Chapter XII: Churches and Charities

The churches of Mexico are remarkable for their beauty and solidity. There is no prevailing style except originality, nor is purity of style a characteristic of the great buildings. The Gothic, the Moorish and the Italian are often combined, but the harmony of design is masterfully secured and a distinctive attraction thereby obtained. There is a sort of abandon of genius in the designs and decorations of façades, towers and domes that make the work beautiful and uncommon, each is a unique picture, each bears the impress of individual artistic conception.

Of the great church structures of the capital the most notable is the cathedral, of vast proportions and magnificent details. When Cortés had Tenochtitlan finally in possession he determined on the complete destruction of the Aztec city. On the spot where the great _Teocalli_ had stood, a temple hideous in sight and memory of the Spaniard, the Christian cathedral should be erected. This with the aid of unlimited slave labor was quickly accomplished. In 1527, Clement VII. established the See of Mexico and Fray Juan de Zumarraga was instituted as the first bishop. In 1545, the bishopric was constituted an archbishopric and Bishop Zumarraga was elevated to the dignity of archbishop.

In 1593, the corner stone of the present cathedral was laid, forty-two years later the foundations were completed; in 1623, the roof above the sacristy was finished and three years later the first service was held, but so great a delay had been caused by the great inundation in 1629–1635, that not till 1656 was the formal dedication solemnized; even then the building was unfinished and its final dedication was not solemnized until February 2, 1667. In 1791, the magnificent towers were completed and the bells were hung a year later. The cost of the completed edifice with its decorations is many millions. Its length is over four hundred feet, its width one hundred and seventy-seven feet and the height from roof to floor one hundred and seventy-nine feet. The towers are two hundred and three feet high. Crowning the edifice is a splendid and graceful dome and lantern, the work of Manuel Tolsa. The cathedral was designed by Alonzo Perez Castaneda on the plan of a Latin cross.

The principal façade faces the south. It is broken by three portals composed of the Doric and Ionic orders, which with the exquisitely wrought carvings, the friezes and the statuary make a most imposing and captivating front. The towers are likewise of the two orders in succession, the Doric and the Ionic, and many cornices carry fine balustrades with pilasters surmounted by splendid urns and fine statues.

Within, the impression is one of severe grandeur ennobled by vastness of space. The style is Gothic and Doric. The lofty vaulted arches are borne on massive fluted columns of stone. The dome is illuminated with paintings of sacred subjects, among them an Assumption of the Virgin. In the aisles are fourteen chapels dedicated to various saints. In that of San Felipe de Jesus are some relics of this saint, and here lie the remains of Iturbide, the unfortunate emperor, beneath a monument erected to “The Liberator.” In the chapel of San Pedro lie the bodies of Archbishop Zumarraga, the first prelate of Mexico, and Gregorio Lopez, the Mexican Man with the Iron Mask, who is said to have been the son of Philip II. of Spain. There are some very fine altars; the chief of which, the altar de los Reyes, is very imposing and rises to the arches of the roof. It is most sumptuously ornamented with carving, gilding and other decorations, and is the delight and admiration of the Indians especially. Beneath this altar lie the remains of the Independence martyrs, Hidalgo, Allende, Aldama and Jimenez, which were transported thither from Guanajuato after their dishonor in that city and buried in the cathedral on the independence being secured. There are many fine pictures in this great cathedral; a _San Sebastian_ by La Sumaya, the wife of Baltazar Echave, a _Candelaria_ by Echave, the _Assumption_ and the _Epiphany_ by the Mexican painter Juan Rodriguez Juarez; the _Entry into Jerusalem_ and the _Catholic Church_ and the _Assumption_ by Juan Correa, the _Triumph of the Sacrament_, the _Immaculate Conception_, and the _Glory of St. Michael_, by Villalpando, the _Last Supper_ and the _Triumph of Faith_, by Alcibar, the _Virgin of Bethlehem_ by Murillo, the _Virgin_ by Cortona, and _John of Austria imploring the Virgin at the Battle of Lepanto_.

