^mm' im =Bits^— ^ of Old Mexico By JAMES A. WILSON San Francisco - - California .-^-1^ ^ No. To.. Compliments of Copyrighted 1910, by James A. Wilson San Francisco, Cal. ICI.A2r,ir.35 Reading from left to right — ''Dick." "Billie," ''Jim" "George' Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive in 2010 witii funding from Tine Library of Congress Iittp://www.arcliive.org/details/bitsofoldmexico01wils BITS OF OLD MEXICO BY JAMES A. WILSON In a moment of absent-mindedness, I said. "Yes, I'll go," and the result of that "yes" was a trip to Mexico. We had been discussing the rubber question and its possibilities. I had agreed to take an interest in a plantation but said Missourian-like, "Show me," and the agreement to visit Mexico and this particular plantation was an assured fact before we left the lunch table. It took us about a week to get ready and on the 24th of February started for the land of manana and the home of quein sabe. The run to El Paso had its moments of interest, but as this is a trip to Mexico, I will forget every- thing else for the present. Eleven a. m. Sunday, February 28th, found us on the bridge connecting El Paso and Juarez, or the United States and Mexico, and incidentally in the hands of the custom officers. I have mentioned "us" and "we" a number of times and as we are about to enter a foreign country 2 BITS OP OLD MEXICO the party had better be identified, so, for con- venienee sake. I will name them Diek. Rillie. George and Jim, th»* latter beinp represented by myself at meal time and other important functions. Tlie ilay was hot and we were comfortably warm; a (Irawiiijr r()(»ni protected us some from the heat and didn't hurt with the inspectors. After leavinp: the l)ridf?e, the train stopped at Juarez where trunks were inspected and an opportun- ity offered to chanjje your money from American to ]Mexican at the rate of two I\Iexican for one American. This jrives a person a sense of wealth and you wonder why people don't t?o to that country where they will have just twice as ranch as at home. Tlie whistle blcAv about noon time and we were off for the City of Mexico. The .iouniey was made without event. Our stops were short, the country uninviting, and the natives more so, but of this later. The engrineer and our de- sires seemed to be as one in jtrettin? as quickly as possible to the City of Mexico, and when the colored jrentleraan ordered us to stand up and fjet "brushed down" we knew we were gettins: close to the bejjin- ninp of our trip. We pulled into the station promptly on time at 8 p. m. and after the usual fussing about getting bag- gage started right, took carriages and drove out through the gates, getting tabbed by some soldiers as we did so. They qrot the hotel we were going to and BITS OF OLD MEXICO 3 the number of pieces of bagfgage, and, I suppose, at the end wrote down Gringos, four. We had arranged to stop at the St. Francis, and accordingly, proceeded to get there as soon as free. A luirried wash, a bite to eat, and we were out and tak- ing our first walk in the City of Mexico. Leaving the hotel and turning to the left from the bronze statue of Charles IV of Spain, walking about two blocks on a wide street of residences and stores, you arrive at the Alameda or plaza. The street here is wide for about two blocks, with stores on the right. At the end of the Alameda the street narrows and becomes the Calle de San Francisco which extends to the Plaza Mayor, or main square in the center of the city from which point all cars start and all trips finish. Standing in the square, one, in imagination, can see startling events in the history of Mexico — the coming of the Toltics in the seventh century, replacing a former race and establishing a system of government, devoting themselves to war largely, but finding suffi- cient time to cultivate the soil, erect great temples and cities, study science and art and gradually disappear, it is thought, through famine, pestilence and war; but their four centuries of occupation, it is suggested, left the ruins of Palenque Mitla and other wonders of building genius. The coming and going of different tribes followed, with more or less advance in civilization, till we see the Aztecs, or Mexicans, arrive, wandering around, bossing some other tribe one day and becoming slaves 4 BITS OF OLD MEXICO tlie next, so to spt'ak. till we find a band of them wandering on the borders of a lake looking for a new L-ampiu',' place. One of the old leaders spied a golden eagle perched on the stem of a prickly pear with a snake, or serpent in its talons, and being tired, pro- nounced this a good omen, and informed his friends that this was tiie promised land. This happened in 1825. and they called the place Tenoehtitlan. This was the beginning of the City of Mexico. Wars with other tribes, conquests, peace and pros- perity brought civilization, and they established king- doms and royalty, pomp and ceremony of a truly pa- gan character. All this we see passing before the minds eye in the preparation for the coming of Cortez. Wt,' see him land and fight his way, conquering or gaining allies from Vera Cruz to the Citj'^ of Mexico. \\'hieh he entered on the 8th of November, 1519. We see his meeting with Montezuma, his stay and expul- sion on July 1st. 1520. "la noche triste," or dismal night, his flight and reinforcement from Cuba, and his final triumi)hal entry into the City of Mexico, August 13th, 1521. the falling of the temples and the erection of Christian churches, the rule of the vice- roys, the revolution, the empire, the republic, the Mexican war. the capture of the city by the United States' forces on the 15th of September. 