Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-10-28

the Mexican pantheon was sealed by their acceptance
bloody offerings Quetzacohuau himself worshippe
in one Of the most splendid temples of Tenochtitlan bu
even there Tezcatpoca trumphed his old antago
MIST whose very affairs were annually dehled by the i'm
notation of a fixed number OF captiyes.
The downfall of the Aztec monarchy followed the con
quest of Mckee, in August, 1921. The temples an
palaces Of the brilliant metropolis Of Montezum
left heap Of smoking ruins and the various form
of its heather worship doomed TO the same desruc
ton Hardly four years had elapsed, however, when
new and splendid city from the ashes Of thu
former and upon the site of its gloomy teeoalis thu
frars called by the conquerors to preach the gospel
the natives erected their churches and monasteries
Twelve Fraucscans, with the venerable Martin de Va
encia at their head arrived from Spain at Tetzcoco
early June 1924 Cores received these apostles
with the greatest honors evncing by all his demeanol
how much he wished to convince the Indians of theil
worth and Of the subimiy of the religion he exhorted
them to embrace He granted them the palace which
had contained Montezuma renowned collection of foreign
birds and animals and afterwards made room for the
magnificent buildings of the still existing convent of San
Francisco
Amongst other large towns already devoted to the
Spaniards and accustomed to their dominion the most
conspicuous in the early annals of the conquest is that OF
Tlaxcaa which had abhorred the Mexican monarchs
Hence perhaps the facility with which its people
hraced the doctrines of Christianity and the eageess Of
its mobiles in bowling their heads to receive the waters Of
baptism BY the geneness of their manners, their cha
rty, and energy in defending the Indians from the chur
ish reedness of their vctors the early missionaries
of the church. But it must also be allowed that the
version of the Mexicans sometimes consequence of
their fears The Spanish clergy, generally accustomed
IN their own country to act in concert with the Govern
ment often continued in America to apply to the secular
power with regard to the conversion of the Indians.
These however, seldom opposed any strong resistance to
the efforts of the missionaries overpowered asst seemed
by the transcendent superiority OF the Europeans.
The Spanish authors and more especially Torguemada,
expatae at length the meekness Of the natives
the readiness they evnced in acknowledging the doctrines
of the Christian faith, and their earnestness in preparing
for baptism from the very hour of the conquest But
these authors paid little attention to the encouragement
which had seized upon the proseytes and the spirit
craftness lying at the bottom Of the Indian nature
The Mexican nobles and more especially those of the
towns located at short distance from the capital felt
deeply interested in retaining the favor of the Spaniards
They easily yielded the spiritual concessions required
their hands, hoping by their ready compliance to be left
in unasturbed possession of their estates and property
Tetzcoca at that time the most polished of the towns of
Anahuac having been occupied since the opening of the
siege of Mexico had early conformed to the habits of the
conquerors and the Franciscans having halted there
their way to the capital it the first after Tlaxcala
to submit to the gospel Txtlxochit King of Acohua
cam owed his to Cores. At the head of his bro
theirs and multitude of noble Acolhuans he was solemn
y presented for baptism in the halls Of Nexahuacoyos
palace then transformed into church The lower classes
soon followed he example of the grandees and studied
to conform to the outward practices of the Christians
But many among them only ayaed themselves Of these
external forms of mask to conceal their attachment
to idoatry learned Mexican Jesuit, father Fabregat
in his comments the Cadex Mexicanus of the Belgian
Museum observes that Spanish America is Of the few
countries where the diffusion Of the gospel sometimes
happened to be enforced by decidedly opposite to
its sublime institutions These words might with pro-
priety be applied to Mexico. The abolition of bloody
sacrifices 49, however, such blessing to those countries
that 1t largely compensates for transient nracions
of the evangelical law 1t be denied that baptism
was often hastily administered to the Indians who in
many places, being not sufficiently instructed and fortified
in the Catholic faith, naturally fell back their old SUI
persttons aud became accustomed to minge them with
the uses of the church.
The Franciscars became convinced that to eradi
cate entirely the remnants of their rites, they de-
stroy the temples consecrated c their gods Those Of
the city of Mexico had been RACED in the general catas
rophe Of that capital but at Tetzcoco as in most Of
the towns Of Anahuac subdued without struggle they
were still standing and resorted to night in spite
OF all the prohibitions of the Spanish commander. The
conquerors however careless of the spiritual welfare of
the natives totally dsregarded inracrions of the
law, their thirst for gold absorbing all their exertons
Secure in this imRunity the Indians readily acauiesced
with seeming cheerfuness in the day instructions of the
while at night stealing away under cover of
the darkness they assembled their temples where they
met with their priests and sacrificed their gods Often
times did they disturb the service of the rars
with the mournfu sounds Of the teponaz Indian drum
and the hollow and cadenced stamping of their sacred
Dances breaking forth from the unhoy sancuaries of
the Acolhuan city.
The work Of destruction resolved upon. 1t com
menced with the grand temple of Nezahualcoyo which,
for magnicence and spendor was UNSURPASSED in the
new world The monks, attended by crowds of young
Indians belonging to the christian school, set fire to the
noble edce the LIST of January 1925 being the day
of tanguz Indian fair The lurid glare of the flames
waving above the glded roofs Of the teoca soon at
tracted the attention of the multitude People, priests
and princes rushed in wild confusion, with camors of
horror and rage. But, beholding the Franciscans
standing the steps of the huge pyramid silent awe
crept them their anger fell their shrieks were
verified into low wang, and they sat in sombre despair
moaning the ruin Of their deities Statues idols
sacerdotal vestments and furniture all became at once
prey to the flames The desolaton Of the other temples
OF Tetzcoco and its neighboring towns soon followed
every where making for the stately mansions and
churches OF the conquerors Some monuments escaped
owing 10 their isolation in the woods the mountains
where they were abandoned to oblivion and decay.
The slight resistance offered by the Indians to the estnb-
hshment Of the Catholic church could not but deceive
the missionaries with regard their inward dispositions
In the course of few years churches and
tensive converts were In many provinces erected upon
the ruins of the heather temples The Dominican order
and afterwards the Augustines and the Order Of
Mercy were transpanted into Mexico with the view Of
sharing in the abors Of their brethren the
Taxcaa first became bshoprick and next to it the ca
pita of New Spain, which was afterwards raised to the
metropolitan dignity with some other sufragan Sees.
Thus in very short period the Catholic church vrs ca
nonicaly instituted, established and endowed in the
whole extent Of the kingdom The clergy awaited them
selves Of the strength they derived from the establish
ment to support the natives against the ourages Of the
conquerors The complaints of the bishops and other
preaes caused the Court of Spain to provide
for them and several laws were enacted to defend the
rights OF an unfortunate and persecnted people But
these did not seem to feel any stronger sympathy for the
religion whereby those laws hacl been promoted When
nrst Of the conquest over and they
began to breathe they nse asby returned TO the old
~1oexL