There are many historical churches in the capital, some of which date from the sixteenth century. Many were founded as convents and monasteries through the munificence of private donors or through the efforts of religious orders, and the history of Mexico is closely interwoven with not a few of these establishments.

Santa Brigida is the fashionable church of the capital. It was built in connection with the Order of Saint Bridget which was established in Mexico by José de Aguirre and his wife, Doña Gertrudiz Roldan.

The Church of the Colegio de las Ninas is an ancient establishment founded by Fray Pedro de Gante. The college was provided to furnish free education for girls.

The church and convent of Nuestra Señora de la Concepcion was established by a Franciscan monk, Fray Antonio de la Cruz.

The Church of San Cosme was founded in 1538, as a hospital for Indians, the chapel being dedicated to the Arabian doctors Cosmo and Damian. It later came under the charge of the Franciscans, who built the monastery and the present church which, however, was not completed till 1675, and dedicated to Nuestra Señora de la Consolacion, as an act of gratitude by one who received shelter in the monastery during a storm. A curious painting in the church represents the grateful donor transferring the title of patron, which he had declined, to San José. The painting is the work of José de Alcibar.

In the Church of Santa Cruz y Soledad, built in 1731, but which was originally founded in 1534 as an Indian mission, are splendid decorations of altar and chapel by celebrated Mexican artists, but the most interesting feature is the image of Nuestra Señora del Refugio which was formerly attached to a wall on the Calle del Refugio.

San Diego contains several paintings by Vallejo, the famous Mexican artist, the pupil of the Indian painter, Cabrera, the chief of which are _The Prayer in the Garden_ and _The Last Supper_, and the famed altar pieces _The Virgin of Guadalupe_ and _San José_.

Santo Domingo is one of the finest and largest churches in the capital and contains some fine paintings especially _The Crucifixion_ and _San Ildefonso_. This church stands where the legend says the Aztecs saw the eagle with a serpent in its beak, the omen that decided on their establishing their chief seat. This church is on the Plaza de Santo Domingo in which is erected the handsome commemorative statue of Señora Doña Josefa Dominguez the heroine of the Independence, whose timely warning gave the patriots at Querétaro a chance of escape.

The Church of San Francisco, now a protestant temple, is all that remains of the great religious establishment of the Franciscan Order, founded on the grounds once occupied by the menagerie of the Aztec Imperial household. The original church was erected by the Twelve Apostles of Mexico and Fray Pedro de Gante and the cost of building was borne by the Conqueror. With the grandeur of Spanish Mexico and with all the sorrows of Republican Mexico in its earlier days this great establishment was intimately concerned. It was the last to conspire against the nationality of Mexico as a republic and this conspiracy cost it its real existence, for it never recovered either its prestige or its entire possessions in the interval before the monastic institution was suppressed by President Juarez, in 1860. The great treasures of the church, the ornaments, jewels and paintings were then forfeited and placed in the Academy of Fine Arts. Historically the Church of San Francisco is the most interesting in the Republic. It was the centre of all the Catholic religion. Under able and zealous management it became the most powerful and prosperous church in the Crown colony. From it sprang the first Indian school and the first theological seminary and it was here the art of painting was first taught by the Spaniards. It was the favorite church of Cortés where he heard the mass.

Many of the viceroys worshipped here during the three centuries of Spanish rule. On December 27, 1821, was sung herein the Te Deum to commemorate the Independence of Mexico. On June 12, 1859, President Juarez signed the famous Leyes de Reforma, which aimed at the nationalization of all church property. These took effect in 1860, and the year after all religious orders were suppressed. This property of the Franciscans was sold and the money given to the hospitals and schools.