1847, the treaty of peace, the entry of the French soldiers on June 9th. 1863, and the crowning of Maximilian em- peror, June 12th. 1804; the United States telling Na- poleon that they wouldn't stand for the king busi- ness; the Mexicans getting up another revolution. BITS OF OLD MEXICO and taking Max and a couple of his generals out and shooting them; General Diaz capturing the city June 21st, and Juarez made president of Mexico, entering the city July 25th, 1867. We see many other scraps in different parts of Mexico — that of Oaxaca in January, 1876, when Gen- eral Diaz took the field and everything else he could lay his hands on, and finally, take the city November 24th, 1876, and hold it and the office of president ever since with the exception of one term of four years. I stood reviewing all these things mentally and was finally brought back to the present by Billie an- nouncing that he intended going to the museum in the morning to examine the Aztec calendar. Billie is a scientist among other things. George wanted to take in the churches and cemeteries. He is serious- minded. Dick was agreeable for anything but sug- gested that wood-work was his long suit, and as the best samples of cabinet-work could be found in the Cantina we should look over this branch of the Mexi- can exhibit first. We adjourned immediately to the first we found to compare the cabinet-work in the Mexican Cantina M'ith the bar fixtures of a California saloon. The following morning saw us up and ready for sight-seeing. Our first visit was to the museum to satisfy Billie. We hired a guide who spoke English fluently and charged us in both languages plentifully. He took us direct to the Aztec Calendar, as per Billie 's desire, and informed us that it was originally in the great temple Tenochtitlan, and after it was destroyed, b BITS OP OLD MEXICO the stone was left on the ground in the square, and whon the Christians built the Cathedral, it was placed in the West tower from which place it was removed to the museum in 1886. It weighed originally nearly sixty tons; that it took five thousand men to bring it from the quarry in 1478 to the city; that it showed the seasons, the months and the daj^s. It certainly looked the age and its weight could hardly be doubted. Its carvings, strange in character, were on a round dial. Billie examined it very critically, but seemed to think it would do. George said he thought there must be some religious significance attached to the charac- ters on the stone that was not understood, and Dick and I took the guide's w^ord for it. The sacrificial stone next attracted our attention. The guide in- formed us that it came out of the great temple that stood on this square and M'^as companion to the calen- dar stone. It was about the same size, and circular, was carved all around the sides and on the flat sur- face of the top, had a hole cut in the center from which ran a chase which the guide told us was for the burning of the hearts and carrying off the blood of the victims. This stone was found near the Cathedral in 1791, and was about to be broken up because it could not be moved conveniently, when some one thought to save it as a curio. A colossal head of stone was next pointed out. It was dug up from one of the streets in 1830. It is three feet high and two feet through the neck, and is supposed to be as old as the Calendar stone. It looks BITS OF OLD MEXICO 7 all right for a sphinx, and Billie is going to look the matter up. The God of War, Huitzilopochtli, is a cor- ker, as his name would imply. He stands about ten feet high and three feet thick. He has two faces and a lot of carving ; two hands stand out from the sides of the face like the pose that the typical Jew assumes, when he says, "So help me." The guide was silent about this. The goddess of water, a monolith eleven feet high and five feet across and weighing about 40,000 pounds, has been pretty badly knocked about, and looked as if she was on the bargain counter. Dick couldn't stand for the goddess. He sug- gested that we leave the water question in abeyance and find out what the Aztec took before it. So after looking over a few more of the unsolved problems we took Billie away from the calendar stone, where we found him taking measurements, and picking up George who was absorbed in a part of the Palenque Cross that had just been brought from the ruins, we had the guide take us to a place where the goddess of water was only in evidence as a