some three
hundred years ago, when he, too, cast anchor about half a mile from the
coast, and scanned the shore with an anxious eye, to find a suitable
landing. Orizaba rose before him, as now we see it, stately, majestic,
cold and forbidding, under its mantle of snow.
We must envy the adventurer, in spite of our advantages in the way of
ease and comfort. He stood upon the cramped deck of his little vessel,
surrounded by a handful of men, with a limited amount of provisions, and
great uncertainty about the next supply. No town stretched out its
sheltering walls before him; there was scarcely harborage for his ships.
Yet he had the advantage of absolute novelty in his undertaking from the
moment he himself, with his little band, led the way up the steep slope
to Anahuac.
Every true traveller has some of the instincts of the explorer in him,
and these instincts must make us envy the prospect which lay before
Cortés as he approached in the Bay of Vera Cruz the real beginning of
his enterprise. There was the shore of the new country, where he might
plant his "rich city of the true cross." There was the cold mountain
which might contain in its depths the treasure he was seeking, and
beyond it was the rumored Empire he longed to conquer. At that moment,
no fear, no discouragement, held back the eager steps with which he
sprang into his boat, and beckoned his companions to follow him.
Cortés fulfilled his ambition, achieved his task, with what
difficulties, through what straits and failures, we shall have later to
see. He scaled the sides of Orizaba, reached the lofty plateau, and
seized the ancient citadel of the Montezumas. Civilization has trodden
smooth the rough path he first opened, and railroads now make it easy to
climb the pass so arduous for him. If our journey lacks the element of
constant discovery which belonged to his, we have gained that of wonder
and amazement at the difficulties he surmounted. Moreover, he came in
ignorance of what he was to find, with a blind desire for conquest,
investing the region he approached with imaginary attractions. We know
beforehand, as we begin to explore the country, that its legends and
romances are as fascinating as its mines are deep; that its story is as
picturesque as the lofty ranges and deep rolling valleys which make the
charm of its scenery.
An inhospitable coast borders the treacherous, though beautiful, Gulf of
Mexico. Its waters look smiling and placid, but at any season the
furious "Norther" may break loose, sweeping with fearful suddenness over
its surface, lashing its lately smiling waves into fury, threatening
every vessel with destruction. Low sand-bars offer little shelter from
the blast. Ships must stand off the coast until the tempest shall be
past.
The country offers nothing better to its landed guests. _Vomito_ lurks
in the streets of Vera Cruz to seize upon strangers and hurry them off
to a wretched grave. All the pests of a tropical region infest the low
lands running back from the sea. Splendid vegetation hides unpleasant
animals, and snakes are lurking among the beautiful blue morning-glories
that festoon the tangled forests. Let us hasten away from these dangers,
and climb the slope that leads to a purer air.
We have escaped the terrors of the custom-house at Vera Cruz, from
which, by the way, Cortés was exempt, and after a doubtful night in the
hotel, serenaded by swarms of Vera Cruz mosquitoes, at early dawn we
creep stealthily from our chambers, not to disturb the few misguided
guests who mean to stay a little longer, and follow the dusky
_cargadores_, bearing our baggage on their backs, down into the silent
street. In Mexico there is no effort on the part of an hotel proprietor
to speed the parting guest. He signs the bill overnight and betakes
himself to repose, undisturbed by the exodus in early morning. The
_cargadores_ who have agreed to attend to the luggage rouse their
sleeping prey and lead them through a wide, straight street to the
railroad station. There is no sign of breakfast at the hotel. Nobody is
stirring but one sleepy innkeeper. Hard by the station, as in every
Mexican town, is a café, where excellent hot coffee is furnished, with
plenty of boiled milk and good bread in many and various forms. Here we
may sit and refresh ourselves with cup after cup, if we like, until the
short, sharp whistle of the steam-engine warns us to take the train.
Heavy baggage was, or should have been, weighed and registered
overnight.
