The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-28

is making an effort to erect suitable shaft on
this historic spot. and it is to be hoped that sue
cess may crown its labors
have called this polyglot town. On the
Military Plaza one is in vertable Babel, Span
ism, English, French, German, Italian, are heard
on all sides. This is the market-place, AID all
classes and conditions of men congregate there.
On Saturday night it is ablaze with lights, and
the chile con carne stands of the Mexicans Az
well .atronized They keep ~ l.ese omen. air eat
sng stands going all tlsse year round, and hun
dreds OF people take their meals there. The cow
boy, the merchant the stage-driyer, the soldier
with his girl. the tourist and the old Citizen can
all De seen seated on the wooden benches tax
ing in the Mexican trash, which is highly sea-
soned with red pepper, and is very palatable
after one is used to it.
The nomenclature strikes one at once. Every
thing that is named has saint" or "San" in
front OF it. The streets, the streams, the
churches. all get it. So it has grown matter
of habit with the population. and even the ne
groes. who don't understand it, try 1T The
Rev. Mr.. Green, coiored divine of great dig
nity called into the Office of friend of mine
soliciting funds for chapel his flock had thought
of constructing After presenting his case and
receiving the Donation he was asked what they
were going to call the new church: With be-
coming modesty. he replied: We'll, sab. de
congration has 'cluded, aftah heap OBJ delivera-
ton, but ober my pussonal protest to call it st.
Green's chapel" G. c. H.
The Springs and Bathers at Aguas Calientes.
Correspondence of the Indianapolis Journal.
AGUAs CALIENTEs. Mexico. Feb. 11.-This
city. named from its hot springs, which are 33o
O.. is rare old place. The waters pour out of a
volcanic hill, where are large, rude bath houses,
and the escaping waters form one quarter acre
pond, grown with water plants. where the poor
people battle free. Thence the warm waters
escape into three-fo otdeep open-topped, walled
canal. which leads to the streets of the town,
nearly mile down. Five rows of large alamos
(poplar) trees forming an alameda, line the road
to the springs and shade the warm-water trench.
At daylight left the sleeping-car and walked
alone along the little canal to the springs. where
L enjoyed alone a swim in the great tank-price
20 cents. AS walked up the banks of the canal
ito it was filled with men, women, children and
babies, au naturel, bathing, their clothes being
| in reach on the bank Respectfully, about rod
apart, were the groups, each person sitting with
knees to chin in the smoking water. 1 stopped
at each group, saluting them in Spanish WITH
''Buenos dias, senor' (senorha, or senorita). and
was answered by similar salutations and giggles
from the girls, and smiles from the men, No in
decency was seen. for they drew their clothes
from the bank as they came out and as they
slipped out of the water they slipped into their
clothes, which was simply and easily done; and
not until got to the bathing house, where two
fairer Mexican women were bathing in large
tank with the door open, did l feel abashed.
They disregarded me, so that walked past several
times to admire nature unadorned. The sun by
this time up and warm. the birds were sing
a ma md nj re
In the sunshine, flowers everywhere. women sell
ing fine oranges at one cent each also tortillas,
etc., candled fruits, and pulque in bottles Pull
que is everywhere. 1t is the cider. or beer of
Mexico, and sells for medic 64 cents) per pi Mt
It is the juice of the maguey plant. Cotton
fields are seen frequently; also sugar-cane, after
one leaves the plateau. Fruits are plenty now,
of new and unfamiliar varieties. except oranges,
sweet lemons, lemons lines, tomatoes. etc.
Puebla, capital of the State of Puebla, is the
cleanest, handsomest city (of about 100. 900
people) we have seen. Governor Marquee treated
very handsomely, and the Maternity Hospi-
tai, where We saw many new born Mexicans,
would put to shame our pretentious city of In
dianapolis, being large and beautiful. with
court ornamental and Moorish, cupola 40 feet
high, tiled outside, built of stone; with double
beds and wards for use in case of septic9mia.
The College of the State with library full of
old books. laboratory and museum of natural
history, ETC., evidence of progress in science.
English is taught IN the public schools of Puebla
by Professor Lobato, and education is compul-
sorry in Puebla State. The view from the
Hospital is "a very fine one,
showing in the near distance four
grand mountains-Popocatepe and Ixtacci
huatl both clad with eternal snow, and Orizaba
and MalinZe, now snow-covered. all isolated
peaks, the first two each over 1900 feet above
the ocean, the latter two as high as Mt Blanc,
in Switzerland. The horizon was serrated with
numberless other mountains and around US lay
the beautiful valley cultivated with maguey,
cactus. cotton, corn, wheat barley. oranges ETC.,
and dotted with fresno. alamoS, eucalyptus and
other trees. But the charm of the visit to Puebla
was our excursion by tramvias (street railway to
Choula. There is the ancient Aztec city; at the
time of CortezS invasion, in the fourteenth CEN
fury. a great city, and the center of an Aztec
kingdom of that name. 1t joined Cortez to con-
quer its enemy, Montezuma. It has now seventy
churches, all Catholic. some of which would jus
tify separate letter alone. Puebla has ninety
Catholic churches. At Cholula is the great
pyramid of adobe pebbles and brick, still stand
ing, with small Catholic Church built on top of
it. 1t was devoted to the worship of the God
of the Air" and human sacrifices are said to have
been made on it at special times. We were
shown in the market-place. the sacriicial stone,
with the octagonal column of stone. to ring in
which the human victims were tied at the death.
We passed small salt lake, and near it a crater
OF volcanello, which is said to communicate
with the little river near. and in
which the Spanish are said to have
thrown their dead. Cotton-mills are plenty
on the little river Atoyae. The lands are cult
waited by irrigation. On Feb. 10 the wheat fields
were green with blades six inches high. The
pyramid is in the valley of Tesmelucan, and is
yet one hundred and seventy feet high, and as
cended by paved step-like road. The view
from it is grand and beautiful, miles and miles
of gardens seem encircled by great mountains,
while glimpses of other valleys seen
through the passes of the nearer hills.
Puebla is the center of the onyx trade, the
quarries being near 1t is also renowned, offci