Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1885-09-06

| DLUStJeO RoQ, HuOoc CoulALB no3 cApSStON
did much toward preparing an easy path
way for CoTteE in the New World. When
The littls band Of adventures, who nigh
have been annihilated in Al hour, sppssred
in winged ships" from The same direction
the god Of the cir was believed to have
taken, the natives locked upon the white
skinned invader IS the returned Qaetzsl
coat.
In letter to his sovereign Cortez wrote:
II bis city OF Churullee (Ihe ancient name
Of CSoluls) is situated on plain and con
tsirs 10000 houses within the body Of the
town aGS as many more in the suburbs
It's people are well dressed aud the neigh
boring fields exceedingly fertile. l certify
TO Jour Msjesty that from one Of tie temple:
l have counted more than 4G0 towers, and
they Sre all the towers OF temples.
To day no trace remains Of the 10000
houses and 400 tOwezs-nothing but the
great pyramid to hint Of former msgniG.
cence History hiss made familiar Cortez' s
tragic advent into the Rome Of Anshusc;
how, having discovered through the me-
dun Of Donna Marina that the Cholulsrs
were plotting to exterminste the hated in
va6ers, he determined to make such an ex-
ample of them IS should strike terror to the
heart OF the nation and make Montezuma
tIembie on his throne beyond the mountains.
Assembling all the chiefs and leading citi-
zeDs into the gres, square Of the town, be
TT, acSerously turned his arms upon them
without 3 moments warning, and slaugh-
tered the detenceleas people by thousands.
Says one: Even the serpent Of the ives tern
/ Wiids which he eonquerors described as a
small creature. with castipets in its tail
/ gives notice Of It's intention to strike, With
more appearance OF humanity than tbs, dis
plsyed by the grsa; crusader What
could the surprised and halfnaked
natives do with thsir primitive weap-
ons matched against the swords and rapiers
Of mai,-clad soldiers? The Spaniards, too,
were mounted upon that hitherto unknown
animal, the horse-at terrifying phenomenon,
which at first led the Aztecs TO believe that
the fee were ceutaurs. We are told that the
peaceful streets oil Churultecal were crowded
with the corpses of unofending citizens,
their houses and temples al burned to the
ground and the near by river Atyoe ran red
With blood After this Christian work the
great temple on top of the pyramids was
solemnly puri6ed by Cortez orders, and
the standard OF the Cross untitled above the
desolsted city.
The present Cholula is wonderful for pic
turesuueness. Bsulemented churches sur
round its grass grown plaza, Cannon balls
bedded in the walls speak Of wars alarms,
and among its many nuu-forsNken converts
is one now used as q prison, wherein the
conyicts are forever weaving ssshes on
primitive hand looms Indeed the basi.
ness of everybody in this isolated connun-
ity seems to be sash weaving or relic hunt
ing Each little pulyueria and tondita,
where the mild native intoxican's are
dispensed, has is collection OF broken
idols and Tcnsc pottery for sale aIong the
beverages Ragged boys and Dsret1o ed
maiders follow he stranger a1OG, tae
streets impgriuning 5in 10 buy the DDS
of their ancestors Five lnd:eG.yeGr-old
dei,ies may be Dough. for few csats, and
for dollar or two one may purchase house
hold gods By tie peck and sacred vessels
once used in pagan temples. frequently
small vases of glazed and colored pottery
are unearthed in excavations or found in
the fields, and can always be secured from
their unapprecisiive possessors for trite.
A wei; paved road, with steps cut at inter-
walls winds among cypress trees and rose
bushes to the top of the pyramid. On lts
lofty summit, among tombs OF blue and yel-
low tiles is an enormous cross OF carved
stone set close at the terrace edge, and bear
inc date 1866 From this point one OF the
most beautiful views in the world is OBJ
taired and here Humboldt made many OF
L. l. 1oks n
less than twenty villages may be counted
within the nearby circle of hills; the fertile
6elcs between look like gigantic checker
board: roads diverge in all directions like
spider webs, and the snow-topped volcanoes
stand guard over al.
The church that now occupies the site OF
Quetzalcoatls temple is dedicated to an
equally mythical divinity, called the Virgin
de los Remedies Wne,her she was brought
to Mexico by one Of Cortezs soldiers, or
was manufactured soon after their arrival
here, is a mooted question. She IS small,
ugly wooden doll, about three feet high, and
was evidently carved with rude knife, hav-
ing holes gouged out for eyes and mouth,
vet was supposed 10 possess divine power to
heal wounds AMI cure diseases. The
image was lest on that memora-
Die noche trlste when the Spaniarls
were forced 10 fee from the Aztec
capital, and nothing more was heard
from her for half century, till one day a
/ wandering Indian discovered her perched
in the heart Of huge maguey on the top Of
barren mountain! The restoration OF the
image was joyfully hailed by the Spsuisrds,
who proceeded to build church upon the
spot where she was found, and in which she
Was installed with great ceremony, with 8
! century plant of solid silver for a shrine.
/ The original Understandable the worse
/ for the wear and tear Of more than three
centuries-msy still be seen by anybody
/ who cares 10 rake q mulebsck pilgrimage to
that lonely mountain. Your correspondent
/ has made it, and declares that it is by no
means worth the trouble.
As long as Spain prospered in Mexico
untold sums were lsvished upon this Virgin
de los Remedies. A retinue Of priests was
detailed especially to attend. her; treasures
were appointed to take charge of her Jew
els; a camarists like that Of a fashionable
lady, superinteaded her wardrobe, and ma
/ ton Frustrated themselves at her feet.
| Whenever an officer in the service
/ of the Spanish King obtained q
victory, he went at once to make an
offering at her shrine No rich dowager
could die in peace till che had bequesthed
a portion Of her fortune to Our Lady de los
Remedies, and many fans,i,s purchased
heavens clemency BY bsggsring their fami-
lies and leaving all their worldly goods to
this same wooden doll In seasons Of
drought she was brought down from her
mountsin dwelling and carried in solemn
procession through the streets of the capt
tai on which occasion the vice-kiug himself,
barehesded sud on foot, used to lead the
train, while an aristocrst of highest rank
acted IS the Virgins coschman, and all
the people Frustrated themselves before
her and begged for rain. Whether their
prayers were granted history does not say,
| but IL ia 10 be presumed they were. for Sad