It is but six o'clock as we move out of the station. A big sun is slowly
rising over the dry, hot _chapparral_ outside the city. Although it is
early April, all is parched like midsummer. Soon, however, we begin to
climb, and, as we ascend, pass through forests of wonderful growth.
Sugar-cane and coffee plantations now appear; and the trees are hung
with orchids, tangled with vines bright with blossoms, many of them
fruit-trees now in flower, one mass of white or pink. The road crosses
water-falls, winds round ravines, under mountains, through tunnels,
climbing ever higher and higher, until Córdoba is reached at an
elevation of over 2,000 feet. This town is surrounded and invaded by
coffee plantations and orange groves. At the station baskets of
delicious fruits are offered us--oranges, bananas, grenaditas, mangoes.
Here we bid farewell to the tropics, and forget the snakes and the fear
of _vomito_.
The climate we are seeking is not a tropical one. Whoever associates
Mexico with the characteristics of heat, malaria, venomous reptiles, has
received a wrong impression of it. Such places, with their drawbacks,
exist within the geographical limits of the country, but it is wholly
unnecessary to seek them; for the towns of historical and picturesque
interest are above the reach of tropical dangers, for the most part,
while there are seasons of the year when even the warmer portions can be
visited with safety and delight. At Orizaba the climate is temperate,
fresh, and cool, beginning to have the elements of mountain altitudes.
It is well to stop here for a day or two to become accustomed to the
rarer air. It is a summer place of recreation for the inhabitants of
Vera Cruz, while in winter it is a favorite excursion from the places
higher up on the plateau.
As we are travelling only in imagination, we may safely, without pause,
press upward to the great plateau where most of the scene is laid of our
story. For Mexico, with the exception of the narrow border of sea-coast
we have just crossed, is a lofty table-land between two oceans, a
mountain ridge continued up from the Andes in South America, contracted
at the Isthmus of Panama to a narrow chain of granite, to grow broad in
Mexico as it stretches to the northwest, until it spreads, at an
elevation from 4,000 to 8,000 feet, almost from ocean to gulf. This is
Anahuac, the so-called table-land of Mexico, a broad plateau upon which
the picturesque romantic drama of Mexican history has been played. Upon
this high plateau, which is by no means level, rise the crests of the
great volcanic ridges, of which the highest are Popocatepetl and
Istaccíhuatl. The table-land rolls off northward at first, keeping its
high level, growing narrower, gradually sinking as it approaches the Rio
Grande, until at the boundary line of the United States it has fallen to
3,000 feet.
Thus Mexico possesses three well defined climates, due to variation in
altitude: the _tierra caliente_, or hot lands of the coast; the _tierra
templada_, or temperate region; and the _tierra fria_, the cold regions
of the mountain tops, more than 6,000 feet above the level of the sea.
These climates, moreover, are modified by the latitude, so that between
the cold altitudes of the northern portions, and the warm tropical
levels of the south, there is a vast range of atmospheric change.
Our story has its stage, for the most part in the _tierra templada_,
where the year is divided into two seasons: the dry season, from
November to May; the rainy one, from June to October. The pleasanter one
is the rainy one, in spite of its name. The rains are not continuous,
but fall usually late in the afternoon and during the night, leaving the
morning bright and clear, and the air deliciously fresh and cool. All
the year roses bloom in the city of Mexico, and there are places where
you may eat strawberries every day in the three hundred and sixty five.
Spreading over the greater part of this lofty region, there are broad,
level plains of rich verdure, bright with all imaginable wild-flowers
growing in profusion; large lakes, as picturesque as those of Northern
Italy, surrounded by hills that are mountains, reckoning from the sea
level; lofty mountain peaks, eternally snow-covered, barren and rocky
below their snow-summits, then clothed with pine, and nearer at hand
with fine oaks and other trees of temperate climates. Brawling streams
water the valleys, and at the edge of the plateau make deep barrancas,
whose depths reach to the lower level, their dangerous chasms hidden by
rich growths.
