The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-01-08

| his able Captain Pedro de Alvarado, ar- rived, about the year 1520. The coast of Yucatan had been discovered by l the Spaniards as early as 1517. | At this time the Spaniards were re-
 ceived with great hospitality. Their
 firing of cannon and small arms ter
 rorized the people, and the graceful cavalry so impressed the natives that | they regarded 5these visitors almost as
 gods. This condition might have con- | tinued, but the cruel aggressions of | the Spaniards and their expressions of
 the Mexicans soon turned friendship to hatred, and rising in their might they I expelled Cortez and his followers from
 the city. This occurred July 1st, 1920. 1 It is said that Cortez was so disheart- ened that he spent the night under a
 large tree, and cried over his misfor- tunes. This tree is still in existence,
 surrounded by an iron fence, and Is | called the tree of '1n noche triste." meaning, sad night I had the, pleas
 ure of sitting under its branches; 1t is
 a beautiful tree. and is being carefully preserved and 1t may live for centuries. First Martyr of Independence. | Cortez succeeded in securing the l Tlaxavalans as allies, and with their
 aid turned the tide of the war and re- took the city. For 300 years Mexico
 was governed by Viceroys appointed by l the King of Spain. The fifty-seventh Viceroy. Don Pedro de Garibay. exc | cuted Licenciado Yerdad. the first mar tyr of Mexican independence. The Viceroys of 1909 were beset in all di-
 rections by the revolutionary spirit that
 was a-fire throughout the country. Finally Yturbides army accomplish
 ed the independence of Mexico, and on
 September 21, 1891. entered the City
 of Mexico in triumph. Yturbide be-
 came Emperor and on the 24th of Feb-
 ruary. 1922, the first Congress assem- bled in the Capitol. On May 19, 1922, | Yturbide was elected Emperor by a vote of 67 against 15, and on the 21st of
 July, that year, he and his wife were | crowned Emperor and Empress in the l Cathedral in the City of Mexico. The
 Emperor was titled Augustin I. l The Empire was shortlived. Be-
 fore tho close of the year 1t came to an
 end by the proclamation of a Republic. December 9th, 1922, at Vera Cruz, by
 General Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana,
 and early in January the entire country
 had gathered under the banner of the Republic, leaving only the City of
 Mexico to the Empire.
 Yturbide rendered his resignation | which was accepted, and he was ban
 ished from the country, went to Eng | land and established a home in Lon
 don. Congress issued decree.s pro- l nouncing Yturbide a traitor and plac- ing the penalty of death should he re- turn to Mexico. It took a long time | for information to cross the ocean, and Yturbide, ignorant of the decree, re- | turned to his native land, was arrested,
 condemned to death and shot on July 18th. 1924.
 On November 7th, 1923, a Constitution very similar to that of the United
 States, was adopted. Peace. however. l was short-lived, and from 1928 to 1S46 there was a series of revolutions. The Spaniards had been so entirely driven
 from the country that they then occu- pied but one small fortress. but in 1929, a decree was enacted, banishing all Spaniards from Mexico. In the
 same year, a considerable force landed | in Mexico from Cuba. Santa Ana met and defeated this army on the 9th to l 11th of September, and finally the Span- ish invaders surrendered. but not until
 December 2S, 1886, did Spain openly
 recognize the Republic of Mexico. Houston and Texas. While these stormy scenes were be- ing enacted, that part of the Empire, | which is now known as Texas. com | menced to be settled by Americans un- der the leadership of General Sam
 Houston. They declared the country | independent and this caused cruel bat ties.
 The people of this continent must always entertain an intense interest
 in everything pertaining to Aztecs, 1 Spanish and Mexican civilization of the Western Hemisphere.
 The traveller from the United States l sees tho first evidence regarding these people when he reaches San Antonio. When the Montezumas were all-pow- erful in what is now Mexico. the Az 1 tees. after many bloody battles, de- feated the Nasonites and drove them | across the Rio Grande. After wan
 dering for some time, they became at
 tracted by a beautiful river and the
 magnificent shade trees which grew
 along its banks. Here they stopped
 their journey. and laid tho foundation | of the city of San Antonio. Don Alon-
 go de Leon. Governor of California. in
 1889. speaks of these people, as happy.
 prosperous and hospitable
 In 1730, sixteen Spanish families. from the Canary Islands settled in and
 near San Antonio. They were author
 ized to prefix Don to their names. and
 the leading spanish-Mexican families l of the city are their descendants. In 1872 Major Kemper defeated Gen | eral Salcedo and captured the city. On
 March 18th, 1873, three hundred Ameri-
 cans, under Colonel Perry and six hun
 dred Mexicans. under Colonel Menchaco.
 were defeated by the Spanish General Arrendondo, who then became possess ed of San Antonio.
 In 1880 many Americans arrived fin this city, among them Moses Austin. his
 son, stephen Fuller Austin, James Bowie and his brother, RienZa B. Bowie.
 Colonel Bowie invented the famous Bowie knife, and married a beautiful l Spanish senorita.
 Rupture With Americans. The Spaniards and Mexicans had be-