The Washington critic., 1888-04-14
AT MEXICO'S CAPITAL.
The Cathedral, Its Towers, ChapelS,
Statues, Paintings and Affairs.
PASE0 DE LA REF0RMA.
The Legends of the Malinchc and
Shrine of Guadalupe.


and chapels in the City of Mexico,
the most celebrated being Santo
Domingo, Of Inquisition fame; La
Santa Vera Cruz, Cortez Hermitage,
the aristocratic Santa Brigida. and the
churches of San Fernando and Santa
Teresa.
The Cathedral is built upon or near
the site of the great Aztec Temple
that the Spaniards destroyed when
the city was conquered in 1921. Upon
the partition of the city this site was
set apart that upon il should be built
Christian church. The first stone Of
the existing building was laid in 1873.
Between the years 1878 and 1867 the
cost Of the work was 81 1852, 900, with
the cost Of the towers, 100000, and
of the work upon the interior, and the
bells Cthe great bell alone costing
S10,000), the entire cost was
about S2,000,000. The great bell,
10 feet high, in the western tower, Is
named Santa Maria de Guadalupe. II
was placed in position in the year
1872. The larger of the bells in the
eastern tower is named Dona Maria.
Exclusive of the very thick walls, the
building measures 3S7 feet from north
TO south, III feet from east to west
and has an interior height of 170
feet 1t is built of stone. The
facade, at the sides of which rise the
towers, is divided by massive but
tresses into three portals, which, in
turn, are separated by cornices into
two divisions, the first Doric VERY
elegant by reason Of its correct pro-
portions), the second Ionic. The
basso-relieves, statues, friezes, bases
and capitals are of white marble,
making harmonious color-offect with
the gray stone.
The towers (203 feet 6 inches high)
are in two divisions, the lower Doric
and the upper Ionic, this last finished
with very beautiful architectural de-
tails, and the crown of each is bell
shaped dome, capped by spheres and
crosses of stone. The cornices of the
towers, as well as the cornices else
where upon the building, are sur
mounted by balustrades of carved
stone upon which, disposed at regular
intervals, are carved stone vases. The
cornices Immediately beneath the
domes of the towers serve as pedestals
for colossal stone statues of the Doc
tors of the Church and the Patriarchs
of the Monastic Orders; and those of
the central portal, occupied by the
clock, are pedestals for statues of the
Theological Virtues with their at
tributes. Beneath the clock is the
Coat-of Arms Of the Republic. Above,
as seen from the southern side of
the plaza rises the dome, surmounted
by its slender, graceful lantern, the
work of the architect, Tolsa. The
architect Of the work as whole was
AlonZo Perez Castaneda. The in
terror of the cathedral, in the Doric
style, with traces of the Goric (Which
mark the Spanish architecture of the
sixteenth century,, is almost severe in
its simplicity. The aisles are divided
from the nave by fluted columns,
which support the light and elegantly
vaulted roof. The central arches
form Latin cross. above which rises
the fine dome. Within the dome are
the paintings representing the As
l11al lsYtion Of the Virgin and groups of
ife45rincipal characters of sacred his
tory. Outside of the aisles are rows
of chapels, seven on each side
OF the building. The stalls are richly
carved in wood, and above them is to
be observed q painting, by the Mexi-
can artist, Juan Correa. of the I'm
maculate Conception. Two organs,
in carved cases, rise from the lateral
tribunals to the height of the arches
of the aisles. The church contains
sax affairs, the finest altar in the cathe-
dral being that of Los Reyes (the
Kings in the apse rising from the
pavement to the roof, which was at
one time the richest in the world.
1t contained lamp worth
$4,000 and statue of the AS.
sumption worth $l,000,000 (now
missing.) Beneath this altar lie
buried the heads of Hidalgo, Allande,
Aldama and Jimenez, brought here
with all honor from Guanajunte,
when independence had been secured.
The altar was executed by the same
artist who carved the altar Of "hos
Reyes" in the Cathedral Of Sevilla,
and is richly carved and gilded. In.
closed in its complicated details are
many excellent statuettes, and some
good paintings by celebrated Mexican
artists. The remains of Yturbide art
also inferred here.
THE JUAREz MONUMENT,
the work of the brothers Yslas, mark
ing the grave of the great President
in. the cemetery of San Fernando, il
entitled TO most unqualified praise
The design comprehends a Greciar
temple Of marble, small, but well-pro
portioned, without interior walls, anC
surrounded by rows of columns. Or
the base thus protected, but not OBJ
scured, is commemorative group
the dead President stretched at ful
length, his head supported on tn,
knee of mourning female figure Of
Mexico.
There is a simplicity, nobility, {
freedom from convcntionalism, il
this work, that, joined with its tech
nical qualities and full expression o.
heroic grief, makes it most impressive
as u monumental marble and TO (
high degree satisfying as work of art
THE FASHIONABLE DRIVE.
The Paseo de la Reforma is tn,
fashionable drive, and one OF tn,
most beautiful drives possessed by an!
city either in Europe or America
The Paseo is about two miles long anC
lcads.in straight line from the Pla
zuela in which stands the eques
trian statue Of Charles ~ TO tn
gates of Chapultepec, the castl,
standing ont very effectively upoi
its craggy height at the end o
the long perspective formed b,
the double row of trees on each sid
of the avenue. Beneath the trees ar
broad footways, along which carvet
stone benches are disposed at short in
tSrvals. In the course of the tw,
miles there are ak marks each 40l