On this elevated plateau, which with all its variety seems a world of
its own, until within the period of modern inventions all but
inaccessible to the lower country and the ocean beyond, we find the
traces of an ancient civilization, reaching backward until it is lost in
legend. Long before the invasion of Anahuac by Cortés, it was inhabited
by intelligent races of men. The mystery which hangs about these people
makes the search for their history full of interest. In the present
native population, we seek to find some clue to the manners and customs
of the first inhabitants, by which to read the meaning of the monuments
they have left. They are gone, their institutions overthrown by a power
stronger than they were, by reason of the resources of advancing
civilization, their idols and temples overturned by the zealots of
another belief.
Outraged by the human sacrifices of the Mexican tribes, Cortés
destroyed, with a reckless hand, all the evidences of what he regarded
heathen worship. In so doing, the records of the race were lost,
together with carved images of gods. It is unfortunate that his zeal was
not tempered with discrimination, for it is now difficult, through the
clouds of exaggeration surrounding the Spanish Conquistadores, to find
out what sort of people they were, who preceded them on Anahuac.
Empires and palaces, luxury and splendor fill the accounts of the
Spaniards, and imagination loves to adorn the halls of the Montezumas
with the glories of an Oriental tale. Later explorers, with the fatal
penetration of our time, destroy the splendid vision, reducing the
emperor to a chieftain, the glittering retinue to a horde of savages,
the magnificent capital of palaces to a pueblo of adobe. The discouraged
enthusiast sees his magnificent civilization devoted to art, literature,
and luxury, reduced to a few handfuls of pitiful Indians, quarrelling
with one another for supremacy, and sighs to think his sympathies may
have been wasted on the sufferings of an Aztec sovereign dethroned by
the invading Spaniard.
Yet perseverence, after brushing away the sparkling cobwebs of
exaggerated report, finds enough fact left to build up a respectable
case for the early races of Mexico. Visible proofs of their importance
exist in the monuments, picture writings, and, above all, their
traditions, which, at all events, remain a pretty story, with a sediment
of facts the student may precipitate for himself. These traditions make
of the early settlers of Anahuac a very interesting study, all the more
from their shadowy nature, leaving still much margin for fancy.
They were overwhelmed by the Spaniards, but not destroyed, for the
descendants of the conquered races still form a large proportion of the
population of Mexico. Their _teocallis_ and hideous carved gods gave way
to Roman Catholic cathedrals and images of the Holy Virgin. Spanish
viceroys, after the first atrocities of military discipline, ruled the
gentle descendants of the Aztecs with a control for the most part mild
and beneficent. The Catholic fathers who crossed the ocean to labor for
the spiritual welfare of the natives, wisely engrafted upon the
mysteries of their own faith the legends and superstitions of the older
belief. Thus we find in many of the religious ceremonies in Mexico, a
wild, picturesque element, which is lacking in the church festivals of
the Old World.
When the Conquistadores took possession of the New Spain in the name of
their royal master, the Emperor Charles V., he was one of the most
powerful of earthly monarchs. His son, Philip II., received the country
as a part of his inheritance, along with realms which made him even
greater than his father. But the successors of Philip II. knew not how
to hold the possessions their fathers had won. Piece by piece their
distant provinces were lost to them. Mexico, after two hundred years of
neglect and mismanagement, shook herself free from Spanish rule; since
the early part of this century she has called herself independent, with
the exception of the two brief periods when the ambition of two men,
differing widely from each other in their antecedents and aims, caused
them to attempt the rôle of "Emperor of Mexico." Iturbide was the former
of these; the latter, the ill-advised Maximilian. For the last twenty
years, since the fall of Maximilian, Mexico has been a republic, with
all the varying fortunes that attend a young institution struggling with
inexperience and difficulty. A native population with an inheritance of
superstition, prejudice, and oppression, mixed with a race whose
traditions are all in favor of arbitrary government, supplemented by
immigrants from every other nation who have come, often with lawless
intent, seldom with disinterested motives, and never inspired by any
feeling that could be called patriotism, must wait long for that
unanimity of public opinion and harmony of interest which ensure good
government.