San Hipolito stands on the spot made sacred by the defeat of the Spaniards by the Aztecs on _La Noche Triste_. On their recovery of the city on August 13, 1521, a little adobe chapel was erected in memory of the soldiers who fell on July 1, 1520, and in 1599 the present magnificent edifice was begun which was not completed till 1739. For a long time, on the 13th of August, a commemorative procession bore in march the crimson banner of the Conquest.

The defeat of the Dismal Night is commemorated on a stone tablet surmounting a corner of this church, which translated reads: “So great was the slaughter of the Spaniards by the Aztecs at this place on the night of July 1, 1520, called for that reason the Dismal Night, that after having in the following year re-entered the city in triumph, the conquerors resolved to build here a chapel, to be called the Chapel of the Martyrs; and which should be dedicated to San Hipolito, because the capture of the city occurred on that Saint’s Day.”

One of the most notable of the churches is that of Jesus Nazareno. It was founded as Nuestra Señora de la Purisima Concepcion by Cortés on the final occupation of the capital and furnished with ample funds for its erection and maintenance by the provisions of his will. In this church the bones of the conqueror rested from 1794 to 1823, when they were removed to Italy. The building began in 1575, and it was dedicated ninety years later, when its name was changed because of a miraculous image of Jesus of Nazareth that was bequeathed to the church by a pious Indian woman. The edifice contains much of the original interior carved woodwork, altars and other decorations. In this church lie the remains of Manuel Vilar, the sculptor, Lucas Alaman, the historian and statesman, Manuel Calderon and Fray Juan Crisostomo Najera.

Nuestra Señora de Loreto was originally founded by the Jesuit Order in 1573, an edifice of canes and reeds, dedicated to San Gregorio. In 1675, Padre Juan Zappa brought the image of Our Lady of Loreto to Mexico. The erection of chapels took place in 1686 and 1738, but the present church was not dedicated till 1816. The tower of this church has leaned for seventy-eight years as the result of subsidence of one side of the edifice owing to inundation. There are some fine paintings by Joaquin Esquivel.

The Church of Nuestra Señora de los Angeles has a singular history. In 1580, an Indian chief, Isayoque, found on the waters of the inundation a beautiful picture of the Virgin, to preserve which he built an adobe chapel, but instead of placing therein the original, he had a replica painted on the wall by an eminent artist. Later this wall was built into a larger chapel, and in 1607 the inundation almost obliterated the painting, save the hands and face, which was deemed a miracle. The present church was completed only in 1808. The miraculous picture is supplied with a dress to cover the missing parts and is now enclosed in glass to preserve what is left.

One of the handsomest of the churches is La Profesa which dates from 1595, when it was founded by the Jesuits, whose order accumulated great wealth and possessed great influence, till they were expelled in 1767. The decorations of this church are among the finest in Mexico and there are several pictures of considerable reputation, _The Adoration of the Cross_ and _The Seven Sacraments_ being of prominent merit. The splendid altar is the inspiration of Tolsa. This masterpiece was designed by Pelegrin Clave and his pupils, Petronilo Monroy, Felipe Castro and José Ramirez. It was in this church that the movement was planned as the result of which Iturbide acquired the independence of Mexico.

Santa Teresa La Antigua is one of the very interesting church establishments. The convent of Santa Teresa was founded in 1616, and the building of the present church was commenced in 1678, and its completion and dedication was made in 1684; it was very badly injured by the earthquake of 1845, but has been splendidly restored. It possesses a miraculous crucifix brought from Spain in 1545, and long kept in a church at Cardonal, in Hidalgo state. The legend as to this crucifix says that it was once so disfigured by an accident that it was thrown into the fire, without any change resulting, that it was then buried and when later taken up it reassumed its original freshness and state. To secure the crucifix a pitched battle was fought between the partisans of Archbishop Zuniga and those of the Cardonal church, and the former were victorious, and the treasure was deposited in Santa Teresa.

