The Yazoo City Whig. [volume] (Yazoo, Miss.) 1844-1851, 1846-07-03
The CitY &c Nexico.

GVASt0G1kttOE vi OuI tGaaSISs
The City OF Mexico.
The new work on Mexico, BY Hon. Wad-
dy Thompson, recently American Nj mister
10 that country, gives the following sketch oil
the city Of Mexico
The city Of mexico is said TO be the finest
built city on the American continent, In |
s"me respects II certainly is so. In the |
principle sre@is, the houses are all con-
stFncled according 1O the srtctest archilec
tnral rules The foundaio, of the city were
LAID, nd the irsl buildings ercled by Cor
toZ, who did a efything we'll which he at
tempted Com building houses or writing
u COuFiet To cOnqueting an empire. Many
Of the finest buildings IN Mexico are sill
o vned by his descendants, The public
square IS sad 10 9 unsurpassed BY any in
the world; IT contains sumo twelve or fifteen
acres paved with s.one. The cathe raj Gov
eTs one entire side, the palace another; the
west side is occupied by row of very high
and substantial houses, The second stories of
which project luto the steet the width of
the pavemenj the lower stories are occupied
| by The principal TetgIl merchants of the city
| he most Oh these honses were built by Cor
IteZ, Wdo, With his Characteristic sagacity,
aud an avarice which equally characterized
nin in The latter part Of his life, selected
tie best portion OF the city for himself
The Presidents Palace, formerly the pal,
ace of Vicrovs is an immense buii'ing Of three
stories high, about FIVE bundled feet in Ienh
and three hundred and fifty wide il stands
ON tho site of the palace of Montezuma. Il
IS difficult 10 conceive of so much stone and
mortar being put together in less tasteful
and imposing Shape; it has much mere the
appearance OF a cotton factory or q penIten>
1ary, than ~h2. i: really is; The windows are
/ Smali.a snfi pasapat sxalL-Enns illa whole.
length ofthe building, with nothing TO relieve
tie monoi"ny OF It's appearance, except some
VetV Indifferent ornamental work. IN the
centre; ,hPTe are no doors in the front eith>
Ter of the second or third understanding
but disprOportionately small windows, and
too many OF them; the three doors, aud there
are only three in the lower story, are utter
lIy destitute of all architectural beauty or
ornament. Only a very small part of this
palace is appropriated TO tie residence Of the
President; all the public officers are here, IN
Guiding those Of the different del arlmecte;
; ministers OF war, foreign relations, finance
.
The Halls Of the House of Deputies and Of
The SePale, are also IN The SANS building,
and last aud least The botanic garden. After
passing through all sorts of6lih and dirt on
the basement story, you come to dark
narrow passage which conducts you to a
" massive door, WHICH, when you have succeed.
ed in opening, you enter an apartment en-
closed with high walls on every side, but
d open at the top, and certainly not exceed
: ing eighty feet square, and this is the bot
anic garden, of the palace of Mexico; few
g shrubs and plan,s, aud the celebrated mans
: ia tree are all that it contains. have Taro
9 ~ IN my life seen more gloomy and desc
It ate looking place. A Gecrepit, palsied Ole
* man, raid 10 be over hundred years old, il
u the superintendent of the establishment; NJ
sT one could have been selected more in keep
10 log with the general dilapidatiOR aud dreari
= ness Of this melancholy affair.
le But the Cathedral, Which occupies III,
site OF the great Idol temple Of MonIeZuma
q; offers striking contrast. II is five hundrel
s. feet loag BY four hundred and twenty wide
IS il would be supe,Huous TO add another I
n the many descriptions of this fsm0us build
Sc lng which have already been published
m Like all The other churches 10 Mexico. il
nd built in the Gothic style. The walls,
&c lseVeral feel thickness, are made OF unheW
nd stone aud lime. Upon entering 1t. one
er apt % recall the wild 6ciioHg of the Arabia
On Nights; il seems as il The wealth Of aempir,
Du was collected there. The clergy in Mexi'
icy DO not, for obvious reasons, desire that The
icy wealth should be made known 10 its full e
m tent; they are. therefore, not disposed
cal rive full information on tho subject, or
es, exhibit tho gold and silver vessels, vase
s> precious stones, and other forms of wealt
zee quite enough Is exhibited 70 strike the
. holder With wonder. The FIRST object tn
ne, lpTesents itself on. entering the cathedral
ex- the alter near the centre Of the building;
rye ismade Of highly wrought aud highly polish
the silver, aud covered with . prClusion OF
you namens Of pure gold On each side Of h
on altar runs balustrade, enclosing space
ible laboul eight feet wide and eighty OF hi
lery dred feet long. The balusseTs are abb
lriff four feet high and four inches thick in
snts largest part; hand-rail from sig To eighth,
you es wide. Upon tue top of this hand>.ail,
ing the distance Of six OF eight feet apart,
pro. human images, BEAUTIFULLY wrought, and abb
hist two feet high All Of lhesps. the bal
bvi> trade. hand>Fail, and images. are made Z
lass compound Of gold. silver. and copper--m
pure valuable than silver. ! vas told that an
both fer had been made to take this balastra
ions and replace il with another Of exactly