Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-02-22
THE CITY OF MEXICO.
Its Past and Present and Lovely Sur.
r0undings.


The elevation of Mexico city above
the sea is little over 1000 feet, and
it occupies central position in val
ley or vast amphitheater which the
mountains of the tsbleland in COM
ing from Vera Cruz have formed.
The population is estimated to be
from 300, 600 to $50, 1000, composed of
Aztecs, Mexicans, Spaniards, Ger
mans, Englishmen, and compare
lively few Americans. The climate
is exceptionally fine, the temperature
varying only slightly from 20 degrees
throughout the year. The rainy sea-
son, extending from May to August,
differs from the dry months only in
having heavy afternoon showers, last
| ing \ few hours, while the mornings
are invariably clear and fresh. a hot
night is thing unknown, the eleva-
ton insuring cool breezes and low
err temperature, and even in the day
time, when the direct rays of the sun
are hot, the shaded side of a street and
the interior of the houses are cool and
delightful. East of the city, and reach
ed by driving out over palm and
eucalyptus lined road, or by the canal,
are the twin lakes, with their floating
islands, which in Montezuma's day, as
now were the vegetable gardens of the
people The other portions of the
valley for the greater part are settled
by the Aztecs, who raise goods to sup
ply the town. The streets, and not
ably that on which the Iturbide hotel
faces, are wide and straight, and inter
sect one another at right angles.
Looking beyond any one of them one
may see across the fat fields studded
with trees, TO where the mountains
rise toward sky which is as brilliant
ly blue as that which Italy rests be-
meath. Alphabetically, the houses,
low, hat-roofed, made of stone or
painted adobe, are essentially Span
ish, while the restaurants, cathedrals
and stucco decorated palaces are
strongly suggestive of those across
the sea. Viewed from the mountains
or from the castle of Chapuitepec, or
from the church of Guadalupe, the
city presents long lines of fiat roofs,
with only here. and there a tower or
Moorish dome, but some of the people
have planted gardens ON their house
tops, and all enjoy sitting upon the
roofs to watch the sunsets or to catch
the cool breezes of the evening.
Formerly Mexico was a walled city,
but the wall has long since fallen
down, except at odd places, though
some of the ancient gateways still re-
main and stand with all their stucco
decorations just as they were left by
their original builders, and from one
of them, that of San Cosme, the re
mains of long aqueduct may be seen
stretching across the valley toward
Chapultepec. 1t was along the
course.of this that Cortez suffered his
terrible defeat during his first attempt
to subdue the Aztecs and capture their
city, and there may still be seen the
dykes which formed the canals into
which so many of the Spanish sol
ders were hurled by the Infatuated
Indians. AT this time the aqueduct
lis beginning to show its scars Of age,
but enough of its grandeur remains to
show to what perfection the ancient
builders had attained. The long sue
cession of massive arches supporting
the heavy masonry over which the
clear water from Chapultepec still
flows toward the city, have all the
grace and symmetry of those still
standing about the city of Rome
Socially, Mexico is a city of great re-
fineme.t. Many of the private homes,
built around the cool placitas and
with decorated facad"S facing the
street, are furnished with the best
productions of Paris shops, and the
horses which draw the heavy couples
are far more handsomer even than
those one sees in Central Park in New
York. Among the higher classes.
who, by the way, are invariably fine
linguists the rules of society are ex-
tremely strict. No lady will walk the
street; nor will she enter any shop,
but sits in her carriage while a clerk
brings her the goods TO select from
A senorita is never allowed to visit
or receive calls without having her
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