Another church founded by Cortés was Santa Vera Cruz, in connection with a brotherhood whose mission was to comfort condemned criminals. The church possesses a venerated shrine encircled with seven veils and within the shrine is a crucifix, a visit to which on a specified day secures indulgences. The present church dates from 1730.

There are several protestant churches now in the City of Mexico. The Christ Church, Episcopal, Trinity, Methodist Episcopal and San Lorenzo for English speaking Catholics.

The legends of a country often have a more real and actuating influence on its people than does its history. The miraculous or wonderworking thread woven into the tale appeals more forcefully than the soberer facts of very truth. The touch of mystery chains the interest while it seems to silence the spirit of questioning. Mexico is rich in legends, and their best lore is perpetuated in the many shrines.

Of all the shrines of Mexico, the most sacred and venerated is “Our Lady of Guadalupe.” Here is the Christian shrine to the Mother of the Saviour; and here, too, the Aztecs tendered homage and worship to Tonatzin, who to them was the “Mother of Gods.” The Christian legend tells that in 1531, a pious Indian named Juan Diego was on his way from the village of Tolpetlac to attend mass at Santiago Tlaltelolco and passing around the hill of Tepeyácac, he heard sweet voices singing; terrified, he looked up and saw a lady who bade him listen to her: he should go to the bishop and tell him that she willed that a temple in her honor should be built on that hill. The figure vanished, and Diego did her command, but the bishop sent him away, giving no credence to his tale. Returning to the place of the vision, Diego found the lady awaiting him and he told her of his interview with the bishop. She bade him to return to the place the next day, Sunday. Diego returned accordingly and for the third time the vision greeted him, and he was commanded to repeat his former message to the bishop, who, still incredulous, required some convincing token of the truth of his message; at the same time he sent two servants to watch Juan Diego. On the latter’s approaching the hill he was lost to the view of the servants and passing round the side of the hill he saw the lady, to whom he stated the bishop’s requirement. She commanded him to come again the next day. This he was unable to do, for on returning home he found his uncle ill and he must attend him. On the day after, the uncle being at the point of death, Juan Diego set out for Tlaltelolco to fetch a confessor and fearing delay if he met the lady, he went around the other side of the hill. There to his surprise he saw her descending the hillside and calling to him. He made known his urgent case, and she assured him that his uncle was already cured of his fever. Then she commanded him to ascend to the barren hilltop to gather roses, and there, where none had ever grown, they appeared. She directed him to take these roses to the bishop as the desired token, bidding him to show them to none other. Happily did Juan fill his _tilma_ with the lovely blooms and set out for the bishop’s dwelling. From the spot where the lady stood gushed forth a spring of crystal water which has continued flowing and is a cure for all human ills. Diego was soon before the bishop and unfolding his _tilma_ as he dropped the roses at the feet of the bishop, he saw the image of the Virgin depicted on the coarse fibrous material, painted in wonderfully beautiful colors, in a cloak of blue velvet bedecked with stars of gold. The prelate was convinced; he took the miraculous _tilma_ and deposited it in his oratory as a priceless treasure. Diego returned to his home, escorted by the bishop’s servants, and found that his uncle had been cured at the very hour when the Virgin assured his recovery.

On the spot where the roses had miraculously bloomed, a church was soon built, and on February 7, 1532, the sacred _tilma_ was placed over the altar within the shrine. From that time an annual festival has been held on the 12th of December. But it was not until Pope Benedict XIV., in 1754, issued a Bull authorizing the feast that official recognition of the Virgin of Guadalupe as protectress and patroness of Mexico was gained.

The church was the especial pride of the Indians, and they felt a new motive for joining the Christian establishment. They now had their Mother of God. The original portrait is richly framed in gold inlaid with diamonds and pearls. The picture appears alike on both sides of the rough canvas, which is without sizing or preparation. Experts have from time to time examined it without being able to account for its production or preservation. The coloring process is inexplicable; it partakes of the characteristics of oil, water and distemper coloring and relief work, and these processes are apparent in different portions of the picture; moreover the gilding of the stars embroidered on the cloak and in its texture, as well as in the light-rays emanating from the figure, is not applied like any known process, but appears rather to be woven into the fibre of the canvas than painted on it. A further miraculous attribute is seen in the complete preservation of the picture, which for many years was entirely unprotected by a covering, and exposed to conditions that would have destroyed even very hard substances.

