Chapter XV: Puebla

It is not mere acreage or population, nor public institutions or monuments of any kind, however imposing, historic, or beautiful, that constitute a state. It is the men of thought and action who have brought Mexico from under the yoke of the Spaniard, who in three hundred years wrung so much treasure from a suffering people, and made of the down-trodden province a free and independent country among the nations of the globe.

The State of Puebla is eminent in the annals of the Republic, alike for the great resources it has yielded from the time of the Conquest and its participation in the history-making of the nation and not less so for the distinction gained by its people. Puebla is the capital city; it was founded soon after the Conquest by Cortés, and at that time was one of the social centres. Its location near the Federal capital has brought the city into intimate acquaintance with the affairs of the world. It is finely laid out, with every modern improvement, and is exceedingly picturesque with alamedas and public squares. Its ancient palaces have been turned into offices for the chief officials. It is considered one of the most attractive cities in the republic. The people are noted for their refinement and culture, having many splendid public institutions of learning. There are over sixty churches and theological schools, charity schools, hospitals and benevolent establishments. It is one of the oldest cities in America, founded in 1531, and is considered, next to the Federal District, the most important. It is the cradle of manufacturing industry in Mexico, being one of the first to establish spinning and weaving factories. In addition to being an industrial centre, Puebla is connected with all parts of the republic by railroads which traverse the rich district of sugar plantations and other industrial centres. The climate is delightfully mild and agreeable and the country around is green with fertile fields. The view of the great volcano of Popocatepetl, seen at sunrise, is unrivalled. The snowy top and sides stand out like a great dome of alabaster and then the sun, rising higher and higher, from the radiant brow sheds its glory on all below. Puebla is a beautiful city with handsome houses built in the finest style of architecture, with broad and remarkably clean streets and avenues. It has a population of more than a hundred thousand; is the seat of an archbishop; and its historical associations make it exceedingly interesting. Some of the buildings are relics of the days of the viceroys. The architecture, distinguished by its Spanish influence, is very picturesque, with its multi-colored tiles of Talavera, for which the city was famous. This pottery ware was manufactured in this city in the seventeenth century and some of the wonderful relics are still found, though very seldom.

The character of the citizens is marked by conventionality, conservatism being the keynote to everything in which they participate. The influence of the Catholic church prevails and one is often impressed at the sight of the people, from the poorest to the highest in society, kissing the hand of the archbishop or kneeling as the angelus is rung. From a military point of view, Puebla is considered the key to the national capital and during several foreign wars suffered many vicissitudes. Its history is very interesting, although a stormy one, and it has suffered more, perhaps, in the cause of war than any city in the republic. Augustin Iturbide, who proclaimed himself Emperor of Mexico, captured the city in August, 1821. In 1847, it was occupied by the United States forces. In 1862, it was the scene of Zaragoza’s victory. It was occupied by the French in 1863, and on April 2, 1867, General Porfirio Diaz gained the most notable victory of his military career by driving out the French. In spite of the ravages of warfare and some of the relics of the war that exist, the city of Puebla still retains its beauty of former days embellished by the art of modern architecture. One of the most magnificent edifices in the world is the Cathedral. It is noble and inspiring. A pretty legend regarding the rapid progress of the building tells us that it was owing to the assistance of two angels, who descended nightly and added to its height, so that each morning the astonished workmen found their labor incredibly advanced. From this legend Puebla derives its name, “The City of the Angels.” This beautiful church is elegant and simple, and in excellent taste. The floor is of colored marble; the rich and artistically attractive high altar, of different varieties of Puebla onyx; and the beautiful iron work and wood carving about the choir make an interior which equals that of the Cathedrals of the old world. A great amount of wealth exists in Puebla, principally in connection with its churches, some of which are three hundred years old.

Other churches which claim attention are those of San Cristobal, founded in 1532, and rebuilt in 1667; San José, the Templo de la Compania, San Marcos, Nuestra Señora de la Soledad and Santa Catarina. In the interior of all these one finds a collection of paintings and beautiful carvings. The general effect is bewildering. In all these churches, silver railings, candelabra and rich tapestries are found and the domes and steeples of glazed Talavera tiles make the city flash in the sun.

During the celebration of the Centennial, schools and public institutions were dedicated and the city was festive with entertainments of all kinds. The venerable Marqués de Polavieja was the guest of the government, and was given the freedom of the city. Puebla probably had more reason to celebrate the Centenary than any other city as it was the centre of all the historical events of the Spanish period.

Music and opera have a charm for the Mexicans, and Puebla is a musical centre. There are some good theatres and one of the largest bull rings in the republic is here. Hundreds of people swarm into the city from other towns and nearby villages to witness a bull-fight and on the occasion of this performance everyone makes it a gala holiday.

