The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-01-19
MsNco,S HISTORIC CASTLE
, Tie Gloomy Shades OF chapultepec--AIor,,
tezuma's Palace and Gardens.


Fannie Z. Ward ii Pioneer Presss.i
A greater contrast can 3carcelv be i'm
aSinad than between the giittering gaiety Of
the Pasco and the gloomy shades o; Caapul.
tePec Perched upon its rocky cmiueaee,
the historic castle seems to brood in solemn
silence upon the past an the very air, WINS
pering among tie moss draped expresses sur.
rounding is heavy with memories of other
year!. So long ago that their records are
lost in oblivion the Tol ecs lived here WHO
came from their unknown Tollen, the Land
of Reeds" and departed, none knew whittier
Lon after their exodus and the coming of
seven tribes to Anabuac (,rom their equally
unknown Aztian, the Country of Keiuns0,
the AZtecs-- wandering from place to place
Hr7.nd the salt Lagoon Tezcoco- finally
made a stand at the mountain on it, western
border, which they named Cdapultepec.
From their ancient picture histories,
painted upon the woven fiber OF the century
plant, We learn that The height was given
this name (chapul meaning "grasshopper,
topeS "hili') because those early pioneers
wa?e at FIRST compelled t, subsi>t entirely
upoA tae gra,shoppar5 which were founl in
great Numbers upon the mountaia. Cen
tClT Is latas this place became famous as the
resort and burial place of indian king; and
90 years thereafter a decisive hattie was
fought upon it between nations then unborn
the soldiers OF Mexico AMI the United
States
On its porphyrytic summit once stool
Moatezuma's most luxurious palace, where
his Thousand wives were sheltered; and under
these won iortul espresso that monarch held
his barbaric court with more tl.an Persian
splendOr and the standardization of the Tar
tar races. The spot was consecrated TO the
ashes of his ancestors, and two statues Of
himself and his sire, King Axayacatl (he
who built the great teocalli and baptized it
with tie blood of 10000 victims) were left
standing till as late as the middle of the last
century Prescott tells us that MonteZumas
gardens stretched for miles around the base
OF Chapultepec, and that the grove Of gi-
gantic trees (cupressus distica) many of
/ which are over fifty feet in circumference,
were centuries old at the time of the con-
| quest
1t is a popular superstition that under
these stately expresses. now gray-bearded
with mos, like venerable Dr,lids, mysterious
| figures are seen fitting about in the shadows
the ghosts of Guatimozn and Donna
| Marina At the foot of the "Grasshopper
mountain"-or FL Cerro del Chapulin, as it
is sometimes called is spring of crystal
water, which still supplies th4 distant city,
as it did TenochGjtlan 800 years ago. The
ancient aqueduct which the invading Span
iar1s built more than three centuries since is
yet in use, though green with moss and mold
and in places upon its massive sides young
| trees are thriftily growing in the dust OF
ages. There was mo nonsense about those
| iron hearted conqueror;! They buiide1 for
| eternity; and their every work in the new
| world pariakqS somewhat of their own
cter--relentless as destiny, grim, solid
| and indestructibie