The devotion accorded to “Our Lady of Guadalupe” is universal in Mexico. The festival day is a religious holiday throughout the republic, and is especially kept by the Indians, who come from all quarters to the shrine for devotion. It was the banner of this Virgin that was taken from the little sanctuary at Atotonilco by Hidalgo when on his march on San Miguel and he adopted “Guadalupe” as the battle cry of independence.

The holy image of the _tilma_ was removed from its shrine on the occasion of the great inundation of 1629, and the saving of the city by the Virgin implored. The image was placed in the cathedral, attended with imposing ceremony in transmission, and there it remained for four years. Its miracles are reputed wonderful, all manners of healing are attributed to it.

In 1622, the image was enshrined in a new and much larger church. In 1709, the large temple was dedicated. The altar was designed by Tolsa in 1802, but was not completed till 1836. The great chancel was enclosed by a heavy silver railing set on a base of white marble. But the crowning glory of the edifice of “Our Lady of Guadalupe” was the great aspiration and chief lifework of Father Antonio Plancarte y Labastida, who began the work of restoration and embellishment in 1887 and completed it in 1895, when the _tilma_ was crowned by authority of Pope Leo XIII., with attendant ceremonies of the most imposing magnificence, in the presence of thirty-eight archbishops and bishops, hundreds of priests and fifty thousand laymen from all parts of Mexico and the rest of the Western Continent, on October 12, 1895.

The crown is a splendid product of the goldsmith’s art and of an enormous intrinsic value. The gold and the precious stones were contributed by the women of Mexico from their own most prized jewels and represent a vast treasure. Around the rim at the base are twenty-two enamelled shields representing the dioceses of the republic illumined with sapphires and emeralds. Above this is a row of angels, each bearing a brilliant ruby on its breast, and supporting six enamelled escutcheons blazoned with the arms of the six archbishops of Mexico, framed by exquisitely wrought wreaths and encircled with diamonds. Rising behind the angels and extending to the apex of the crown are festoons of roses of gold alternated with stars of diamonds, which cluster at the top beneath an enamelled globe on which Mexico and the Gulf are depicted. Above the globe is the Mexican eagle bearing in one talon the globe and with the other holding aloft a cross of diamonds. From a ring in the cross the crown is suspended over the sacred image by a cherub. The fineness and richness of the work, in which there is no repetition of a single decorative detail, make this crown the most distinguished of its class in religious use.

The coronation scene was unique in the history of Mexico; the patron saint of the nation, the especial protectress of the Indians, was to receive divine honors with all the pomp and ceremony of official sanction and authority. Gorgeously robed, the dignitaries of the church surrounded the throne of the archbishop--for the church has the recognized organization of a cathedral--who received the priceless crown from the hands of twelve of Mexico’s distinguished women, representing the contributors, after the papal brief authorizing the coronation was read, and the action notarially certified. Then the air was rent with the salute of cannon and the unchained voices of the bells. Within the walls of the church crowded adorers knelt, and without, multitudes with bowed heads, reverentially adoring, awaited the solemn moment when the crown should be raised to the brow of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

The crown having been blessed by the archbishop, a solemn mass was celebrated, and then in grand procession it was borne by the canons through the crowded basilica and outside around the edifice and then returned to the sanctuary. Here, the archbishop of Mexico, assisted by the arch-prelate of Michoacán, ascended the lofty platform and placed the consecrated crown above the head of the Virgin of Guadalupe over the miraculous _tilma_. As the act of coronation was completed the devotional enthusiasm of the people broke forth amid tears and sobs, in shouts of “_Viva Dios!_” “_Viva Madre de Dios!_” “_Viva Mexico!_” and the cries were taken up without till the hill and the valley had spoken with tens of thousands of voices; then the bishops, one by one, ascended the altar steps and in devout homage laid crosiers and mitres before the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The great event, at the same moment, gave tongue to every church bell in the land, which proclaimed the glorious fact of the coronation to the devout children of the church.

