Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-06-13
In MEXICO.
THE ONLY AMERICAN SAINT IN
THE CALENDAR.
Highly Interesting Letter Concern
ing Traditions of Guadalupe.
the Mexican Mecca.
Correspondence of the REcoRD-UsIos. |

miss seeing, it must not be Guadalupe, the
historic suburb about two miles distant
from the capital, where appeared the first
American saint in the calendar 1t is
reached By tramway running over one of
those ancient causeways of the Aztecs,
which Cortez found when he invaded Ten
ochtitlan. Alkaline sands and saline
marshes-remains Of the once brave lakes
upon which the conqueror launched his
brigantines-still fill most of this famous
valley. The road to Guadalupe is set at
frequent intervals with quaint and lofty
shrines, built by early C0nq,6stadores,
which, in days not long past, held each its
worshiped image of Jesus, Marie or Jose.
In the circle of mountains environing Ana
huac, the extinct VOLCANOES Ajusco and Ma
linche stand guard upon the right, while
on the left those gigantic sentinels, Popo-
catapetl and Ixtaccihuatl tower above the
Clouds their eternal SHOWS cleaning in the
sunshine of endless summer.
GUADALUPE AND ITS TRADITION.
Guadalupe is famous for its splendid
church-one of the finest, and once the
richest in all Spanish-America; and for the
chapel, Del Cerrito built on the summit of
the sacred hill, Tepeyacac, where the Viz
gin is said to have appeared. The tradition
of Guadalupe is simple enough, and its
participants were mostly of humble origin.
The story, devoutly believed by millions of
dusky devotees, is as follows: Juan Diego
was an Indian from the neighboring village
of Cuautitlan, who had recently been con-
verted to the Catholic faith with his wife,
I orli
no. He earned q modest living by laboring
in the maguey fields of Toltetlac, from
which place he often jonneyed on foot to
the town of Santiago Thaltilolco, to hear
mass celebrated by the Franciscan monks
who had charge of the parish. On one of
these pilgrimages December u, 1891
while crossing the ridge of bushy hills
which outline the border of Lake Texcoco
he sat down to rest upon a stone, which is
still pointed out, at the foot of that hill
then called by the Indians Tepetlyecaezol-
signifying nose of the mountain which
the Spaniards have since abbreviated to
Tepeyacac. Suddenly Diego heard such
soft and harmonious music as had never
before fallen upon mortal ears, and, looking
up, he beheld an inverted rainbow OF eX-
ceedingly brilliant colors, with q white,
transparent cloud within its arch, in the
midst of which stood a beautiful female
figure, clad in fashion of Indian women of
noble caste. Beckoned by the apparition,
the astonished Juan approached, and fell
upon his face before the glory of her coun
tenapce. Then, in voice of wondrous
sweetness, the vision commanded him to
go at once to the Bishop OF Mexico and tel
him that she, Mary, the mother of Christ,
desired him to build her a chapel on that
spot, whereupon she would become the
,F+,,,,
devote herself to giving aid to those who
should call upon her in time of trouble
The noted friar, Juan de Zumarraga, of the
Order Of San Francisco, was then Bishop of
Mexico-a naughty zeaIOt, who ruled with
iron hand. He it was who boosted that
during his day more than thirty millions of
Indians were baptized per force, their pyra-
mids and temples destroyed, and even
THE PRICELESS NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Which their fathers had painted on the
woven fiber OF the maguey were burned,
thus foolishly obliterating all the early
records of mysterious races, for which an
touarians may now search in vain.
The trembling Indian proceeded straight
way to the episcopal palace but how could
q poor Aztec, but newly converted from the
worship of his idols, expect to gain Gre
denee to such tale from the great Zu-
length admitted and allowed to tell his
story, but his Holiness naturally demanded
some proof of such strange assertions
Detected and bewildered. Diego returned
to Representation, 10 the Virgin ap-
peared a second time, exactly rs at first
Upon his request for q token. she demand
ed him to 90 to the mountain top, gather
the flowers he would find there and convey
them to the Bishop as q sign from her On
those bleak hills nothing had now grown
but cactii and chaparral; but on this occa-
sion Juan found amid the rocks bed of
blood-red roses, fragrant and wet with dew.
Carrying them in his tilma Ia native apron
made from century plant FIBER, he hurried
back to the bishOpriC, and rushed unbid-
den into the presence of Zumarraga, who
sat in his private apartment, surround
ed by priestly friends. Frustrating himself
before the scarlet canopied throne the In
dian related all that had occurred then,
dropping his tilma to display the flowers,
behold another miracle had been wrought.
for no roses were there, but in their stead,
supernaturally painted upon the coarse
apron, was perfect portrait of the Virgin,
cloud, rainbow and ALL precisely as Juan
had described her. The Prelate and his
priest, struck with awe at this divine man
Hesitation, fell upon their knees and blessed
the sacred picture; then reverently bearing
il into the oratory, they returned thanks to
the Most High.
As soon as Zumarraga had sufficiently
recovered from his emotion he called to-
gether vast procession of clergy and per-
sons of nobility, and, with Juan as guide,
visited the place where the Virgin had ap-
peared. They said masses upon the sacred
spot with great emotion then, returning
to the Episcopal palace where the precious
apron was temporarily deposited, all the
services of the church were exhausted
upon it, after which it was transferred with
most solemn ceremonies TO the grand Cathe-
dral in the City of Mexico
Upon a third occasion the Virgin ap-
peared to the fortunate Diego, one day
when he was Fastening 10 procure con-
feSsor for his uncle, who was supposed to
be dying. The Indian came by way of this
barren mountain, instead of following a
nearer route, in hope of again encountering
the apparitiOn; and sure enough, the gra-
Cious Mother of Sorrows met him and
bid him return, for by her intcrposition
Bernardino was at that moment recovered.
Such is the story of the early priests, and IL
has been the means Of bringing into the
church thousands OF wandering Indians
who would otherwise have rejected the
preaching of its authors. II is a singular
coincidence that long before the conquest
there were three places of human sacrifice
near the same spot, one of which upon this
identical Mount Tepeyacac, was consecrated
to Tonantzin-
THE MOTHER OF ALL TIE GODS,
The name itself signifying in Aztec Our
Mother" Sahagun, the historian, relates
that in the old days. as now, great crowds
of worshipers came from long distances to
celebrate the annual rites of this goddess,
and that from time immemorial Tepeyacac
has been to the Indians what Mecca is to
pious Moslems. Though the second i'm
aginary divinity given by the willy priest
hood TO superstitious souls that required
such aliament purported to come for sue
cor, instead of TO destroy-like his terrible
predecessor-iti is probable that the adora-
ton of all the centuries has been rendered
to about the same mythical being, under a
changed name and by different rites The
miracle of Guadalupe is said to have &C.