Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-02-01
CHOLULA'S PYRAMID.
ALL THAT IS LEFT TO TELL OF
FORMER MAGNlFIceNC:.
TIE Present Chelnia . Rare Gem Of
Beauty View from the Pyramid
"A shrine On the Noun
tain Top.
fFannie B. Ward,s Letter.l

Fannie X Wards Ietterl
In one of his letters to the Spanish
sovereign Cortez wrote: This city OF
Churultecal (the ancient name of Cholula
houses within the body of the town and
as many more In the suburbs Its people
are well dressed and the neighboring
fields exceedingly fertile ] certify TO your
ma esty that from ore of the temples
have counted more than 400 towers and
they are all the towers of temples
To-day no trace remains of the A., OOO
houses and 100 towers-nothing but the
great pyranid to hint Of former magnifi.
cence. History has made familiar Cortez'
tragic advent into the home of Anahuac.
how. through the medium of Donna Ma.
rina. he discovered plot among the
Cholulans to exterminate the hated in,
vaders. and determined to make an ex
ample of them which should strike terror
10 the heart of the nation aud MAKE " on
tezuma tremble upon his throne beyond
the mountain Treacherously assembling
all the chiefs and leading citizens in the
great square Of the town. without mo-
ments warning Cortez turned his arms
less people by thousands We are told
that tie peaceful streets of ChuIultecal
were crowded with the corpses Of unof
fendir 9 citizens. their houses and temples
all burned to the ground. and the near by
river Atoysc ran red with blood After
this Christian work the great temple on
top of the pyramid was sOlemnly purified
by Cortez' order and the standard of the
cross uplified above the deso!ated city.
The present Cholula is rare gem in
the way of picturesqueness. Battle
mented churches surround its grass grown
plaza Cannon balls, bcdded in all the
walls. tell of war alarms. and among its
numerous nun. forsaken converts is one
now used as a prison. where the convicts
are forever weaving sashes ON primitive
hand looms Indeed. the business of
everybody in this isolated community
appears 10 be sash weaving or re ic. hunt
ing. Zach little pulqueria and fondta,
where mild native intoxicants are d s.
pensed. has its collection of TOltec idols
and ancient pottery for sale among the
beverages aged boys and barefooted
maidens follow the stranger about the
streets importuning him to buy the gods
Of their ancestors Five,hundred-y -year. old
of uEdoubied authenticity may
be bought for few cents, and for 81
or s2 one may purchase household gods
by the peck. and the sacred vesse's once
used in their worship Frequently small
vases or glazed and colored pottery are
in e cayations or are found in
tact in the fields and can always be
from their unappreciative owners
for a triuing sum.
A well paved road. with steps cut In
at intervals wiEds among rose bushes
and cypress trees to the top Of the pyra
mid Un its lofty summit, among tOmbs
of blue and yellow ties, is an enormous
cross Of carved stone. set close at the edge
Of the terrace and bearing date 1866
From this point one of the most beautiful
view In the world is obtained. and here
Humbuldt made many Of his astronomical
No less than twenty villages
may be counted within the near. by circle
Of hills; the fertile fields between look
like gigan tic checker. board. roads diverge
like spiders webs, in all directions, and
the snow topped volcanoes stand guard
o or all The church that now occupies
the site of I uetzalcoatls temple is dedi-
Gated to an equally mythical divinity.
called the \irgen de los Remedies.
Whether she was brought to Mexico by
one of Cortez' soldiers, or WAS mxnufact
ured soon after their arrival here, 10 Q
mooted question.
She is small. ugly wooden doll, bout
three feet high. evidently cas~s. ~ith 4
rude knfre, nsvfng holes gouged out Tor
eyes and mouth-and yet was supposed
to possess divine power TO heal all wounds
and diseases The image was lost ON that
h.. hn
isrds were forced to flee from the Aztec
capital. and nothing more was heard from
her for half q century, till one day wan.
dering Indian found her perched in the
heart of huge maguey on top OF bar
rem mountain. The restoration OF the
image was joyfuliy hailed by the Span
iards. who proceeded to build . church
upon the spot where she was found, and
In which she was installed with great
ceremony, her shrine being century
plant of solid silver The original image.
o somewhat the worse for wear and tear.
may still be seen by anybody who cares
to make mule buck pilgrimage to that
lonely mountain Your correspondent
has made il. and declares that 1t il by no
means worth the trouble
As long a. spain prospered in Mexico.
untold sums were iavished upon this
Virgeu de los Remedios~ but bye and
bye she found . powerful rival in the
Creole Virgin, Guadalupe When Mexi-
cos Washington-the brave Miguel HI
ds 60 raised for his revolutionary stand
ard picture of Guadalupe. his REBELLION
assumed the character OF crusade. After
his defeat and execution the irgen de
los Lemedios assisted in celebrating the
victory, borne about the streets OF the
CITY Of Mexico dressed in the full mill
tary costume of q Spanish general. cry
where hailed as the patroness Of Spain
and cen ,ueror of her other self. the Creole
Virgin The tables soon turned. however.
for when the revolutionary army finally
triumphed. the military sash was tori
from her sacred person by bold soldier
Of the opposition. she was reviled and
rolled about in the dust, and afterward
the commanding officers made out her
passport as for living person. and or
dered her to leave the country. She wal
restored at length to her shrine on tht
mountain top, but never to the Older
honors and emoiuments-which to day
are all bestowed upon her rival Guads
lupe. the patroness Of the Indians
There being no public house in Ch"-
lula. travellers mus, depend upon private
hospitality. or bring with them 9
luncheon from Puebia One may leav'
the latter city early in the morning ant
return at evening. days time bein!!
suit cient to do" the sacred city. !
more delightful excursion cannot be mad
the wide world over. and what grande
dining place can be imagined than unde
the giant expresses of that mysteriou
pyramid, with the ms,ch'ess ranoram
spread out below After such a piung
into the misty past one returns reluc'
antly TO the commonplace, and cast
many backward glances on the homewar
Journey toward that prowling place O
NEUROLOGICAL spooks. the Rome OF AM
huac, whose white towers glisten In th
sunset as If it were still the city Of predit
ton
TO MAKE TOBACCO SWEAT.