At times it has seemed that no good could emerge from such opposing
elements; yet nature has furnished to Mexico material for a long siege;
broad territory with a faultless climate, mountains rich in every
mineral resource, valleys well adapted for cultivation and grazing, a
land where every industry may, under a stable government, be pursued
with success. The character of the descendant of the Aztecs is mild and
docile, capable, as many people think, of high development by education;
such bad qualities as Mexicans have developed from Spanish inheritance
are, it is hoped, giving way before the progress of civilization and
education.
The past of the people who live upon Anahuac is wrapped in mystery. So
is their future. Both are interesting problems, to be worked out from
the legends of old time, and the narrative of the present.
II.
SHADOWY TRIBES.
Anahuac means "by the water." It is the ancient name for the great tract
of land surrounding the lakes in the lofty valley of Mexico,--Chalco and
Xochimilco, which are but one lake, properly speaking, the large Lake of
Texcuco, and the smaller ones Zumpango and San Christobal. At first the
name Anahuac was applied only to the neighborhood of the lakes, but
later it came to be applied to the whole plateau.
The Conquistadores, according to their own glowing account, found upon
the shores of these lakes a busy population, with all the evidences of
industry and prosperity. Temples, erected for worship, containing the
images of strange gods, stood in the lofty places. Their monarch lived
in a palace of luxury, surrounded by his guards; he controlled a large
army, which did battle for him against his enemies. His swift-footed
messengers, without steam, without even horses, did his bidding even to
the shores of the distant sea. Without printing, or telegraph, he
received prompt information of distant events by pictures made on the
spot by his special artist. Here was a civilization which had received
nothing from the courts of Europe, whose forms and ceremonies, while as
rigid and as grand, borrowed nothing from the traditions of the royal
house of Spain.
Whence came this proud people which had conquered for itself a place in
that valley of the perfect climate?
About fifty miles from the city of Mexico is a town named Tula, formerly
Tollan, which means perhaps "the place of many people." A road, shaded
by great ash-trees leads across the river Tula, through a narrow pass to
some ruins of an ancient civilization, ruins already when the city of
Montezuma, which Cortés found flourishing, arose. A building of ancient
stone is still there, laid in mud and covered with hard cement of a
ruddy tint, with which the floors are also covered. The largest room in
the building is not more than fifteen feet square. Another building
farther on, larger than the first, is called the _Casa Grande_; it
contains about thirty small rooms, connected by stairways, as their
height above the ground varies. The plaza of the little town Tula
contains the portion of a column and the lower half of a colossal
statue, which belong, as well as the buildings just described, to the
period of the Toltecs, whose capital was the ancient Tollan. Their city
was abandoned a hundred years before the Aztecs entered it, and its
founders scattered. Whence came the shadowy race whose history vaguely
underlies that of later Mexican races?
The great mound which since Humboldt's time has been called the pyramid
of Cholula, of which every child has seen a picture in his geography,
has now all the appearance of a natural hill. It is overgrown with
verdure and trees; torrents of water in the rainy seasons have cut
crevices in its sides, and laid bare wide spaces. A good paved road now
leads to the summit, where a pretty modern church looks down upon the
little town of Cholula huddled round the base of the pyramid. The church
and the road leading to it are the work of the Spaniards, but
examination proves the whole mound to be built by men out of earth,
broken limestone, little pebbles, and small bits of lava. Sun-dried
bricks were employed, of varying sizes and different make, which aids
the idea that the mound was built slowly and by differing methods. On
the platform at the top, which was reached by five successive terraces,
Cortés found a temple, which he caused to be destroyed. The dates fixed
for the erection of this pyramid vary from the seventh to the tenth
century of our era. Conjecture only offers explanation of the purpose
for which it was erected. Legends which the neighboring Indians preserve
say that it was built in preparation for a second deluge. Another
version is that men dazzled by the splendor of the scene sought to erect
a tower which should reach the firmament; the heavenly powers, wroth
with their audacity, destroyed the edifice and dispersed the builders.
