The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-04-01

that have flowed But architects
u BAY that If it were to be done. Chur-
ireEuera is the great master OF 1T.
In New Spain. the HChurTegueresque
! was received with open arms There
was som thing OF the Moslem East IN
at that appealed to the native Next
4 can a native stone cutter might be
handed a rough drawing Of conpli-
Gated design and be left TO work it
Isout- He would accomplish this faith
fully, and into it would weave some
lSof his own personality and individual
! ity. Thus did the churches Of Mexico
gain an atmosphere all their own.
Under these patient workmen they
gained an characterization that is
Itequaled only in the far East This
was the great. III distinguishing feature
of tie Mexican church a century
ttater.a school, headed by Tolsa, Il.
great artist pho particularly disliked
| the Ghurroguersquo. led a campaign
for5the removal OF that sort of orna-
Ementation from the Mexican churches
and the result was the despoiling OF
most OF this art, the most distinctive
being in Mexico. There are still, how
ever, great amounts of it in many
churches and some few that are un-
touched.
he cathedral at Mexico City is#the
largest church structure in Am erica
Beginning about the year 1900. two
and quarter centuries and unlimited
money We're devoted to its construc-
ton It is this willingness to take
unlimited time that has done much
Tor the church structures OF Mexico.
The Gothic navea or the cathedral are
Of dizzyins height. The huge. Rom
anAd dome is OF such dimensions that
the observer narvels that it could
have been built with no steel Orders
and no reinforcement whatever. The
walls OF the great structure are tenl
and twelve feet thick On its roof
there is a village OF caretakers whoi
i've there as they might Onsa noun
tain top. It's architecture, inside and
out, represents much Of the chan inEl
spirit OF the 225 years during which
~ was building. It's Churregueresque
ornamentatfon has been largely re-
placed by alater Italian art that is
almost without merit. Among its
famous and valuable paintings is the
Virgin Of Bethlehem by Murillo.
The cathdral at PueDio was design!
ed by Juan Gomez de Mora. architect
to Philip Ill, as was that at Mexico
City, and these two are the greatestI
churches in North America. The
church at Pueblo impresses one as be-
Ing more complete whole than does
The larger structure. The richness
olathe interior is less scattered, the Il
.heavy hangings are more solemnlyE
impressive and there is more left of
the r1otous ornamentation within Tha |
north portal Of this church is prob
ABLY the handsomest In Mexico. IN
no foIe- Il
tails. Mexico Outrivals all other build II
ers. This is due to another secret
learned from the Spanish Moors and
sdeveloped to the utmost This is the
adY1sa bility OF concentrating orna-l
mentanon at certain points and leay-I
Ing other great spaces entirely blank
as q contrasttand3a setting for thel
artistic work. The builders of otheri
NATIONS have never got the effects
from this treatment that may be seen
in Spain and Mexico.
Thejstory of Aasco cathed raj. IN the
stoWn#of tina name, state of Guerrero.
on thesPacinc8 coast, reveals the meth
Cd IN which many OF these magnificent
churches came to be. IA poor boy
came over from Spain and found his
way to this village. from which the
nrsts silver had been shipped to Spain |
IN ~ So ~. He amassed 100000, 900,
5WhichSWas a more markable fortune
then than now. Being devoutly re-
ligious. he decided to build 4 church |
In Iasco that should hayeFin ii every
thing that money could buy. Il bulous
sums We're spent. The greatest artists
OF the world contr1 buted to its design,
and 81 ID 5ornamentation, and its mural
paintings are all by Cabrera. the
greatest pain ter Of the time. So was a
structure planted in this distant min
ing town which can be reached only
on "a mule back superio to any thing IN
the United States and formidable
rival to the more am itious 3churchesl
OF It's class In ~ Europe. There are
scores Of such In Mexico.
$1,000