New-York tribune., 1868-11-11
MEXIOO


60 Past the middle of yesterday
'""oO ,oI fro, tbe Pyramids of PeOtihuacan
IT, .rc,ent canital of the Aztecs. situated near
IS ,o,o;vo I AXE of TezcOco, on the side opposite
- ,ho, rnon which was built the City of Mexico
rho sole conveyance feasible for our purpose was
dogcart. with two mules hired from couple OF
dealers in aguardente. Reason therefor was
,ht al, other wheeled comforts of the town had been
cncaped for the morrow. saddled horses being also
dc1ied us for a similar reason, added to very usu-
rious one of profit. There was an Obvious security
IN travelling modestly and we had been told by
several townsfolk that there were robbers on the
road However aS it seemed about as safe TO traVcl
in the afternoon IN the morning, ana as seltnteI
est is sometimes at the bottom of the rum0s which
a sOiourner hears in Mexican village, we cohcluueJ
to put the aguaTente dOg-cart and tue fczcoco iou
TO an experiment In progress. AS ~ tlfheu ou., ~
suffered great deal from the dogcart, ana hi,usnV %
from thieves The Journey vSually most eng t n
tanning. The ridges of hills ana nlOuhtaii@s $50 o1v{ ~
outlined against the wide waste OF the SKY d 80 v ;
TO the thought they are no better ta % borSes
valleys and knOlls, with wmte-wall iaIul-IousyiS,
and white belfry towers of churches, PiC,lufTs1urE
obscured by trees; the great maSuay "'iuS and
blue at sundown; the nt Iar it"sncb objects of
scene reward the mind of the iourneyer. we passed
the villages of Shometa. San Mateo, AmeSCuaque anu
I'm ''So,,S So"5e miles off called XOchihuaoan Much
nearer 10 TczcOcO is place called leIctoNioe' We
paused ut Yzouitan on the bridge OF santa ANA ~
see the ti00d rushing down from the mOuh'alns'
ovcr1owiug a water-cOuTSe that we had seen per
fectly dry minnie before and running on WIN
yeheinence that wOud have taken all iharaoh noSt
~ their legs 1t Is common here to see river beds
,ry one day and full the next and the reason ior he
easy dissipation of the water supply when makes
thls phenomenon necessary is curious IhOugh III
rains here almost every afternoon from June to the
middle OF September, and the mountains let uown
torrents regularly yet there are SO many ssu,e' anu anu
harrancas and ordinary courses natural 10 q very
hilly and volcanic country, that the ram IL easily
Lost or so spread ont that 1t is soon taken up by
sun which shines with inyariable feryor every DAY
It pffb tfa
TRUMAN relieved his mind by telling MS tat vicious
cla of robbers had been troubling the ROAD Cnauta
boasts very antiquey seOloped church-waIl peslue
a npictureS0ue bell-tower. Seeing which the sombreto
at our elbow sOlemnly bobbcd its head as once agn
II did at sight OF the cross and aoaptcNS M w M
inward Ordci0R TO Mary, Queen OF the Nlgnt, we
got by such blanketed suspicion and poverty as one
may see wayfarng on country Ioaas az ngnIad' aa'
and rode into the medieval darkness OF the town OF
TezcocO which, made visible by number OF distant
ol-lamps lends a gloomy cOuntenance 10 inc ruihor
and atInospbore of wrong which, reasonably or not.
will hover about such places Ihe MeXicalS 700
often sgnalize crime by putting up crosses ana s h0t
holding out lights. Gas and police might tell a dii-
fereut story; but the towns are infants at seneSu
lation. Now comes the news Of violent robbery on
TeZcocO Lake, which goes to show that an unchas-
t.ed class OF rogues are about 1t is fair however.
