Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1885-05-11
LETTER FROM MEXICO.
CONTINUED from last aceek.


Queretaro of 10000 population is
the capital of the little but influential
state of the same name, and is said
to be the most lovely city in all Mex
leo. It is most charmingly situated
on little stream which flows through
the heart of the town. Plenty of
water from this, together with the
abundant supply from the stately ac-
queduct extending into the frowning
mountains close by (some of the stone
arches cf which are 80 feet high)
keeps the narrow streets clean and
gives the whole town fresh, whole
some appearance. Along this little
stream and throughout the streets
also, are fine specimens of cedar, cy-
press, and eucalyptus trees. while
upon the plazas are the palm, fig.
pomegranate, banana and other rare
varieties all green and thrifty. The
outlying fields and gardens are also
green with growing crops of grain
and alfalfa and the maguey or CEN
tury plant, which reaches s or 10 feet
in height, and stretches out its great
green fingers an equal distance.
The Mexican is right, Queretaro is
lovely city. 1t is rich, also, in
history and tradition reaching well
back into the time of the Toltecs but
this latter we cannot stop now 10
deal with. The present city was
founded by the Aztecs in 1445. 1t
was captured by the Spaniards in
1881, twelve years after Cortez
reached the city of Mexico; from
which it appears that it took the
Spaniards that time to work their
way 153 miles to this place, and
eleven years more to make the 286
miles to Zacatecas. This we'll illus
trates the stubborn resistance inter-
posed by these children of nature to
the advancing armies, of what was
then one of the most powerful ma
tions of the earth.
Queretaro is celebrated not alone
for the beauty of her location and
surroundings, but for the culture and
refinement and religious devo-
votion of her people. In the palmy
days of the Catholic church it was
the seat of numerous schools, colleg-
es, nunneries and monasteries, and it
is still a recognized center of learn
ing and religion. Notwithstanding
this, which were renown sufficient for
a small city, Queretaro will more
certainly take place in history be-
cause of two important events which
occurred here. One was the ratifica-
tion by the Mexican congress of the
treaty of 1849, with the United
States at the close of the Mexican
war; the congress having retired to
this place as Scott's army advanced
on the capital. The other was that
terrible tragedy enacted on the hill
of the bells, just outside the city lim-
its, June 10, 1867, which ended the
career of the usurper, Maximillian,
and at the same time broke, forever,
the power of the church in the polit-
ical concerns of Mexico. This
bloody event marks an epoch in the
civil and religious liberty of this peo-
pie. 1t was the result of the follow
ing causes:
In 1867 a new constitution was
adopted, which provided for a COM
plete separation of church and state,
for full religious toleratlon, and for
the amenability of the clergy to the
civil law, whereas before that, no kind
of worship was allowed except the Ro-
man Catholic, and it was alleged that
the clergy went unpunished for the
blacklist crimes, they being in no
way subject to the civil courts but
only to the ecclesiastical tribunals.
A violent reaction followed the adop-
tion of this constitution, in which
the church took the leading part, and
in 1853 it was suspended by Common
fort, dictator. Benito Jaurez, a full
blood Aztec, educated for the priest
| hood, but who never took orders, was
then vice-president; and he put him.
| self at the head of the advanced lib
erals and engaged in what is known
as the 'war of reform" He had
been chief justice and was an ear
nest and able supporter of the new
/ constitution. His whole heart was
in the work of liberalizing his gov
ernment and freeing it from the con-
troll of the church. He was recog-
nized by the United States and main
tanned his authority with great reso-
luton and energy and in November,
1860 won a decisive victory, over the
church party, whose general, Miramon,
afterwards executed with Maximil-
lian-fed the country.
In 1861 Jaurez made a trium-
phant entry into the capital and at
once introduced further reforms.
Marriage was declared a civil con-
tract, ,celibacy and the ecclesiastical tri-
bunals were suppressed and the
whole vast property of the church,
amounting to $3.50, 100000, OF about
one third of the entire property of
the country, was confscated and sold
by the state.
This was a radical measure, in
deed, but it was defended on the
ground that it would be impossible
to retain the liberal legislation al
ready gained, or inaugurate further