The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1895-07-06
Mexico.

-, Paseo de la Reforma is he p.so -
naes mexico, Republic and city; a mapnitil f. !
Geht driveway extending from tho
Avenida Juarez to the gates nf the
parK at Chapultepecs-a drive. which r fnr
us length and with its broad dnnhIa
Ioau"ay, shows more of wea,ti, an5
o.osance o1 turnout than anv on tna
continent. From four o'clock in ~ the tho
afternoon till dark the scene ia . hri,I
,,au. ;.n one lndeed-the Paseo ia crowded
VIII carriages and horses, from tha
nnoouy Eng'ish rig, tiger and all. tn an
MGl,cah Man;ne buggy. not omitting the
oan snnhran equestrian in all his glory of
Thn sTno orero and silver ornamentation.
az mo p'ocession passes up one side and
c;rcla, T"a Inc other, passing around the
wher8 the bands playa line of cavaIrv arv
Is dHIwn up the centre to keen tho
Eoing and coming parties to the rjpht
., ne raseo Is shaded by immense trees
.il .haI nave grown up on both sides Of
ene proad wa!kways that are on either
side OF the drive, and under them ara
great stone benches for the use of the
people who don't ride. '"o
AZ tne entrance to the Paseo is the
sIea1 bronze statue of Charles w. nf
opaih' the largest single piece of bronze
W is cast III one piece in the world-it
weIshs nearly thirty tons. 1t originally
$1,000 10 the Plaza Mayor, was erected
there 10 1903 and placed in its present
position in 1859. '''@"'
~ the nrst circle of the Paseo ia the
tinent. ''o eo"-
La the second circle is beautiful
statue OF GuatimotziD, the last king Of
the Aztecs, who was tortured and mt IN
death by Cortez.
small statues are on the curbs at
regular intervals these are of the
heroes OF Mexico, presented and erect
ed by the States of the Republic from
whence came the noted men. There
are no car lines on the Paseo and one
must drive or-walk.
Chapnltepec is the White House of
Mexico. The presidential residence. II
ls also tho West Point, the National
Military Academy. 1t is palace in all
that word implies on high rocky hill
overlooking the valley with one of the |
hnest views in the world. This chill |
OF the grasslI0pper rises out of a forest |
OF giant dhuehuetes i; its rocky sides are |
carved here and there with figures and |
and on one side a cave |
ls shown that is the opening to an un-
dIately under the palace, and connects
with well or shaft that opens in the
garden at the top this was means Of
secret egress and ingress in the olden
times. The cave is seen from the drive
Oh the ascent. and the well is shown in
the garden. On the eastern side of the
bill. is shown the tree of Montezuma,
where that unhappy monarch also ex-
1erienced a nOche triste. That the hill
# the grasshopper was once resort of
he Toltec and Aztec cbilfs there is lit
le doubt, and causeway extended
rom the city in the lake, to the foot of
he hill. and on it an aqueduct about on
he line Of the existing one. The pres
mt palace was begun in 1888, by the
Iiceroy Don Mathis de Gaivez and
completed by his sou, Don Bemado, in
7S5, and it has been undergoing COM
'letion ever since it has been occupied
y kings, emperors and presidents, and
ach one has added to it's size and cost.
The magnificent rooms of state, salons,
'Ondoirs aud banquet halls, with their
egal decorations, are beyond descrp-
ion, as is the grand view from the
of the valley and surrounding
fountains.