Durango semi-weekly herald., 1906-03-29
CRADLE OF OLD MEXICO.
Mexico City, Mar. 8.

to make the trip all pleasure and no
work, hence we are couped in our
room instead of visiting the various
points Of interest OF sitting In the
beautiful parks. Our last letter dealt
principally with Queretaro and here
we are to be again reminded OF the
brilliant but snor. career OF Maxi
milan.
The section OF country from Quere-
taro to this city is passed over in the
night with the exception of a short
distance traversed in the carry morn
ing. Leaving Queretaro the railroad
begins to climb. and at Lena, rs miles
from the city. we reach an altitude
of s,is3 feet. the highest on the line
of the Mexican Central. We pass by
the historic town OF Tula, which was
known to he Inhabited by the mys-
terious Toltecs in the year 64S. Talk
about Old Mexico-When you have
reached Tula you have reached
place which WAS an important town
more than thousand years ago
that Is seven or eight hundred years
before the time OF Cortes. We have
passed over the old Santa Fe trail
in the states and now we pass over
the trail OF the Toltecs in Mexico.
close to their camp and capital. Tuln
was the capital OF Mexico until 1925.
The Toltecs founded II and the Chici-
mec tribe conquered it 400 years lat
er, or about 1900. The immense col
l..,. u In, hn tl,u
buried and unburied Mt various places
in and near the present Tula indicate
its former greatness and Importance,
Coming down to more modern times
Is an Interesting churc-- over 300
years old and very unique. 1t evil
IDENTITY served two purposes--one o!
worship and the other protection from
hostile tribes. The walls are seven
feet thick, the building 200 feet in
length. Al in width and s2 high. with
a tower 1875 feet high.
A branch OF the Mexican Central
road extends As miles east to Pacnu
ca. city of $4,000, chiefly kept ~
by mining interests. Then another
point OF great interest is located II
miles from Tula-the celebrated
Nochistonga Cut OF "Tajo de Nochs
tongo," great canal which has nc
parallel In The history of civilization
1t is an open cut more than ~ miles
long, with an average depth OF 1SO
feet. the greatest being 1856, and vary
ing in width from $50 to $50. The
work is said to have cost many thou
sands of lives and eighteen million
dollars, and this figuring labor at 25
cents per day. 1t was intended to
save the City of Mexico from inun-
dation. The capital occupies ground
only six feet higher than the lowest
part of the valley. Lake Texcoco in
its normal condition is lower than the
city, but any flood that raises the
water In Texcoco more than six feet
endangers the city. There are five
other lakes, the highest being Lake
Zumpango. The river Cuatitlan emp
ties into Zumpnago. Engineers be-
lieved that II the course of the river
was turned from the lake into the
Tula river the city would be safe
and this canal was made as a pas
sageway for the waters OF the Cuak
titan. The river does nor now threat
EN- the city, as canal was completed
In 1894 which carries the waters from
Lake Zumpango out o, the valley,
the canal being 80 miles long, 26 feet
wide and 20 feet below the main
square. In times gone by the City
Of Mexico has suffered severely from
the overflow of Lake Texcoco and
amongst the most disastrous floods
are those of the years 1446. 1853 1880.
1904. 1907, 1917, 1929. During the
last inundation the city was a veri.
table Venice for nearly Ave years.
All communication was by boat. The
Hood continued unabated for one
whole year. rising to ineighth of six
1eet over the entire city and as me-
moral OF that terrible inundation, the
guided head of a lion is set Into the
wall at the corner of San Francisco
street and Callejon de Espiritu Santo
"A great many houses collapsed and
over 10000 people are said to have
perishcd by starvation, drowning. ex.
P~""'S' N'S' he MING Vi spain sent
orders to remove the city to higher
grounds at Tacubaya, but the orders
were not carried out The only means
OF transportation was in canoes, and
everywhere the ruined houses showed
marks OF inundation. thousands being
undermined. The waters somewhat
abated after year. but the city re.
mained flooded until 1854 Then the
clergy with the prominent officials
invoked the aid of the patron saint
OF Mexico. our Lady of Guadalupe.
and she was carried around the city
limits In solemn procession and her
power was invoked to abate the wa.
ters. Almost Immediately the waters
retired and the faithful regard II as a
divine Intervention, but some of the
more worldly and skeptlcal attributed
the disappearance of the waters to
the great earthquake which happened
at the same time, and the waters were
drained of through the large assures
1t made. Another disaster, undoubt
edly resulting in much greater loss
of life and destruction OF property
would have resulted from the ileavy
rains and floods of 1898 had 1t not
been for the canal. as Lake Texcoico