chaser. The Monte de Piedad, or National pawn shop, was the next place to visit. This is an institution that could be imitated in other countries and not hurt. It was started in 1776 to protect people from the pawn- brokers that then existed. It was approved by the crown, though run by an individual. No interest was charged, but the party redeeming a pledge was sup- posed to give something to charity, but as people pledging their jewelry or clothes were hardly in a 8 BITS OP OLD MEXICO giving mood when they redeemed their pledge, in- terest was charged and the Government took hold of it. You pawn your diamonds today, and interest is charged monthly. While you pay your goods are safe and unexposed, but when you fail, your pledge is placed on sale at a value fixed by the authorities, and should the article be purchased by some one and the price paid be more than the money advanced and interest, the person pledging the article will be paid the difference. Should it not be sold at an appraised value in one month after exposure, the price is re- duced, and so on month after month, until it is brought down to the amount advanced and interest. Then it is allowed to stand until sold. This place is also on the main plaza, nearly opposite the Cathedral and is visit- ed by a miscellaneous collection of people about as interesting as are the pledges. We all bought some- thing to make believe we were shopping. I rescued an English sovereign of George III; some patriot had worn it as a scarf pin. and it was as good as when it came out of the mint. I bought it and brought it back to the United States, for though George III was not on friendly terms with us during his lifetime, yet I thought lie would feel more at home in San Francisco than in a pawn-shop in the City of Mexico. George bought a small crucifix. Billie an old sand- glass to learn if time was measured in Mexico as it is at home. Dick did not buy but he went through the back rooms and examined the furniture that had been pledged or manufactured for sale and gave us a BITS OF OLD MEXICO 9 correspondence course in cabinet work, dove-tailing, veneering and grafting. This National pawn shop was very interesting, but the most pathetic thing in the whole business was the life-sized model of Jesus for sale; and while I am not a special advocate of any parteular line of how to get there, I felt that I ought to pay the price and get the image of the lowly Nazarene out of such bad com- pany. The only reason, I suppose, that restrained me was the thought that he was sold into bad company once before for a few pieces of silver (this model was actually placed for sale with a lot of furniture and in full view of every visitor). From the pawn shop to the thieves' market was but a short walk across the great plaza. I understood you could buy an article at one gate and on going out at another, the same article would be presented to you for sale, some kind pickpocket in the meantime having helped himself to your purchase. It may all be true, but as I did not buy, I cannot verify the state- ment. The place impressed me as a second-hand junk shop. Everything was old and rusty and consisted of a miscellaneous collection of machettes, stilettos, and other murderous looking weapons. Billie made a trade with a dealer in copper coins and bought a sack full because he noticed a few that he thought were ancient, and when he came to look them over the particularly interesting ones were not visible, so per- haps the market is well named. However, he bought a shell, something like abalone, with a painting of a boat landing, done in a very crude manner. I could 10 BITS OF OLD MEXICO not understand what the dealer was trying to make Billie believe, but I think he was selling it for the landing of Cortez. Anyhow, it was rolled up in an old newspaper, and Billie was exceedingly proud when on opening the paper at the hotel he found the shell was actually with him, and got off a nearly joke by saying that it was the first time that he had beaten the shell game. The Thieves Market at one time oc- cupied the main plaza, but was banished when the scpiare was cleared of all markets, and while I have mentioned this square, I will note a few of the things about it that are interesting. It is known as the Plaza -Mayor de la Consitiucion. It is the center of the city and the place where the great temple of the Aztecs once stood, and wdiere now- stands the Cathedral. The square w^as used for three years after the Christian occupancy as a market place and was filled with booths of all characters, but it seems to have been burned down about 1611. The Cathedral is at one end of the Plaza, and at other points are located the National Palace, the Portales, stores with portals extending to the street line over the sidewalk. A small park and a band-stand opposite the Cathedral, a pretty flower market at another point where the most artistic flower pieces for funerals are made and sold, and not only for funerals but for occasions of a much livelier character. I could see that George was becoming worried