Cholula was one of the important cities of the Toltecs, but its
construction is attributed to an earlier people.
[Illustration: VALLEY OF TULA.]
Another monument of the ancient civilization is Xochicalco, seventy-five
miles southwest of the city of Mexico. In the middle of a plain rises a
cone-shaped height from three to four hundred feet high, whose base has
an oval form two miles in circumference. Two tunnels piercing the side
of the mound open towards the north; the first has been explored only
eighty-two feet. The second penetrates the calcareous hill by a large
gallery nine feet and a half high, with several branches in different
directions. The ground is paved. The walls are supported by mason-work
cemented and covered with red ochre. The principal gallery leads to a
hall eighty feet long, whose ceiling is kept in place by the aid of two
pilasters. In one corner of this hall is a little recess, excavated like
the rest out of the solid rock, with an ogival dome of Gothic aspect.
So much for the interior. Outside are five successive terraces of
mason-work sustained by walls surmounted by parapets. At the summit
stand upon a broad platform the ruins of the temple for which the mound
was apparently destined; it is a rectangular building constructed of
blocks of porphyritic granite placed on each other without the aid of
mortar, with such skill that the joinings were scarcely visible. In 1755
the temple still preserved five stories; at the top was a stone, which
might have served as a seat, covered like the rest of the building with
strange ornaments carved in the stone.
Works evidently for defence testify to the constant fighting which must
have been waged over Anahuac. In the province of Vera Cruz, at Huatusco,
there are traces of fortifications stretching towards the north. Ceutla
seems to have been one of the chief points chosen for defence. The plain
is covered with ruins. A forest conceals and at the same time protects
several pyramids of stone bound with mortar. These pyramids are the most
striking feature of this ancient architecture. The teocallis or palaces
at Palenque and Copan, ruins found in Yucatan and Honduras, are erected
on truncated pyramids like those of Anahuac. They are all of one
primitive type, although differing in details of material and form.
These ruins, still left to attest the power of the great vanished
nations who erected them, are rapidly disappearing. The Spanish
conquerors were amazed at their size and importance--so much so that in
their description they often exaggerated their splendor. Some of them
Cortés destroyed; whatever he spared, gradually falls away, through
neglect, theft, or other ravage of time. Forests of tropical growth have
hidden the wonders of Palenque from destruction. Other such places may
yet exist all undiscovered; and it is probable that the researches of
scientific explorers will in time bring to light much information about
the builders of these monuments. Meanwhile we must again turn to
conjecture, and in the absence of facts to keep it within bound, we may
indulge our imagination, and play with legend.
Far away from some distant home, early in the dim traditional annals of
Anahuac, men came to settle upon its plains. They found there a race of
giants--strange, fierce men, of immense strength,--whose ancestors
perhaps had struggled with prehistoric beasts, of which the bones lie
buried deep below the present surface. This race of giants was wild and
rude; they lived by hunting, and devoured raw the flesh of the game they
secured with bows and arrows; they were brave, daring, and agile, but
were given over to the vice of drunkenness.
We cannot stop to be very much interested in this rudimentary people,
called Quinames, who have left us scarcely more than a name, and little
even of legend to charm us. The pyramid of Cholula and that of
Teotihuacan are ascribed to them, rather by way of pushing back these
monuments to an ancient period. Their conception and execution show
ambition, perhaps veneration, as well as determination and perseverance.
Whence they came, therefore, it is vain to speculate: how long they were
there, what manner of men they were. A wave of life more civilized swept
down upon them from the north and exterminated the whole race, so that
we have nothing more to tell about them. The tribes which have the
credit of destroying the giants bear the names of Xicalancas and
Ulmecas. They paused a while upon the plateau, and passed on to people
the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico.
Next came the Mayas, still always from the north. Although they left
some traces upon Anahuac, they too moved farther on, to establish in
Yucatan and the territory between Chiapas and Central America their
greatly advanced civilization. Of this great family the many different
branches speak dialects varying from the mother tongue, but allied to
each other.