Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1909-05-05

breadth, smooth as a calm sea. 1t is sur
rounded by a mountain wall. seemingly
I raised by nature as protection to this
/ gem OF city in the center of the plain.
! And, guarding as it were all this beauty,
/ stand the extinct volcanoes, PopocatepetIe
and fztaccihuatl, their snow-capped sum
/ mits reaching a height OF nearly 1900
! feet.
4 We climbed to where Montezuma sat to
weep for the passing glory OF his race, and
stood where Co-tez stood to view the
failure New Spain. The military school
4 still crowns the summit, ;while near its
base sleep the brave cadets who died de-
tending their country against foreign
/ foe. A small part OF the aqusduct which
brought water from the great spring at
/ Caspulterec bsfor, tue tre4cherous Span
/ lard came, yet stands, a monument to
Aztec skill.
/ That evening, from balcony OF the
I. iturbide, we wa ched the carnival parads
! up and down San Francisco avenue. 1.
( did not possess any of the features OF the
| Madi Gras, as in former days, but was
more OF a smart social pageant carriages
| filled with gaily- dressed people, brilliant
lights and brilliant ysns, coichmen aud
10 )tmen Ia livery, htsness gold mounted
aad many carriages mlrSed with coats of,
arms. Rsnsm oeriny the carnivsis AZ Ne c
Orleans and MOBILE, we wee disappointed,
and really found more of f4srisal spirit
in the crowds pissing back and forth on
the narrow sidewalks, in their holiday at
/ tire, Carrying tissue paper flowers and lit
/ tie figures dressed as clowns.
T The cathedrals hsrs are, as yol know,
| the greatest feature for the tourist. They
are OF amazing msgniiicence, and many OF
/ them have been closely identified with
great historical events OF three centuries
/ Naturally the first one visited was the
most important, the capitals cathedral,
built on the exact site of the great Aztec
| temple. The cornerstone OF the present
cathedral was laid in 1873 and the first ser
vice held in 1925 The building is more
than 400 feet long and III feet wide.
There are magnificent arches and fscades
with fourteen besutifuI chapels. For all
much OF the material and the labor was
donated, the cost was s,,Oo0,O00. Its doors
are always open to saint and sinner.
| But the cathedral with the greatest at
traction for tourists IL at Guadaloape, the
most sacred Shrine Of Mexico. 1t was
here that Juan Diego's plain zarape was,
on Dec. U, 1923, converted by the Virgin
| (who met the humble shepherd at this
place) into a beautiful tilml bsarilg her
image, still preserved in frame OF pure
gold, surrounded by solid silver altar
railing weighing twenty-six tons. Above
the framed tilna is diadem which, with
ont the gems, costs $4,000. Tn. morning
of our visit special services were being
held and the floral decorations were trlly
magnificent.
One OF the most interesting buildings in
the city is thu National museum with its
valuable relics OF the Aztec race. Here are
gods and idols OF every size and descrip-
| ton, hundreds OF Toitec and Aztec legl-
| cies, Montezuma's shield, Maximilian's
| coronation coach and the sacrificial and
calendar stones. The latter is remarka bic
"a circular stone Of porphyry three feet
thick, twelve feet in height and weighing
twenty-six tons. Four hundred years ago
it was brought from the quarry to the
Aztec capital. On this circular stone a
figure, carved in the center, Indicated the
sun, while those which encircle it repre-
sented the months and days of the Aztec
year, which was divided into eighteen
months OF twenty days each, with five
complimentary days to make the 365, and
once in fifty years they allowed for the
loss OF minutes in their reckoning.
The National School of Fine Arts was
revelation to US, with its beautiful pic
lures and hundreds of precious treasures.
One day, out in the suburbs, while wait
ing for Our car, We had our first glimpse
OF tram-car funeral. The front was
adorned with wreaths OF flowers and tall
black cross, and on a platform in the CEN
ter was the coffin. The great objection to
these tram car funerals is not their pub
licity (for the blinds and doors of the cars
can be tightly closed) but the speed with
which the trains are run in order to clear
the tracks for regular traffic.
We visited many suburbs out in the
beautiful valley Of Mexico, and found
something new and interesting in each
one. San Angel, with it's church three
centuries old; Mixcoac, s'villsge of flow
ers and brick" Churubusco. historic bat