Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-30
: THE CITY OF ANGELS.
Puebla de las Angeles, in
Mexico.
J FIRST SEEN IN A VISION
Spot Shown to Bishop Garces in
1882.
HAS MILLS AND FACTORIES
Contains Numerous Churches For
Three Centuries AN Ecclesiastical
and Educational Center.
HAS MILLS AND FACTORIES
BY WILLIAM L. CURTIS.

Special Correspondence Of The Star and Chicago
Record Herald.
PUEBLA. Mexico, March a. 1905.
The real name of this town Is Puebla de
las Anseles-the City of Angels-but the
angels have been dropped, and the govern
ment has added hyphen and the word
Zaragoza In order to honor hero of the
revolution of 1852. But 1t appears all
the maps as plain Puebla and everybody
calls 1t by that name which means simply
town
In 1882. when good Bishop Garces was
locatng a series of churches and resting
places between the capital OF Mexico and
the coast, he had vision while resting at
the nelghboring city OF Atlixco. and saw a
choir of angels with theodolites and chains
and other surveying Instruments in their
hands. laying out town upon a beautiful
plain that lies between four great volcanoes.
Guided by the same power that made the
revelation he found the spot and said
Here hath the Lord through His angels
revealed to me the site of a city, and to
His glory 1t shall be built" And that is
how the most beautiful of all the large
cities of Mexico came into being
1t does have lovely location To the
westward are the twin volcanoes Popoca-
tepetl and Ixtaccihuatl; to the north is
Malintzi 13,463 feet in height and to the
east Orfzaba. the second highest mountain
In Mexico. which measures 1856 feet;
while to the southwark lies a range of
lower peaks.
Existed in the Time of Cortez
Two hours before the train reaches Puebla
on the Interoceanic railway 1t passes
through Atlixco the land of many waters"
one of the busiest little cities of the re-
public. 1t is very much older than Puebla
because it existed when Cortez came, but
until a few years ago it had sIumbered
l
woke up and got busy" and began to
build factories until it's wealth and popula-
ton gave it Importance. 1t has seven cot
ton and print mills, supplied with American
machinery of the latest model, and employ
ing about 5000 operatives; three distilleries.
foundry and a shop for dressing ltho-
graph stones. OF which very fine quality
comes out of the neighboring mountain.
Puebla is getting to be manufacturing
center also and has several large cotton
mills and other factories. 1t is a railway
center. also. There are about $50 Amerl-
cans here. most of them employed by the
railways and in the mills. There two
American dentists two American shoe
shops, a popcorn seller, and two saloons
kept by our fellow countrymen so the con-
sui tells me. One of the most conspicuous
objects In the town Is an American Prot
estant church. of which the Rev Mr.. Ire
vino Is pastor. 1t has q tall spire and Is
located on a prominent corner near the
plaza The services. are conducted I'm
Spanish
American Schools.
Behind 1t. occupying nearly half block
are two American schools, one with $50
boys and the other with 9s2 girls. While
both schools are entirely non-sectarian, they
are under the care of the Methodist Church
DIR. F. 8. Borton, formerly OF California, is
in charge of the boys department, and Miss
Anna Lmburger, formerly of DanvlIe Pa.
is IN charge of the girls school, which will
celebrate Its twenty-fifth anniversary In
July. Miss I.imburger Is assisted by Miss
SenSChOifZ
Pa. Miss Pennington of Bedford, Pa: Miss
Ethel V. Strong of Philadelphia and Miss
Betz. formerly of Deadwood: The Rey. DR..
Bassett. formerly OF Iowa, Is the presiding
elder Of the Methodist conference OF this
district
Miss Limburger tells me that her pupils
come In about equal numbers from the
Mexican families and from the foreign
colonies of Puebla, and that the school
takes a high standard because the public
recognize the superior advantages OF the
American methods in instruction and that
the teachers are more competent than those
OF either the public, private or the parish
schools of the city. A good deal of jealousy
Is shown by the teachers of the church and
private schools, but the teachers of the
public schools and officials of the govern
ment generally are very kind and friendly.
There Is no trouble here either with teach
ing or preaching. although Protestant con-
vsrts are ostracized socially just they
are everywhere in Catholic countries.
The City of Churches
PUebla might be called the "cIty OF
churches for you never saw so many as
there here. For three centuries this
has been an ecclesiastical and educaticna,
center and the home OF the Mexican aris-
tocracy. Before the reformat ton of Juarez
there were sixty churches and twenty-five
converts and monastert3s for a population
of not more than TJ000-nearly one for
every coo people Today there are forty
six churches in Use. all large and costly. or
one for every 1000 men. women and chill
dren, and some of them are the most
sumptuous ind splendid in all America
The interior of the chapel OF San Domingo,
for instance, walls and ceilings, Is covered
with the mos exquisite wood carving you
ever saw. 1t Is probably unsurpassed in
this respect in all America.
Notwithstanding the suppression of the
orders OF religious secluston, a large num-
Der Of monks and nuns are supposed TO
be living In Puebla today, but they never
appear on the street IN the habiiilnents OF
their order for fear OF expulsion from the
country. They are engaged In educational,
charitable and religious work. There is
said TO be quite colony of friars from
the Philippines doing parish work. These
facts are known to the government, but
will be overlooked by the officials long
as the reform laws are otherwisc complied
with. No monasterfes or nunne-ies are
maintained as such, and the buildings for
merly occupied by the religious orders are
now used for official, educational and com
mercial purposes. One monstrous great
monastery the railroad station, with
church attached. has been rennodeIed for
use as a peniteutiary.
The cathedral OF Puebla is considered by
many critics the most perfect example OF
ecclesiastical architecture In America but
II belongs to the period OF the sixteenth
century and cannot very well be compared
with modern churches. The exterior Is in
different, but the interior. all white and
gold and In perfect condition. unlike most
of the churches OF Mexico. Is superb. The
building is 325 feet long. lOI feet wide and
eighty feet inside from the floor To the roof
Like all great churches IN Lattn-America,
II was long time building and the cost
must have been tremendous burden upon
the community In addition TO the sixty
other expensive churches. But several rich
men made liberal individual contributions
The famous bishop ZumarragH laid the cor
nerstone In 1886. but the building was not
finished or eonsecrated until 1919. At the
time OF the reformation Il was the richest
church in America and one OF the richest
IN the world. and II probably contained
more silver than any other. The chande-
liers, the balustrades around the galleries
and one which leads from the pulpit 10 the
choir were OF that metal, and the altar, a
zfr N Gf