The restoration of the church was completed simultaneously with the coronation and the sacred image of the _tilma_ was returned from its eight-years’ repose in the neighboring church of the Capuchin Nuns to its own repository in the basilica of Our Lady, on September 30, 1895. The benefactor, Father Plancarte y Labastida lived to rejoice in the crowning culmination of his great work; he died in 1898.

The interior of the basilica is of the Doric order. It is about two hundred and fifty feet long and one hundred and twenty-five wide. Its three aisles are divided by eight Corinthian columns. Of the eighteen arches, the central one carries the dome with its lantern, the top of which is one hundred and twenty-five feet from the pavement of the church. The feature of chief interest is the high altar in which is framed the sacred _tilma_. This is of spotlessly white Carrara marble, magnificently sculptured and exquisitely wrought with gilded bronze, done after the designs of the celebrated Mexican artists, Agea and Salome Pina. The marble was carved by the sculptor Nicoli at Carrara and the bronze was wrought at Brussels. On the right and left sides of the altar are, respectively, marble figures of Juan Zumárraga, the first bishop of Mexico, and the Indian, Juan Diego, to whom the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared, and in front is the kneeling figure of Archbishop Labastida y Davalos, whose fostering care made the great work possible. Over the frame holding the image of the _tilma_ are sculptured in relief three angels, emblematic of the archdioceses of Mexico, Michoacán and Guadalajara and commemorative of the services rendered by their archprelates in securing the papal authority for the coronation of the Virgin. The baldaquin over the altar is of byzantine style and is carried on pillars of Scotch granite; the arch is surmounted by a gilded cross of roses. The front arch of the baldaquin carries the arms of Pope Leo XIII., on the other three are those of the archbishops of Mexico, Michoacán and Guadalajara, and inscribed in Gothic letters are the Latin verses written by Leo XIII., for the occasion of the coronation:

Mexicus heic populus mira sub Imagine gaudet
Te colore, alma Parens, præsidioque frui.
Per te sic vigeat felix, teque auspice, Christi
Immotam servet firmior usque fidem.

LEO PP. XIII.

“The Mexican people rejoice in worshipping Thee, Holy Mother, under this miraculous image, and in looking to Thee for protection. May that people, through Thee, flourish in happiness and ever under Thy auspices, grow stronger in the faith of Christ.” Bronze statues are placed between the arches, representing Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, Temperance.

The vaulted roof is studded with gilded cedarwood stars; the beams are richly ornamented in rich Byzantine style. The dome is profusely decorated with gold and roses in festoons; and the panels are filled with frescoes of the Virgin of Guadalupe, of angels bearing scrolls, and allegorical tributes of the Virgin. In the four spaces between the dome stand figures of the four Evangelists.

Splendid frescoes adorn the walls of the church.

The homage paid to the Virgin of Guadalupe is universal in Mexico. In every home of rich and poor alike, her picture is to be found, an honored possession, even in most of the shops of Mexico a lamp burns ever before her picture and there are few churches without an altar before which to do her reverence. When the country was rent by the passions and fury of war and churches were stripped and despoiled of their priceless objects and decorations, the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe was too sacred for the despoiler. His hand was nerve-less to desecrate this revered shrine.