about something and soon found out that he thought we were neglecting the churches w^hich he had special instructions from home to visit, whether for worship BITS OF OLD MEXICO 11 or inspection lie did not say, but we complied with his request and visited the Cathedral on the main square. The Cathedral is old and good-looking and occu- pies the site of an Aztec temple said to have been the greatest pagan place of worship on the continent. THE CATHEDRAL. The first Christian church on the present site was built about three years after the conquest. The cor- ner stone of the present Cathedral was laid in 1573, the first service was held in 1626 and finally dedicated on the 2nd of February, 1667. The total cost was over $2,000,000 at the then time price of things. It was over 400 feet long. The inside measures 387x177 feet, from roof to floor, 179 feet. The towers are 203 feet high. The walls and towers are of stone and the roof brick arches and cement. The south front is richlv ornamented with carvings and statues of saints and great men in church history. Here are some of the things the guide told us about and to which I listened with great interest, second only to that of George, who was so intent on acquiring church history that he found out the names of the saints to whom the four- teen chapels are dedicated. The most noted one is that of San Felipe de Jusus. Some of the relics of this saint are preserved here; among them is the font in which he was baptized. In this chapel are the remains of IVIexico's first emperor, Augustin Yturbide. In the chapel of San Pedro lies the remains of the first Archbishop of Mexico and Gregorio Lopez, the 12 BITS OF OLD MEXICO Mexican inaii with the iron mask, said to be a son of IMiilip the second of Spain. The choir and the j^reat ory^aus are raised up from the main floor, and in the rear of the choir, is the altar of pardon, in front of which numbers of people uf all conditions were kneeling. The main altar was built in 1850. The altar of the kings is said to be the best in the buildin ,j* " 'i ', w m »—-•*•* 1 ■4 - i S j ft' • . r 'P '1 1.' ■ ' ^,. y«- i .* "■ ,( 1 4 ^ ^ MMktfMMMIo *^/*ir-- ^ ' f*' . , .■' t 9V 1 " ""^. .1 ■•■»■ ■r- ItK w ;/*> 1 MAI t^^ k'^' i i'iw '^"i-'' , " •i';* 7 ; < r^iM.. |»p.""'W'=T *^ (^*^ -•■ ^<-J ^ ' '~Ji T^^j^^gr-w.!*' ■ i M 1 iii^Hfli^l &I '■'■^ 1 1^ 1 BITS OP OLD MEXICO 33 it was found to face due north and south. Its walls were of cut stone; its size we did not get. The valley in which these pyramids are built is said to contain many wonderful ruins, and a cause- way has been traced from the citadel passing the pyra- mid of the sun and ending at the pyramid of the moon. This is known as the street of the dead. Along its sides are old ruins supposed to be shrines and in which have been found chests of cut stone containing skulls and ornaments, but the history of the builders and their lives has been left largely to conjecture. The absolute depth of the foundation of these pyramids has never been ascertained, but it is thought that if they were uncovered, they would be the largest in the world. The next day was devoted to automobiling. Wc took in the American cemetery where the remains of seven hundred and fifty American soldiers killed in the Mexican war, lie buried in one common grave, over which is erected a monument. Many other dis- tinguished Americans are buried in this, the only spot in Mexico where the American flag can wave alone. The place is in charge of an old veteran of the civil war. His name is Thomas. He is paid by the United States Government, and deserves great credit for the care he bestows on it. We tried to give him some- thing for the care of the flowers, but he wouldn't have it, declaring that Uncle Sam paid for the care of all things pertaining to the place, including himself. 34 BITS OF OLD MEXICO We were verj' mueh pleased at the old man's pride and his loyalty to liis country. On our return from the cemetery we passed the "Portales" of the letter writers. Here is a street, or at least a block where the sidewalk or portales is de- voted to the reading and writiny the change of scene. We arrived at Esperanza at 1 p. m. and had lunch. I was careful not to t^jet left behind as I did on ray former visit. A run of a little over two hours and we were at Apizaco where we ehanp:ed ears, and had half an hour to admire the rurales, the country soldiers or police. They are armed with rifle and bayonet, or sword and pistol, depending on whether they are mounted or foot soldiers. In some towns or stations they wear shoes, at other places, sandals, and frequently they go bare-footed. Uusally a squad of five or six with guns line up on the plat- form and stand at attention till the train departs; but it often happens that where the train carries second and third-class passengers a rurale is stationed at the steps and none but first-class passengers are allowed to alight till they reach their destination. The venders of fruit and drinks deliver their wares through the windows, and the litter in some of the cars after a meal, is just as well left to the imagina- tion. The rurale while in many cases not a thing of beauty, is very useful. Formerly it was not the safest thing to travel by rail in Mexico ; then the Government organized this branch of the army, and pity any outlaw who falls into the hands of these soldiers! Some of the bravest and most daring of Mexico's citizens are officers in the rurales, and it is known that when trouble takes place, and they are sent to quell it. a crowd must disperse on their approach, for they shoot and shoot to kill, and so Mexico has be- come one of the safest places in the world to travel. 