The Opelousas courier., 1888-12-29
The National Editorial Associa-
tion i'm Mexico.

World, 70 portion. tof ihtefrSt anu iul
portance. can be compared with Mexi
60 , and this equally. whether we CON
slider the variety of its soil and climate,
the iuexhaustible stores of its mineral
wealth its scenery, grand aud pictur-
esquc beyond example; +; the character
of its ancient inhabitants, not only far
surprising in intelligence that of the
other North American races, but ge-
minding IL, by their monuments, of the
primitive civilization of Egypt and
Hindostan or lastly, the peculiar cir
cnmstances Of Its conquest, adventur-
Gus aud romantic as any legend devised
by Norman or Italian bard of chlvalry."
1t was this beautiful, historic, and ro-
mantle land that the American editors
we've permitted for brief period 10
visit and examine No wonder their
examination was so full of interest, so
sharp, so eager, and SO searching.
On the day of our arrival we visited
the famous old Mexican Cathedral
largest in North America. This mag
nificent structure was begun in 1872 and
not completed until 1867, and cost al
most two millions of dollars. 1t is 426
feet long, 200 feet wide, US feet high,
while its two beautiful towers, with
their score or more of bells, rise to the
height of 200 feet 1t has five naves,
six affairs, fourteen chapels, and costly
paintings and statues without number.
The vastness of these sacred precincts,
I the great height of the carved and
| frescoed ceilings, the dazzling gliding,
4 hann
are hewildering. What is told of the
ancient glory Of this Cathedral reads
like chapter from he Arabian Nights,
and what is still to be seen there sur
passes the decorations i'll any American
/ Cathedral OF church. The missing sta
| tue Of the Assumption was of gold, or
namented with diamonds, and was val
ned at nearly $l,100,0OO. From the
| towers Il fine view of the city and sur
rounding country is had, aud sixty
miles away, but apparently not more
than ten or fifteen, the twin volcanoes
of Popncatepetl ard lztaccihuatl rear
their snow clad crests. The height OF
the mer,Nas estimated by Humboldt
at I7,7I6 feet above the level OF the
sea-, bnt later authQrities lace it at
( rs, ,362 The height Of the latter is
1905 It's name, composed of the Mex
| lean words ietac, white. and eihuatl,
woman. was given on account OF its
I faneied resemblance to a woman IN a
white dress. Both volcanoes are now
t:extinct.
We next visited the National Muse
um. which contains a large number OF
/ e = A ztn
great sacrifcial stone, their famous cal
hendar stone, and numerous scuiptared
/ images of their fantastic deities, human
/ and reptile the human fgnres all bear
] ING ii strong resemblance to the Egyp-
| tian Sphinx. In old times, scnlptured
/ images were So numerous here that the
] foundations of the Cathedral are said to
I.be entirely composed of them. This
spot ,nay. indeed, he regarded as the
! Aztec forum--the great depository OF
/ the treasures of ancient sculpture,
which now lie hid in its bosom Such
monuments are spread all over the cap
ital, however, and new cellar can
hardly be dug, or foundation laid, with
out turning up some of.t1e moniderlns
/ relies of barbaric art.
This calentlar-stone, which was dis
4 inferred in 1890 in tile great square in
front ef the Cathedral, is of circular
shape and weighs nearly fifty tons The
i calendar engraved upon it shows that
i in very remote times the AZtecs had the
Imeans ef settling the hours of the day
with precision, the periods of the sol
stices aud of the eqninoxes, andthat OF
# the transit Of the sun across the zenith
1 of Mexico. aud implies il degree oi
knowledge, of The geomttrical and as
tronomical sciences which is truly won
derfuI. The saerificial stone is IA huge
block of jasper on which hundreds OF
thousands Of human beings are said Il
have been sacrificed. The Rodus Qper,
EaRdi is described as follows: "The vic
tim was stretched on this block ant
q five priests secured his head ana hiI
n limbs, while sixth, clad in scarle
mantle, emblrnR7ic Of his bloody Office
dextcfously opened sss breast with
very sharp instrument, and. inserting
his hand III the wound, tore out th,
palpitating heart The minister 0
(, death, first holding this up towards til,
sun. east ii 1T the feet of the deity t,
whom the temple was devoted. Will
the muititudes below prostrated them
selves in humble alteration
, Look at that picture, then, on this
From the National Museum we wen
) TO the National Library, a vast build
t inc where thousands of rare volumes @
.sold and forgotten lore' are piled n
] along the hIgl, walls of the severa
I apartments from floor to ceiling, an
I where many immense statues Of th
! celebrated men Of letters of antiqnit
are TO be seen. Here, also, perclte
fifty feet above our heads, was an enoi
2 NOUS golden eagle with a serpent in HI
falols--tlle symbol or coat of arms {
7 the modern Mexican republic. Slla
we tell Of the origin OF this symbol, b
reciling the legend of the foundation /
the Mexican capital2 Well, the ol
Mexicans or Aztecs are supposed
have come from remote regions of til
4 North. and to have reached moder
! Mexico towards the beginning Of tl
I thirteenth century. For a long tin
: they did not establish themselves in an
nermanent residence; but they !;
length halted on the southwestern bol
7 ders of the principal lake ( Tezcnco1,
tile year 1895 They there behelt
y s,erched on the stem of a prickly pea
4 royal eagle of extraordinary size az
beauty, with serpent iB his talon
: and i,fs broad wings opened to the II
j. y ing sun. They hailed the auspfcioi
= omen, announced by their oracles,
indicating the site of their future cit