The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1889-01-12
Mexico.
A Visit to the Famed Castle of Chapultepet

A Visit to the Famed Castle of Chapultepet
We promised two weeks aga to give ou
readers description of our visit to the his
toric hill OF Cbapultepec. but we find in th
Baton Rouge Truth description by" Vivian,
the fair local editor of that paper. IF her visi
10 the same spot which is so appropriately Pc
etic and so superior withal to any that VI
might write, that we give it instead:
We passed into the great gate whose mar
BILE arches seemed to bend under the weigh
of massive carvings and figures i'll bas-relief
Out of the dazzling road, the glare of tho IL
against white walls, the glitter of soldier.
and sentinels, into cool Shades of tropical lux
urlance. The orchids famed OH the gigantic
trees that seemed to belong to prehistoric
ages, fountains flashed and ferns grew in
reach of the spray. The broad drive we ira
versed swept and circled, losing itself behind
mammoth cypress trees, planted by the Mon
tezumas, that stood, moss grown monuments
to the glory of the Aztecs. High and higher
the road led, a broad low stone parapet on its
outer edge, the inner edge curving round like
spiral stairs about the hill, which is sur
mounted by the palace. Great boulders oi
shrubs, and TIE broken marble stairway
eace trodden by Montezuma, leading down
the hill from some invisible height, was like
gray stepping stones towards long gone
past.
The valley, with the city, lay stretched out
far below US, even the cathedral spires dwin-
died into Liliputian dimensions and the great
avenues Of trees leading towards Chapulte
pee, were narrowed into sh! ubby bypaths by
distance. The tree of the "noohe trlste" tsau
night), with burnt sienna foliage, towert 4
above all others, many miles IIom US, and we
gazed breathlessly at this spot whore Cortez
despaired, and passed the night in tearfrl
vs.-.1 n. IL
the scene of the conqueror's grief. The city
is white-sO dazzling white from here, against
its background of drab mountains. From
the heights of Chapultepec, the volcano Po-
pocatepetl seems within stones throw the
atmosphere is so pure and transparent, but it
is in reality forty miles away from Us. There
are other mountains struggling about the no.
rizon, but this rears it's head lar above them
all in isolated grandeur, as if seeking COM
partnership from Heaven, and it's summit has
caught the white glow, the transcendent
CLEANS, from Paradise, while it's feet. heavy
and earth-laden. are yelled in purple peni-
tential mists. Its companion, the colossal
iztacelhuatl, stands near, guarding this land
of enchantment.
The hill of Chapultepec is terraced, and
white marble steps turn and wind and gleam
about the palace. Indeed the Arabian Nights
tells of no edifce more magnificent, no gar
dens more beautiful than those through which
We wandered, under turquoise colored Mexi
= skies. 1t seemed We were always going
up white marble stairs, whose every turn re-
vealed treasures in statuary, carvings, bronze
and silver bric-a- brac, and rare tropical
plants, flowers of brilliant hues and-and-I
feel SO helpless in trying to convey one titbe
of the magnifcence, the luxury of our sur
loundiDgs.
We entered the State apartments OF the
palace through the reception room, which
was "a dream, a poem in maroon and gold,
then through the officers room, etc, ETC.,
each one so sumpv ous in arrangement that
| dare not attempv description of them all.
The dining room f1d Or was inlaid, in geomet-
rical designs, of walnut, mahogany and pale
yellow wood, in octagons, squares, eic. The
bossed leather. The window curtains of
heavy terra-cotta plush, bordered with
brown embossed leather, heavily enbroider-
ed with gold and silver. The ceiling was
beautifully frescoed, as were all the depart
ments. The ceiling in the smoking room was
decidedly unique; wreaths of smoke curled
and half-burnt cigars were scat
tered amid the fumes, while pipes and ali
implements of smoking were painted reaiist-
eally upon the surface. Mrs. Diaz's music
room was invaded, and we found it's walls
hung with tapestry the furniture upholstered
in this handi-work of the Mexicans, each
chair, ottoman and sofa pietnring different
scenes and figures. Her sewing room was
symphony in pale blue and pink plush, the
walls being covered with pink silk, on whiel-
were embossed plush flowers, outlined with
pure gold thread. The bath room adjoining
was fitted up in pure white marble, with sill
yer pipes. Her bed room was furnished in
blue aud silver in great magnifcenee. There
I never could describe dresses, furniture, or
any of those things which most delight the
feminine heart, aud left the palace, with a
mosaic of silver and silk, painting and carv-
ing, plush and tapestry, marble and onyx, in
my mind, and my fancy was pandemonium
that l could not reduce to order. All the
lovely things | saw there, were floating pro-
through my brain as We stepped
DGt upon the hower-laden. sun-kissed terrace
With sigh of relief, came into the open
air. was oppressed By all tho magnifeenee
inside that belonged to somebody else;-but
outside the topazes and sapphires were mine,
the emeralda and rubies were mine,
the sunlight the skies, the trees and
flowers, personated these jewels, and
they were mine in common with
princes and poems. We passed down a ro
ange trees-a steep, we'll troddeu path, pass
ID unchallenged by the sentinels, passed
down iuto the cool shades about the ancient
baths of Montezuma. Bananas aud plantains
waved their broad leaves at gigantic heights,
and fusehias lowered above our heads, holding
their crimson and purple blossoms out of
reach. The vegetation and fora is wonderful
IN this wonderland. Geraniums grow higher
han our heads, and the cacti of immense
/ saw the variety, we call
Turks head" growing on the mountain side
rs large as half barrel, while the priekly
pear species grew like trees, with heavy
trunks. A night-blooming eereus elambered
forty feet high on wall. All this sounds
like fairy story, but We were in the land of