Durango semi-weekly herald., 1906-04-05

OF domestic use. Especially interest |
whose fate has been recorded in prev |
ious letters. In some respects 1t out. |
ranks present-day productions and In |
others is thousands of years be- |
hind the times. Under glass Is the |
massive silver service used by Maxi |
MILAN during his brief career as rul |
er OF Mexico. In glass cases are dis
played his clothing, armor. swords.
etc. In another glass case are the
beautiful gowns of poor Carlotta. his
wife who went insane after the
death OF her husband. The court
gowns are objects of great interest
and indicate taste for dress In the
early part OF the eighteenth century
hard to beat at the present time. And
as one drives along the beautiful
paeso thoughts Will turn to Carlotta,
who largely planned and executed the
construction of this famous thorough
fare.
Leaving the museum 1t is only
short distance to the national art gal
lery, sometimes called the Academy
of San Carlos. Here one finds many
paintings OF superior merit. There
are miles and miles OF canvas on
which the masters of Europe, as well
as Mexico. have displayed their skill.
Murillo, Rubcns. Van Dyke and Leon
ardo da Vinci are represented in the
third gallery. one room of which is
| devoted to Biblical scenes which are
| portrayed so true to life that one at
| all familiar with the Bible can make
| them out. Murillo's San Juan de
| Dios" and "1he Lost Sheep" hold
ones attention for some time. Then
Padre las Casas,' and "rhe Deluge"
cannot be well passed by. The most
| life-like painting was one representing
| Abraham about to sacrifice Isaac
when stayed by the nand OF God when
| Abrnham's attention was attracted to
a ram whose horns were entangled
III an adjoining bush. All Is SO nat
ural that 1t really looks like life And
| there are a hundred more just about
as interesting and called for sec
ond and more protracted visit and
even then the time was all too short
The most notable paintings of Mexi-
can artists are. "Xochitl and ner
father Papantzin presenting the Toi-
tee Prince Tecpaucatzin with new
| drink (puIque), and Brother Bar
toiome de las Casas as Protector OF
the Indians by PARA. The last
named is considered one of the great
pictures Of the world.
The national library is Interesting
only to Spanish scholars and here is
where we fail down" completely.
II is bed time and we must close as
tomorrow we journey to Cuernavaca,
the resort of Mexico in summer
months, the Mecca Of tourists in win
ter. and the early home of Cortez.
| Cuernavaca, Mexico March 10.
Leaving Mexico City early this
morning we traversed the old stage
and burro route used by Spaniards
to the Orient from Vera Cruz to the
City OF Mexico thence across a range
OF mountains to Acapulco, the seaport
| CITY On tne racine slope
From the City of Mexico the wind.
Ing tran climbed the Cordillera of
the Barrientos. wound around the foot
of Ajusco and zigzagged down to
Cnernavaca. thence across plains,
down canons. over spurs of noun
tains, across wide rivers, through
tropical forests and down the steep
descent to the landlocked Port OF
| Acapulco, when again the shipping
carried back and forth the products
OF the Orient and the Occident.
1 Those were great days and 1t was
II strenuous life, this carrying on OF
commerce; pirates in their long, low
craft with raking masts. lay In wait
for the heavy laden argosies and their
precious freight; the burden of these
argosies themselves was not always
the result of peaceful barter or legal
purchase; the booty of sacked cities;
the ransom of "caciques,' who paid
for their restored liberty with pearls
and gold; tribute. the price of immu-
nifty from sack and plunder, formed
no inconsiderable portion of the prec-
ious freight that in those days was
landed on the playa" al Acapulco.
This old trail was the path that
captives. criminals and exiles trod on
their way to the distant Orient. The
history OF thls now grass grown road
would be the history of the trade be
tween Western Europe and Eastern
Asia for century and a half
But now palace cars climb the
heights whore prisoners and convicts
made their painful ascent; the rivers,
whose roaring torrents were crossed
In the rainy season by frail canoe and
clumsy "chalan." or forded when the
heat of the tropical sun had reduced
| them to narrow stream crawling
between high mountains and enor-
nous bouldors. are now spanned by
| bridges of steel: now IL takes but
hours, comfortably passed In luxur-
lous cars, TO arrive at points that for.
merly days of painful. fatiguing and
| dangerous travel were needed to
| reach.
The Cuernavnca division of the