This venerated basilica is the chief of a group of churches connected with the legend of Our Lady of Guadalupe. To the east of the shrine is the Chapel of the Well, built on the spot and in commemoration of the miracle of the spring that gushed where the Virgin stood at the moment that she dispatched Juan Diego to the bishop with the roses. The chapel was built in 1791, and the spring is just within its door. Beneath the dome, which is covered with glazed tiles, is the altar and a carved pulpit upborne by a figure of Juan Diego; the mural decorations are paintings of the Indian’s visions of the Virgin. The Chapel of the Little Hill, is erected on the spot where, at the Virgin’s will, bloomed the roses on the previously barren rock. The first chapel was built in 1660, but was replaced by the present edifice early in the eighteenth century. These auxiliary establishments are connected by a stone stairway, about halfway up which is a votive offering, the Stone Sails of Guadalupe, made by sailors who implored the aid of the Virgin in their distress and, being saved, they accordingly brought before the shrine the foremast of their vessel and the sails, which latter are there encased in stone.

Besides these chapels, there is the church of the Capuchin Nuns, forming a group of establishments more widely known and honored and visited by more persons than any other shrine in Mexico. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the Lourdes of Mexico, the holiest of Mexico’s sacred places.

Another shrine highly venerated by Mexicans is the Church of “Our Lady of Los Remedios.” The legend upon which its veneration rests antedates that of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The story told of the image enshrined in this church is that it was brought to Mexico from Spain by a soldier in the following of Cortés, named Juan Rodriguez de Villafuerte, who, in the flight on the _Noche Triste_ took the image from the great Aztec temple, where it had been placed in a shrine, and carried it as far as the hill of Totoltepec, where his strength failing, he hid it under a broad maguey plant. It was thereafter lost to knowledge for nearly twenty years, when an Indian chief, who was hunting on the hill was greeted by the Virgin, who required him to seek for her image hidden beneath a maguey plant. He searched in vain. Again the Virgin appeared and repeated her command, with the same result. A third time the vision appeared, and the same command was given. Further effort at length rewarded the searcher and he took the image to his home, but in the morning it was missing, and again was found under the maguey plant where it had been discovered. This time the Indian placed before the image a gourd filled with dainties of food; again it disappeared. Once more the chief brought it home and placed it in a bolted and locked box, on which, for further safety, he slept; but the box was empty in the morning. These strange experiences led the Indian to seek the advice of the _padres_, to whom he told his story, and they, deeming that a miracle had been wrought and a command conveyed to build a temple to the Virgin on the spot of her appearance, decided to fulfil the command.

Soon thereafter, on the spot where the image was found, a shrine was built and dedicated by the Spaniards to “Our Lady of Succor” in gratitude for her salvation of their lives. The image is about eight inches high and is carved in wood; it bears in its arms a figure of the infant Jesus. The shrine also contains the gourd in which the food was placed before the sacred image, while under the main altar, near the remains of the Indian, Juan Aguila Tobar, is the box in which the image was locked to prevent its escape. The walls of the original church remain in the existing edifice, completed in 1575; but the church has lost much of its former magnificence and costly decorations of precious metals and paintings. The priceless wardrobe and jewels of the Virgin remain in testimony of the virtue attributed to the miraculous image.

After the battle of Las Cruces, when Hidalgo was within six leagues of the capital with his independence army, Viceroy Venegas, alarmed, had the image of the Virgin of Los Remedios brought from Totoltepec to the cathedral in the capital, and there kneeling before it, invoked its aid, placed the viceregal staff in its hands, and solemnly hailed it as “lady captain general of the army.” The royalists inscribed on their banner the image of _Nuestra Senora de los Remedios_, just as Hidalgo had adopted for the patriots that of _Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe_. In seasons of drought, also, this sacred image is taken from its hill shrine and borne in solemn procession through the streets of the capital.

Mexico City is liberally furnished with institutions for the care of the indigent afflicted and for orphans. The special retreats for the blind, the deaf and dumb strikingly exhibit the conception of the obligation of the municipality to ameliorate the distressing conditions which the afflicted in these respects suffer. Every care and comfort is provided for. So too, the orphans have a home that shields them from danger, ministers to their needs, and gives them instruction that will fit them for a life of personal advancement and state advantage.