110 BITS OF OLD MP:X1C0 because of the distribution of these men in the most out-of-the-way places. The train on the other side of the station house is ffettinpr ready to pull out for Puebla. so we must sret aboard and leave the rurales and the fancy-carved walking sticks for which Apizaco is celebrated. A run of an hour and a half and we are pullino; into the station of the "Villa pre of the Angels." PUEBLA. Again the cargadores. but in this instance it was not that we were charged too much, but that we had to use them at all. "We had been directed by a friend where to put up and Avhen we approached the carriage drivers and inquired for the hotel we had been ad- vised to go to, they all shook their heads and men- tioned another hotel. Well, we came to the conclus- ion that none of the carriages from our hotel were present and that those present belonged to a rival con- cern, and as they did not look at all inviting, we asked a cargador if he knew our hotel, and he did. This confirmed our opinion that we were very clever and had solved the whole problem. We employed this car- gadore and empowered him to enlist a whole army of assistants, rather than go to a liotel not of our choice, but he only selected one. and after piling our things in two loads strapped them with long straps they keep for that purpose; then putting the strap nround the top of the head. olT they went and we following. They went at a half trot and it kept us busy keeping up with the proce.ssion. They trndeed along block after 1 BITS OF OLD MEXICO 111 block till we began to think they were heading for another town, but, at last, they brought up at a hotel, and deposited the baggage on the office floor. They were very reasonable in their demand, onl>' charging one dollar Mexican for the whole outfit. A lady made her appearance; we registered and were assigned to rooms with two beds in a room. After taking in the general surroundings, we came to the conclusion that the hackmen were probably correct when they mentioned another hotel, and we soon dis- covered how it all happened. The good friend who had given us all the information about hotels and places had traveled through the country some ten or twelve years ago, and he had directed us to the places he had put up at in those daj'-s, forgetting that the world moves, even in Mexico. True, the hotel where we found ourselves, w^as comfortable, but it was away behind what we expected to find in a city with a pop- ulation of 125,000 souls. We were located about a block and a half from the plaza but the street and buildings were about as good as any the same dis- tance from the real business center, and the dinner that was served had a tendency to calm our ruffled feelings, and Ave concluded to say. ''good enough." Cigars and a look around the plaza completely reconciled us to our present surroundings and conditions. George gazed longingly at the Cathedral on the south side of the Plaza Mayor, but the hour was late, so Dick said that prior to the band concert it would be .just as well to know whether it was Orizaba or some other brew that we would have to ask for, and as he had already 112 BITS OF OLD MEXICO .selected his place, we all agreed to let him act as tniide and provider. Piie])la. lil\(^ all important cities in Mexico, has its legend miracnloiis. romantic or relicrions. One story of its founding: is enoiiprh. It runs that the Fray Julian Garces desired to found a stopping place between the coast and the capital, and fallinir asleep, dreamed that he saw a beautiful plain on the slope of the great volcanoes with two little hills about a league between. There were sprinors in the plain and rivers with abundant water, with trees and flowers. In his dreams two angrels appeared and measured the streets and sfpiares. The Bishop awoke, and truided by the power that produced the dream, he soon came to the plain which he recoqrnized. exclaiminq:. "Here hath the Lord, throusrh his anprels shown me the site of the city, and to his ulory it shall bo made." And so it was named Puebla de los Anrreles. Another commonplace account tells of a number of Spanish families from Tlaxacala coming to the valley on the 16th of April. 1582. commencing the building of houses on this site; but the first account sounds better, so we will let it go at that. Puebla is pleasantly situated at an altitude of 7091 feet above sea level and has a population of 125.