10 give the fact for what it is worth that IN our re-
cent travels of some hundreds of miles III what IS
known robber country, we have Travelled unarnleu,
and with but a single companion also unarned
In Tezcoco we have stopped at the nies0n of revo-
lutionary old colonel who gives without beds
for two reals and rooms only with beds for four
reals or half a dollar 1t was and is a we'll
known custom especially familiar to the unsettled
state of Mexico for the secOndclasS odger to spread
his mating the floor and cover himself with his
shawl serape. We passed an excellent. untroubed
night. under a tiled ceiling and bare raiteTs. above q
tiled floor, and in the morning; after taking des-
dynO of mixed chocolate and aole sailed out 10 soc
after Nnesiro Seor del Hospito or Our Lord of the
Hospital-the name, also, of a full-length christ,
with dead face OF wax, sumptuously lald ont IN
glass coffin above the altar. The church contains,
also. life-size image of Our Lady of the Bleeding
Heart, whose breast Is wounded with sword, and
much more impressive figure of the Mother of Sor-
rows r0bed in black velvet and featured with COM
passion. Few churches in the land are without some
sonowful figure. which stands for the very common
sadness which seeks its altar and which shrlnes lSe
in all the passion and devotion of marOatry. The
mass Of people not so church-bound now as when
their poets sang to the Virgin. but the following lines
30 Maria de los Dolores by one of the minor poets OF
the land will aptly express to y3n the spirit OF the
worship of which the gTieving Virgin OF SorrowiuI
Mother the patroness and ideal:
Here knee at thine altar pious chOirs
Are singing hymns of glory In thy praise
Clouds OF high incense ceaseesSly arse
ArOmas OF the iris and the rose,
And waXen tapers are reflected pale
Upon thine altar-steps OF silver sheen
How beauteous thou beneath thy canopy -.
OF purple, fringed with its embroidered gold!
How far is thy wide mantle spangled o'er
With stars OF heavenlike blue!
Turned the skies with nguished look.
DO fan thy tears, which would that could shed
TO bear myself the sorrow Of thy heart
leone to thee, bengnant mediatrix.
Before the light of day on me descen1s
o virgin, pardon thou my Offering.
Pardon again II here come TO pray.
Thy cOuntenance chdes the misery OF my thought
That would believe nor in delirium doubt
o virgin love. Al-shadOwing sinful death
Aud anguish terrible 1t Is to doubt.
O place thy hand upon my forehead doomed
Under my frozen skin volcanoes boil:
feel a river of lava that Oerwhems,
Dres. burns calcines my heart
lay my wounded spirit at thy feet
Thy loving look with faith eniiGhten it.
q check its wildness with the holy reu
That ever doth oppose fierce unbehef
Bride it. Lady; doubt debases it.
Destroys; By arrogance is II laid low
Oh these methnks are never earthly pans
Even hell itself tormens thy supplcant
And is the heart iii its dcrum torn,
Seems pride augments the more II humbled IS;
Yea, Doubt burns in eternal flame:
Already IS lie judged who not believes
Arrest the tempest that
Let not Celestial anger slay my soul;
Be thou my guardian angel and my shield;
child cling TO Thy maternal skirt H. ,,
Relieve this night and let the daylight come
Turn thou my thoTny doubts to roses white,
And make my cross OF pain verdant palm.
cannot speak emphatically of the literary inspi-
ration of this poem. which have rendered In order
10 convey the most earnest view OF Mexican worship;
but presume IT is as fair composition as many
other admired religious pieces and IN IeZc0co $
other church of San Francisco the same religious I'M
aginatOn as that described above prevails
A traveller twenty years ago saw number OF
deaths heads III the grass OF the churcyaId ana was
afraid that the TeZcOcans neglected their dead. Per
haps he mstOOk the religious taste III bones for prof
anaton. / find the wall-niches still Ornamented
with death cast out Of old graves. There IS perfect
octave of dry bones in the tle inches which run up
and down high scOllOped wall near the sacrlsty.
cell with iron barred windows built against one OF
the walls. contained mOldeTng skull and bone
The inches round were crossed and numbered III to.
ken, i had supposed, OF the stations OF the cross,
or in other words the various pauseS OF the Church
professions for praise and prayera custom not prev
alent in many Catholic countries beside Mexico, and
done away with in late years by the Liberal prohibi
nf N