The Opelousas courier., 1892-03-05
WHITE HOUSE OF MEXICO
THE GRANDEST GOVERNMENT
RESIDENCE IN THE WORLD.
ChapuItepec, the Royal Pala &C Near
the City of Mexico-Once the
Residence OF Macmillan.

ChapuItepec, the Royal Palace Near
the City of Mexico-Once the
Residence of Macmillan.
The finest place in the City of Mexico,
says the indianapolis San, is Chapul-
tepec, the royal palace. 1t is said to be
the grandest Government residence in
the world. The palace is located three
miles west OF the city. To reach it one
may so by street cars, but to enjoy it
more a carriage ride over the Paseo, the
fashionable driveway, should be taken.
The paseo runs by the Alameda the great
park in the heart of the city; goes by
the statue OF Charles ", the largest
single bronze casting in the world; the
statue of Quanhtenoc, and the Aztec
chief who betrayed Montezuma into the
hands of Cortez, and many smaller
statues of prominent Mexican men.
The drive is the broadcast in the city,
aud is about as wide as Washington
street. 1t is made of stone blocks, and
is as smooth as a floor, On either side
are rows of cypress trees, separating a
very smooth walk from the drive. Along
the sides arc also two trenches through
which the water flows. When the drive
is sprinkled poems stand in the trench,
dish up the water with gourd vessels,
and with a peculiar twist throw the
liquid ever the stones. Every afternoon
mounted soldiers are stationed On the
paseo to prevent fast driving and the
rich Mexicans, in their United States
carriages, enjoy driving here, and ele-
CANT turnouts are to be seen every alter
noon. Macmillan built the paseo in one
of his extrayagaut moods. The people
objected to it then but appreciate it
now.
1t ends near the viaduct of adobe,
which history says, the Aztecs built, and
winds its way through tropical shrub
berry and shade trees arouD' the site OF
the palace and to the plaza on the south
side. The palace stands on a hill OF
solid rock, the sides being almost per-
pendicu!ar and arising to a height Of
200 feet. From the top of the hill a
solid wall thirty feet high runs almost
around the palace. During the Mexican
NdL Sl1tpuIiCpCC "tbS1 90 ho" nv Wv
Point of Mexico. The United States
troops scaled the hull, climbed over the
wall and captured the place without
much difficulty. The place is in the
form of a hollow square. The east side
is occupied by President Diaz. The
west side is the training school fol
troops. Inside the square and upon the
top of the palace is the court.
1t is filed with flowers, fountains and
| statuarv. From the round observatory
in the centre one of the finest views in
the Republic can be obtained. To the
northwest stands Kings Mills, the Ameri-
can battle ground. Coming nearer to
within a stones throw is the grove of
Moutezulna, or Montezuma's oaks. The
trees are cypress instead of oak. They
are very high and some are twentyfee in
circumference. They look very much
like the weeping willow of the north
and have very long gray moss hanging
from the branches. Montezuma, the
last Aztec ruler, had them planted, and
the leaves now shelter the soldier stu
dents when they study. To the south
are the high hills upon which can still
be seen the Notifications erected by the
United States troops.
The hilltops are high above the clouds,
covered with fir trees, and look very
gloomy. To the southeast is Popocata-
petl. 1t rises high above the clouds, and
the 100 feet of snow and ice that covers
its summit all the year is very impressive
in the sunshine. The summit looks very
much as if an amount of wood ashes had
been poured upon it and allowed to slide
down twenty feet. To the east and
nearly at ones feet is the City of Mexico,
in all its whfteness and cleanliness.
The palace was erected many years
before the Mexican war, but didn't reach
its present state OF splendor until Maxi
milan combined the peoples money with
his taste. He filed it with rare paint
inos and decorations that cost a frightful
sum of money. In the drawing room to-
day hang draperies about the windows
that are said to have cost $500, 900 per
pair.
They are made of the rarest material,
interviewer with threads of pure gold
and silver. The Mexican coat of arms,
about three feet square made of all the
precious stones, are on the costly draper
les. The fringe is SO heavy it can't be
lifted from the floor by two hands. The
floors are Of white marble, the ceilings
ornamented by the coats of arms of al
the Mexican rulers painted by hand in :
way that only a Mexican can paint. TIL
carpets are of the richest fabric, the
candIesticks aud chandeliers of gold ane
silver. The table service is of pure sill
yer and gold. Altogether the furnish
ings of this castle would put those of oul
Waite.IIouse to shame. BY visiting i
one can hardly comprehend the splendoI
of this royal palace. As a place of safet.
it cant be equalled in that vicinity. 4
once private escape, but now known t.
everybody, leads from the foot of tn
rocky hill on the north side up directl.
under the court, and through a well-like
opening to near the Presidents apart
ments, the tunnel having been hewen on
of the solid rocks.