The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-02-18
CONDITIONS in MEXICO
PARK ENGINEER j. CLYDE POWER
WRITES FROM THAT COUNTRY.
An Interesting Letter Descriptive of
the Manners and Customs OF
the People.

j. Clyde Power. superintendent Of the
Board of Park Commissioners. who. with
his family. is spending a few weeks in
Mexico, has written an interesting letter
TO friend in Indianapolis from the city
of Mexico He says:
After many trials. fluctuations and sick
ness, we are here. having arrived Jan. 81.
but none of us is we'll, still suffering with
the grip.
THAT this is an old town there is no
doubt, but If you were here you would de-
clare 1t to be older than il is. The earliest
history of Mexico can be traced TO CAS- A.
D., but the Aztecs. who founded this city,
came in 1196 A. d. 1t was then called Tenoc-
titan, and so continued until the conquest
Of Mexico. 1t is strange city. every build
ing seems old, and the very hotel We are
stopping in is over $50 years old. A few
blocks east of US is the Plaza, and a little
| nearer to the west is the Alameda. On the
north side of the Plaza is the cathedral.
The exterior of this building is remark
ably beautiful, and while the towers,
| domes. etc., are revelations of art, yet there
| is not much upon the interior TO create
| more than curiosity. What style Of archi-
| lecture is followed is hard to say, but 1
| think 1t must be a combination of the Span
| ish, Moorish and some other unknown to
me- A descriptive book could be written
upon the old churches of Mexico which
would make very interesting reading. The
| front of the cathedral of Mexico City Is
| carved handsomely, evidently representa-
| tive carvings, and were more than probably
| executed by the old native workman.
PAGAN TEMPLE.
1.-THE foundation of this cathedral is that
| OF a great pagan temple which formerly
stood upon this place, and the cornerstone
of the cathedral was laid in 1915 and Its
dedication took place on Feb. 2, 1867. The
building Is III by 400 feet outside: from the
roof to the floor is 179 feet, and the towers
are 2O3 feet high. AS you step inside OF
| this great building you seem dazed. Twen-
ty great columns of stone support the roof.
/ Sacred history is portrayed in the pailt-
| ing of the dome, the Assumption Of the Vir-
| gin being the most prominent Fourteen
| chapels are in the cathedral, seven on each
side. deGicated to various saints, and are
| decorated with pictures representing scenes
| in the lives of these saints. Iron gratings
| surround these chapels and candles are
i always burning in front Of the images of
the saints. The paintings within the ca
thedral are fine. But to return to the Plaza
again-it is the center of this great city.
II is here that the flower market goes on
every morning, and its beauties cannot be
told. 1 cannot begin to describe what we
have seen there. All street cars of this city
start from the Plaza, whether electric or
mule. The Plaza is so cut with walks that
| about so per cent. of the entire park Is
| walk, and in this park to-day I saw Ia
| borers cutting grass with pieces of sharp
ened sheet iron about six inches long. II
is here the poorer classes congregate to
listen to the band at certain hours every
day and to sell you the most wonderful
creations of candy and sweet cakes that
person ever looked upon 1t is here. as
well as upon all the streets of this city,
that you see the most abject poverty dt so
appears to YOU. You see the man with an
outfit composed of sandals, ragged suit
Of muslin clothes, old straw hat and an
old zarape, or shawl, which he continually
carries; the women of this same class have
q blanket about their bodies, short che
mise and rebosa SHAWL. but different
| from the mem, but they wear no shoes nor
hat. Whole families are to be seen sitting
about on the benches eating anything they
| can get The benches are frequently made
double-that Is, back TO back-and while
this ragged. dirty. ill-kempt bunch of hu-
manity occupies one side, on the other side
Of the same bench you will see nicely
dressed people. Hundreds of people are in
| this park at all times, and you are con-
stantly touching arms with the greatest di-
| vergence OF classes you ever dreamed CT.
THE ALAMEDA
1.-THE Alameda is somewhat different and
yet you see numbers of the lower classes
there, but generally speaking the Alameda
is the park of the upper class. This park
beautiful place. We attended dress
parade there last Sunday and it was
crowded with handsomely dressed people
who promenaded or sat upon chairs under
a temporary canvas roof and listened tc
the military band play from II to l o'clock
"A visit to Chapultepec (Grasshoppel
hilD, the White House of Mexico, was
delightful. A beautiful drive called La
Pasea de la Reform, leads from the city tC
| Chapultepec. The Paseo was established
during the reign of Macmillan and on &C
count of leading to this castle became :
this Paseo is lined with hundreds OF car
| riages, but on Sundays and feast days the
: sight is wonderful To-day was a feas
day, being the anniversary of the Mexican
| Constitution and visit to Chapultepet
| paid US well. This castle or palace was be
gun in 1888 and finished in 1885. The sits
| Is beautiful, being upon small rocky hill
, | about 100 feet above the plain. This plair
| about the foot of the hills has been mad.
| into a lovely park with shaded drives anC
/ | beautiful gardens.
1.-THE castle is reached by winding road
| | way, but before reaching there you mus
, | run military gauntlet and you canno
| pass without permit from the governor
| | OF the National Palace. The views from
the top are delightful. Looking out beyond
, | the valley of Mexico you have a back
| ground of brown mountains and the snow
| capped peaks or volcanoes OF Popocatepet
and Ixtaccihuatl In the foreground yoI
have Tacubaya in the middle with othel
| towns TO the right and left. We now pas:
| To that part of the place known the
overhanging gallery. and gaze astoundet
| at the panorama before me. On the RICH
lies a large field and beyond that LAX.
| Texcoco. On the left lies Tacuba and 10:
| Remedies and between us and the hill o.
| Los Remedies is Molino del Rey, abou
: which mill was fought one of the grea
| battles of the Mexican war. Right in from
CT us, with it's towers, minarets and domes
| hes Mexico and beyond II the churcl
? towers of Guadaloupe The scene canno
| be described; its grandeur seems TO over
whelm you, and l can only carry in m,
| memory a dream beyond anything II
| fancy Much money is being spent to i'm
, and one place q stone balustrade has beer
| built at cost of not less than $4,000 gold
| II overlook small lake about one quar-
Ter acre in size. The trees principally her.
are the eucalyptus, poplar, pepper am
: willow. We now come down from our high
perches and the way back 10 the hote
seems dull although strange sight,
E | abound upon all sides.
PIrT,rINC IN SEWER eYSTEM