Durango semi-weekly herald., 1906-04-12


sunny Spain, and SO 1t came to pas.
that Medellin is one OF the oldes
Spanish foundations in Mexico.
When Cortez returned from his dis
astrous expedition to Honduras nt
landed with few followers May &c
1926 from a crazy brigantine near Snr
Juan de Ulua and Immediately set oui
and walked the Ave leagues that sep
arated him from the little place that
seems always to have been particular
| ly dear TO him. Almost alone. a sor
\ ry and sick man Cortez arrived al
Medellin, So changed by disease that
the people failed to recognize him
But no sooner was 1t known who he
was than crowds of people. both
| Spaniards and natives flocked from
the neighboring country to greet him
| some travelling. says the chronicler
over so leagues to welcome him. So
industriously had the reports of his
death been circulated and so general
| ly believed. that his temperance was
| indeed a resurrection from the dead
| He was welcomed, as the only man
able to rescue the country from the
! state of anarchy Into which 1t mad fal.
len and so from the tiny hamlet of
Medellin. Herman Cortez started again
on another journey TO the capital.
Not this time AT the head of an invad-
in garmy. but amid the joyous shouts
of the population. passing under tri-
umphal arches and along streets
strewn with flowers.
Alvarado. town of six or seven
thousand people, is the terminus OF
the railway and the headquarters OF
the fleet of deep-water and river
steamers of the Vera Cruz (MexicoD
Railways. limited.
The town is built on a tongue OF
land formed by the sea, the river Al
varado and the bay of the same name
and is situated on the south side OF
series OF sand hills that run in a
succession of steady rises back from
the shores of the bay until they over
look the open sea from quite little
height. These hills consist in some
places of patches of pure sand, hut
are In the most part covered with a
thick growth of chaparrel small
trees and tall, graceful palms.
In the year 1918, during the prog
ress of the Grijalva expedition mp the
Mexican coast, Pedro de Alvarado.
afterward the conQueror of Gautema-
la, entered the broad river, the bar
of which still bears his name Cortez
himself passed by the same place the
next year, and his expedition mum
bered among its members the same
Alvarado.
AT that period, the coutry drained
by the vast network OF the trlbutar-
les of the Alyarado river was much
more populous than 1t is at present.
Originally the lndians-previou to
the Spaniards' arrival-not unnatural
ly occupied the tropical lands in great
er numbers than those OF tne more
sterile table lands. This was due on
tirely TO the fact that not only the
necessities but the luxuries of life
were more easily produced. Espec-
tally was this true of the district al.
luded to. 1t would be dilfcult TO find
elsewhere country more suited for
savages' paradise-fish. fruit and
game-with easy access TO every
point in his simple canoe. The Span
lard changed all this. The greater
proportion of the Indians were remoy-
ed to the table lands to aid in develop
Ing Its vast mineral resources or to
act as laborers in the many other
fields of enterprise inaugurated. So
with few exceptions the tropical lands
formerly dotted with towns and vii
lagos and teeming with population
gave place TO sparsely inhabited
tracts which same were granted with
a lavish hand by the crown to the
rough soldiers wac had so yaliantly
contributed TO the conquest of New
Spain.
During the last century large
trade was carried on up the river
system from Alvarado. The freight
came to the latter place in those days
by ships, direct from Cuba or Spain
or was brought from Vera Cruz by
coasting ships or by mule train. The
merchants of Vera Cruz established
commercial agencies at Alvarado and
at up river points. notably Tuxtepec
and Playa Vicente Large fleets OF
canoes left laden with merchandise
up stream travelling until the shoaling
water in the upper reaches of the
rivers prevented further progress and
the freight was transferred TO mule
trains for carriage into the interior.
even to the City of Oaxaca itself
These same mule trains brought down
the varied products of the Sierra.
which returned in the canoes for fl
nal distribution, either for local use
or for shipment abroad.
The most exciting episode in the
history of Alvarado was during the
American invasion. The town was
most gallantly defended by its inhab-
itants under the command of General
Juan Soto and twice they repulsed
the enemy. In fact Alyarado seems
to have made the most creditable de
Tense of all the places attacked during
tnat disastrous war. On August z
1886, Commodore Conner of the u S,