- 000. It has seen many ups and downs since the time when it was only a dream of the good Bishop. It was captured by Iturbide August 2nd. 1821, was occupied by General Scott. May 25th. 1847. during the Mexican war with the United States, was the scene of the \•ictoJ•^• of General Zaratrozn nixainst the French on the r MITLA (pages 121-131,) BITS OF OLD MEXICO 113 5th of May, 1862; was captured by the French in 1863, and was finally taken from them by General Diaz, April 2nd, 1867, since which time it has behaved very nicely, devoting itself to the restoration of its 46 churches that had been battered about some by the carelessness of many invaders. The guide book tells the truth about the city itself, when it says: "The city is spread out on the plain in the foreground. To the West the great volcanoes of Popocatepetl and Ixtaccihuatl ; to the North is the mighty Malintzi and to the East old Orizaba." A number of hills, large and small, are scattered around promiscuoush^ and on the left, in the distance, can be seen the Pyramid of Cholula. The streets are good enough and the buildings not bad; the busi- ness houses are principally on the plaza and are two and three stories high. The public buildings are fair, but the churches are grand. They are 46 in num- ber and each one noted for its color effect, the church of one saint being red and that of another yellow, and so on through the list of saints, or until the colors are exhausted. The principal one, the Cathedral of Puebla, is said to rival that of the City of Mexico and except in size the finer of the two, but I have heard this said about three other churches in as many dif- ferent towns. Anyhow, the one under consideration was begun in 1636 and consecrated on April 18th, 1649. It is 323 feet long and 101 feet wide and over 80 feet in the clear on the inside and surmounted by a dome. The old tower which cost $100,000 contains eighteen bells, the largest of which weighs 20,000 114 BITS OF OLD MEXICO pounds. The yreat choir is of stone and in the center of the nave ; it is surrounded by wrought-iron gratings made in 1697. The carvings on the organ and wood- work are of native woods and supposed to be very fine. The pulpit is carved from Puebla onyx, and the mar- quetry work deemed a revelation. An inlaid picture of Saint Peter on the door leading to the Bishop's seat is considered a master-piece. The high altar was commenced in 1789 and com- pleted in 1819 at a cost of $110,000. It is made of all the marbles in Mexico and the best samples of Puebla onyx. Beneath the altar is the tomb of the Bishop, made by slabs of onyx. An urn containing the ashes of San Sabastain de Aparicio and a thorn from the crown of Christ are the most revered possess- ions of the Cathedral. The other 45 churches we turned over to George and Billie, Dick and I devoting our time to more material affairs. It was well that we delegated the remainder of the churches to George and Billie, for George reported having found out some important matters in the church history of Puebla. and Billie certified to their historical correctness. It would seem that the architect of the church of San Francisco, having designed and built a flat arch roof in or on the edifice, was afraid to take out the forms on which it was built, and turned the job over to the priests, but their faith was not in roofs, and they refused to lake a chance. Some laborers were called in, and they got cold feet. It was then decided to sot fire to the support*; Hnd watch results. 1 BITS OP OLD MEXICO 115 which they did. The arch stood and is standing to this day, covering a period of over two hundred years. The chapel of San Sebastain is also here and they discovered that it was he who first introduced wheeled carts and oxen into Mexico, and drove the first ox team between Puebla and Vera Cruz in 1542, and in the same year drove the team to Zacatecas. This is the gentleman whose bones the people of Puebla revere next to the thorn from the crown of Christ. The town is tiles from roof to basement floor ; that is, if they have basements. The towers are tile, the roofs tile, the floors tile, many of the walls inside are tile and some of the walls outside. They are as varied in color as are the churches, or the churches as varied in color as are the tiles; it is one and the same. The onyx industry in Puebla must be large. We examined in it the rough and finish; it is of a good quality in both instances and must bring in quite a revenue, though not expensive except to visitors. It is worked up into all xhapes and sizes, from the pen- holder, with which to make your will, to the slab to cover your vault when you are laid away. It is sculptured into statues of saints and sinners, in goblets for wine and fonts for holy water, and in all its varied forms, is beautiful. The plaza is surrounded on three sides by stores, restaurants and eantinas. The stores close about 11 in the forenoon and open again at 2 in the afternoon. This custom prevails in all Mexican cities of any im- portance, including the City of Mexico, and in that 116 BITS OF OLD MEXICO country if? a