The General Hospital is a monument of enterprise. It is the culmination of a long-cherished ambition of General Diaz, whose desire was to see Mexico equipped with a hospital for the poor that would meet all the needs of the City. It was completed in 1905, and is conceded to be one of the largest and most splendidly-appointed hospitals in the world. It has about twenty-eight pavilions and accommodations for over eight hundred patients.

This splendid institution has every facility of a modern hospital, being built after years of study of all the hospitals of the world. It is conducted on scientific principles, and the system and precision with which it is managed has created great comment from scientists who have visited it. Its doors are always open and the poor have a refuge at all hours. There no questions are asked, a warm bed and good food are ready at all hours. It is under the direction of Dr. Liceago.

The maternity ward is most interesting and there is a school and kindergarten for poor, infirm children of tender age. In connection with this there is a school for nurses which has opened a new field for women, as formerly all trained nurses were foreigners.

The American Hospital and the American Benevolent Society are both good institutions, the later was founded by Honorable J. W. Foster, who was at that time American Minister in Mexico.

There are many other charitable institutions of this kind in Mexico and the suburbs, some of them dating back to the time of Cortés, notably the Foundling Hospital, founded in 1767, and the Hospital of Jesus of Nazareth, founded by Cortés in 1527. The first meeting of Cortés and Montezuma took place on the site of the Hospital de Jesus Narareno. The quaint architectural features are most attractive. The building is nondescript, but surrounding this is a beautiful garden. On a tablet let into one of the walls is the interesting inscription in Spanish--A Hospital of the Clean Conception of the most Holy Mary and Jesus of Nazareth. It is the oldest and was founded on this famous site of Paganism known as Huitzillan, in the year 1527, and re-established and remodeled in 1838.

El Hospicio De Ninos (the Children’s Hospital) at Tlalpam was founded in 1765 by Dr. Fernando Ortiz Cortés. It is non-sectarian and is supported by the government. It has lately been remodeled, and accommodates a thousand children. All classes of trades and useful arts are taught and some fine specimens of needle work are done by the girls.

There are splendid charities under the protection of Madame Carmen Romero Rubio de Diaz, and many private institutions. The Home for Working Women was founded by her. The object of this establishment is the teaching and taking care of the children of working women. Madame Sofia de Osio de Landa y Escandon, the wife of the Governor of the district, is the president of a society for the protection of the poor. To this belong the best ladies of the city, who devote much of their time to the poor and friendless of the capital.

Madame Ramon Corral and her beautiful daughters are most active in all charitable work.

Under the supervision and encouragement of Madame Diaz the School of Nurses was established, where the native girls are educated free in medicine and nursing. Every year diplomas are granted to at least twenty trained nurses.

The Florence Crittenden Industrial School was established in September, 1902, under the direction of Señora Herlinda de la Guerra de Sepulveda, beginning with a small number of inmates. Its mission is to receive and protect poor girls, and to teach them to be self-supporting, giving them an industrial education and fitting them to take their places well equipped to render them good wives and mothers. There they receive the instruction prescribed by the Department of Public Instruction, with strict attention to the moral and physical development. The management of this school is under the direction of ladies competent to “instruct in the best moral training.” The kindergarten is one of the features. The school is located in the picturesque town of Mixcoac, quite near the city. It has lovely grounds and gardens and fine hygienic arrangements, making the place healthy and attractive. It has now about one hundred girls and the efficiency displayed in the management entitles this institution to all aid and sympathy.

There are homes for disabled men and women; free hospitals for the sick and needy. There are churches where bread and nourishing food are given every day to those who seek it. There are homes for motherless babes, and a haven for all unfortunates. There are industrial colleges for wayward boys and girls, who are gently instructed in the ways of good citizens and many splendid records have been made by former inmates. In no country are there more charitable institutions than in Mexico.