St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-03-23
The WondrouS Beauties of the
Ancient Capital Of the
CorteZ.
But the Swell Mexican Res
taurants Do Not Please
Americans.
Americas Greatest Cathedral
on the Site Of the Ancient
Temple.
Something Of the Religion of
the Montezumas in It's
Relics.
Special Letter to the Globe.

Special Letter to the Globe.
CITY OF MEXICO, March 16, 1885,
Ours was party of four, composed of
| Col. Edmund Rice, CT the United States
| army, his charming wife and myself and
wife. We had many pleasant ramble
together in and about this quaint old
cloud-dwelling city. 1t was our wont,
in the early part of the day after our
coffee and rolls, to occasionally indulge
i'll mug of refreshing pulque, partially
through patriotic desire to do when in
Rome as the Romans do, and partly on
account Of belief in the healthfulness
Of this rather unpalatable beverage.
On one of these occasions the colonel
thought he saw a fly" in his mug, and
the Mexican vendors eye made the dis
covery at the same time, and with
deft motion of his hand he ran his dirt
coated finger to the bottom and safely
landing the offending insect on the
floor, passing the beverage to the gallant
soldier, who meekly swallowed it,
smilingly remarking that this small adj
| dition of dirt would make but little diff
| ference.
On another occasion our party es-
| sayed to dine at a rather swell restau-
! rant of the city. Having learned to
love the delicately broiled ''red snap
| PERI procured at another cafe, we or
| dered on this occasion the same de-
| liciouS dish. When the fish was brought
| to our table it was found to be, not the
| toothsome snapper at all, but white
| colOred deniZen of the water, as coarse
as horse flesh and utterly raw. We
| promptly ordered it returned to the
l. itnlxa +rI ,4 IoI Il
| After an absence of some minutes the
waiter returned with a plate of fish
| which had been made ''well done" by
! its long sOjourn Oh dry land. When
| the proprietor was summoned and it
| was explained that 1.-THE fish is rotten
| and stinketh," he collected his charge
| of 81 for the fish dinner and dismissed
| the party with a contemptuouS wave
| and the sneer that ''You are Americans
and can't appreciate good thingsH'
THE HOTELS IN MEXICO
are not of the type of the Hotel Ryan
| and Hotel West, YET many of them are
rooms. or lodgings, for the weary
| Traveller, and meals are procured at
reStaurants-some of which serve eX-
| cellent meals at reasonable rates. The
| bedSteadS at the hotels are usually
made of iron OF brass, and the hard
mattresses rest upon board bottom.
| The pillows are hard and unyIelding.
| A nice, airy and clean room, with bed
all the beds are narrow. only wide
enough for one perSOn-can be had in
almost any of the hotels for 81 day,
Mexican money. There are two or
three pretentious hotels in this city,
whose prices are higher and aceommo-
datiOns poorer and dirtier.
Persons going to Mexico will bear in
mind that, although our United States
money will not pass among the people
and at the shops, it commands pre-
MUM of 35 to 81 per cent when eX-
changed into Mexican currency at
banks which deal in money and eX-
change. Drafts upon New York Ma
tional banks bring or per cent more
get New York draft caShed at one
place, without having any one to iden-
tify me, 1 felt as lonely as Joe Jefferson
when OH a similar errand In Chicago
| some years ago before he was as well
| known as he is now. Turning from the
| cashier with whom he had failed to
make his recognition good, jefferson
| said in mis- inimitable way: ''If mine
| dog Schneider was here he'd know me-"
| The cashier called him back and gave
| him the money, remarking that nobody
COulO COunlCllClt tliot FOlCO ChpICS-
| sion. After eXhausting such expedi-
| ents as suggested themselves to me,
! exhibited railroad pass which bore my
| exceedingly eXecrably executed sigma
| ture, and then duplicated it on the back
| of the draft. That settled it, and l got
| my money.
| Among the many curious things that
| attract the especial attention of visitors
| in the national museum are the image
of the Aztec war god. Huitzilopoehtli,
| and the Sacrificial stone npon which the
victims offered up for his Precipitation
were placed. The temple of this god of
! war anciently stood on the spot where
| now stands the largest and most mag
| nificent cathedral on American soil.
| This heather temple was an immense
structure, as described by Prescott,
was built in pyramidal form, in success
| sive stories, and each story was reached
by flight of steps only after passing
| around the entire pyramid. One hun
the square, platform at the
the ground, which commanded
a splendid view of this lake-gemmed
| and enchanting valley. On one occa-
| sion the great-hearted but vacilating
Montezuma led Cortez to the top of this
| temple, and, taking him by the hand,
| pointed out to him the glOrieS of the
royal city, worthy capital of most
royal yalley-choicest spot of the Al
mighty's creation. Never" says
Bishop Haven, had city such grand
| environment. Athens has mountains
and sea, but scanty plains; Rome,
| plains, but no water and low-browed
| hills; Jerusalem, mountains, but 10
| plains nor sea-" This transcendently
! lovely valley combines all these.
| THE VENERABLE WAR GOD
| of the ancient AZtecs, with very fat
body, a great face and terrible eyes,
| and whose figure was formerly entirely
covered with gold aud jewels. and his
body bound with golden serpents, and
around his neck were hung figures
| of human heads and hearts, made of
pure gold and silver and oramented
with precious stones, now stands in the
museum. Before the idol was kept
burning a pan of incense, filled with
hearts of human victims. The stone
upon which the human sacrifices were
made to this god lies near him. 1t is
nine feet in diameter, three feet in
height and carved on top and sides,
with a deep bowl in the center and a
channel leading to the edge, in which
the blood of the victims flowed away.
| 1t is matter of history that 10000
| human beings were offered up as sac
! rifice on this very stone in single year!
| The victim, Innocent man and maiden
| alike, was b0uud and placed upon the
stone; a cash was cut in the side. into
| which the priest ran his hand and tore
out the heart, which was placed smok-
| ing and bleeding upon the altar, where
| they were kept smoking night and day.
| This great museum contains hum.
dreds Of other relics of ages long
| of r,an,,ln who far.