The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1846-07-11
The City of Mexico.

Hon. Waddy Thompson, recently
American Minister to that country.
gives the following sketch of the city
Of Mexico.
"The city of Mexico is said to be the
finest built city on the American Con-
tinent. In some respects it certainly is
so. In the principal streets the houses
are all constructed according to the
strictest architectural rules. The foun-
dations of the city were laid, and the
FIRST buildings were erected by Cortez,
who did every thing well which he at
tempted-from building houses or wri-
ting couplet, to conquering an EN-.
pire. Many of the finest buildings IN
Mexico are still owned by his descen-
dants. The public square is said to be
unsurpassed by any in the world; it
contains some twelve or fifteen acres
paved with stone. The cathedral
covers one entire side, the palace an
other; the western side is occupied by
a row ofvery high and substantialhous-
es, the second stories of which project
into the street the width of the pave
ment; the lower stories are occupied
by the principal retail merchants OF the
city. The most of these houses were
built by Cortez, who, with his charac-
teristic sagacity, and an avarice which
equally characterized him in the latter
part Of his life, selected the best por-
tion of the city for himself.
The Presidents Palace, formerly the
palace of the viceroys, is an immense
building Of three stories high, about
five hundred feet in length, and three
hundred and fifty wide; it stands on
the site Of the palace of Montezuma.-
1t is difficult to conceive of so much
stone and mortar being put together in
a less tasteful and imposing shape; it
has much more the appearance Of q cot
ton factory or a penltentiary than what
it really is; the windows are small, and
a parapet wall runs the whole length
of the building, with nothing to relieve
the monotony ofits appearance, except
some very indifferent ornamental work
in the centre; there are no doors in the
front either of the second or third sto-
ries-nothing but disproportionately
small windows, and too many OF them;
the three doors, and there are only
three IN the lower story, are destitute
of all architectural beauty or ornament.
Only a very small part Of this palace
appropriated 10 the residence of the
President; all the public offices are
here, including those ofthe heads ofthe
different departments; ministers ofwar,
foreign relations, finance and justice,
the public treasury, &c., &c. The
Halls OF the House of Deputies, and of
The Senate, are also in the same build
ing, and last and least, the botanic gar.
den. After passing through all sorts
of filth and dirt on the basement story,
you come to dark narrow passage
which conducts you 10 massive door,
which, when you have succeeded in
opening, you enter an apartment en-
closed with high walls on every side,
but open at the top. and certainly not
exceeding 90 feet square, and this is the
botanic garden of the palace of Mex-
co; a few shrubs and plants, and the
celebrated manita tree are all that it
contains. have rarely in my life seen
a more gloomy and desolate looking
place. 1t is much more like prison
than garden. A decripit, palsied old
man, said to be more than hundred
years old, is the superintendent of the
establishment; no one could have been
selected more IN keeping with the gen,
eral dllapidation and dreariness of this
melancholy affair.
Blu, the cathedral, which occupies
the site ofthe great idol temple of Mon
Lezuma, offers a striking contrast. 1t
is five hundred feet long by four hun
ired and twenty wide. 1t would be
ro add another to the many
Of this famous building
which have already been published.
Like all the other churches in Mexico,
it is built in the Gothic style. The
walls, Of several feet thickness, are
made of unhewn stone and lime. Up
en- entering it one is apt to recall the
wild fictions of the Arabian Nights; it
seems as if the wealth Of empires was
collected there. The clergy in Mexi-
co do not, for obvious reasons, desire
that their wealth should be made known
10 its full extent, they are, therefore,
not disposed TO give very full informa-
lion upon the subject, or TO exhibit the
gold and silver vessels, vases, precious
stones, and other forms of wealth; quite
snoughis exhibited to strike the behold
sr with wonder. The first object that
itselfon entering the cathedral
is the altar near the centre of the build
np: il is made of highly wrought and |