Durango semi-weekly herald., 1906-03-26
other eatables are d!spoaed Of.
On tho Ely March 4.

ally interesting point and Mecca oi
all tourists. And we are enjoying lhe
ride immensely, as we are passing
through a section rich in traditiol
and of great interest to one Versed
in Mexican history. And this reminds
MS that we should have brushed up
in this respect. as ii has been some
years since reading of stirring daNs
of Cortez and the conquest OF Mex
ico. the exciting DAYS of Macmillan
and other notables in the early pft
of the 18th century. And in ms re-
spect let every individual, man OF
woman. study Mexican history wen
and also acquire some knowledge ol
the Spanish language before touring.
Mexico. They will find II time ana
money well spent. And one does not
realize this so much until on the
ground. Still we nave been improN-
ing. having diligently searched for the
required light. and the mere mention
of something Of special interest re-
calls even school day revelations. In
these letters we deal with quite
number of points and places of inter
est which time will not permit us to
visit. but by careful study and investi-
cation, bringing to our aid passengers
who happen to know. not to mention
the already bored conductor, who IN
this instance is really ohliSing and
glad TO impart information.
Thirteen miles from lraputo we
pass through the straw hat city, n
place of about $1,000 people, where
the inhabintants are mostly employed
in making the straw sombrero 50
universally worn by men. women ana
children of the lower classes. The
| next place of interest is Celaya, city
of %. 900 This is the candy town OF
Mexico. And Mr.. Huyler, not even
our Mr.. Richey. would be in it in Ce-
lava. The candy, or dulces. as called
in Mexico, is made of sugar and milk.
In other places sweet potatoes furnish
the principal ingredient for dulces. in
others squash and at San Luis Potosl
cactus is used. Notwithstanding our
supply of sweets provided before leav-
ing Durango have long since vanished
we pass up the Mexican candy ON the
theory that "a little more than little
is by much too much. CclaSa was
founded by party consisting of six
Teen married men. their. wives and
children and seventeen Young bache-
lors. so our story teller informs MS,
and King Philip " made IT city by
royal decree in 1855. The church Of
Our Lady of Carmen in Celaya is the
masterpiece of the Michael Angelo of
Mexico, "A native and lifelong resident
of the city. The church contains
some of the most celebrated frescoes,
is 220 feet long and built ON tne same
proportions otherwise.
The next place we pass of special
interest is Queretaro. and are advised
to spend one day here, as it is rich
in Aztec tradition, people noted for
heir valor and for their fidelity to
their vows. They had a goudly land
and they loved and defended it in tne
Jden times. Leaving out history the
place is delightful for climate. Ma
ure mas done much for TINS section
except to furnish plenty of water.
Queretaro is said TO have been found
ed by the Otomites in 1400 and upon
their chosen site has grown "A goodly
city. and there is an interesting tradi.
ton which can not help but charm
The tradition states that a native ca
Clique. by name Fernando de Tapil
had vocation to go and convert
l.,
ganized an army and took along with
his soldiers several priests to baptize
the converts whom he was sure to Sc
cure. Coming to Queretaro he pro
posed to the people that they should
select champions to meet an equal
number chosen by himse.f and prom
ise to abide by the result of the fight
between these champions. If Fernan-
dos men should gain the victory the
people should submit to baptism and
abandon the worship of their Aztec
idols; If the peoples champions won
Fernando should withdraw mis- forces
and leave Queretaro as he found 1t.
This was the agreement. The fight
ragged all day. II was literally hand
to-hand conflict, for the contestants
were, by arrangement, to use only
their hands and feet. The people
cheered their champions by shouts.
prayers and by every conceivable dem
onstration that they could make. pos
sibly initiated by an enthusiastic Du-
range baseball aggregation trying to
guy the man in the box. But we must
not digress. Suddenly in the sky
above appeared. visible to every eye,
the form of the blessed Santiago and
near him red cross. Phe vision put
an end to the battle. The people of
Qneretaro yielded and begged the ser
vices of the priests. They erected a
stone cross on the spot where the fight
occurred and in due time the church
OF Santa Cruz arose In its place. The
original stone cross may be seen in
this church and Queretaro has been
noted ever since for the number and |
richness of its churches. Then the |
great aqneduct which conveys water |
TO the city from the mountains is a |
grand sight. The water is brought |
five miles and there are something
over eighty arches, some OF which are
-.