The oldest theatre in America is the Teatro Principal, which was inaugurated in 1760, by the Viceroy Ahumada. It was known in those days as the “Teatro de los Arrieros,” being the favorite amusement place of the mule drivers who came in from the country on feast days. For a while it was patronized by the best class of society, but is now given over to a cinematograph. The interior was completely destroyed by fire a few years ago. This old theatre is unusually interesting on account of its early Spanish architecture.

The Guerrero Theatre was built in 1868, and stands on the site of the old city prison. It is owned by the city and has been greatly improved with modern scenery and stage fittings. Visitors are attracted to this theatre on account of its beauty of proportion and its artistic decoration.

The principal buildings of the city are imposing gray stone structures with an atmosphere of the historical past surrounding them. The more modern ones are built on the most approved plan. The penitentiary is one of the most modern and sanitary prisons existing in the republic. It is built on the general plan that characterizes all these institutions and merits great attention. The Casa de Maternidad is one of the splendid institutions that stamp the Mexican nation as the most charitable in the world. Here, without a question being asked, a poor unfortunate woman may find a haven of refuge.

The Municipal Palace is a modern structure. It is situated opposite the Cathedral and is built in the Spanish Renaissance style, and occupies the site of the original palace, which was erected in 1536. A fine _salon_ on the second floor is of the French Renaissance, with allegorical paintings on the ceiling, done by native artists. The Government Library is in the palace and comprises a large collection of books. The entrance to this remarkable chamber is inspiring in the greatest degree. It is noted for its marvellous carvings. The reception rooms of the officials are exceedingly imposing and the military atmosphere lends color to the scene.

The bronze equestrian statue of General Ignacio Zaragoza was erected by the State of Puebla in 1896. This is a most imposing monument. At the base of the pedestal appear the names of the generals who aided this great soldier in his expulsion of the French troops during their intervention. The Paseo Nuevo is a splendid avenue, which is the pride of the Pueblans. One of its attractions is a handsome bronze group of statuary erected to the memory of the heroes of the war for Independence by the State of Puebla. Other statues on the Paseo are those of Gabino Barreda and Esteban de Antuñano, founder of the cotton industry. At the south end of the Paseo is an imposing monument erected to General Nicolas Bravo, who was one of the heroes of the war and was one of the members of the Council of Notables which promulgated the new constitution for Mexico. He was president of Mexico for a short time in 1846.

In one of the squares is the beautiful fountain of San Miguel, constructed in 1777.

The State College is also an imposing edifice and is a well-conducted institution. Among the other public buildings the Library containing about fifty thousand volumes, the Academy of Fine Arts, the Normal School, and several hospitals all go toward demonstrating the great progress and advancement of the people.

General Mucio P. Martinez, Governor of the State, is one of the most distinguished soldiers in the republic. His name is enrolled among the other great leaders of warfare. He is the hero of a hundred battles and has been the trusted friend and companion of General Diaz for many years. He entered the army when a young boy in 1861, and displayed such great bravery in many actions that in 1863 he was assigned to the cavalry and promoted to the rank of lieutenant. He has fought in all the wars that have taken place in his country since he enlisted and his services have been of such great value to his country that the grade of brigadier-general was conferred on him in 1884, which is his rank at the present time. He has been the Governor of Puebla since 1892, and has done so much to encourage all enterprise and progress in his state that he has the reputation of being one of the wisest and most intelligent administrators. The Governor has taken special interest in the public school system, and through his efforts it is supposed to be the best regulated in the republic. There are a number of institutions of higher education, preparatory schools, schools of law and medicine, and a most efficient school of engineering. Manual trades are taught and even in the penitentiary the prisoners have the benefit of a good common education.

The Governor is noted for his charming personality, his kindness of heart, and his protection for all enterprises that are worthy of the attention of an official who is interested in the welfare of his state. He has surrounded himself with intelligent progressive gentlemen as State officials, and through their enterprising and intelligent administration, Puebla has been raised to the rank of second state in importance in the republic. Licenciado Augustin Fernandez, the Secretary of State, is an important factor in its government; he is a scientist and linguist and a man of great ability.

Industry is animated in various branches and is being actively developed, particularly the textile manufactures; and the products of the numerous and well-equipped mills for weaving and spinning cotton and wool, scattered through the State, rival the foreign products, for their variety and excellence. Commerce is very active and the culmination of its operation is guaranteed by the complete abolition of duties, as there are no more domestic custom houses. Merchandise circulates freely through the state, and the industrial establishments and mercantile houses are subject only to the payment of taxes, which have been advantageously substituted for the odious system of excise. The hotels in Puebla are particularly good. They are thronged with visitors from all parts of Mexico, attracted by the beautiful climate and noted sulphur baths that are in the suburbs. Some of these waters are boiling as they bubble from the ground and the odor can be detected quite a long distance away.

In this state the onyx, famous all over the world, is quarried, near Puebla, and exquisite specimens are seen in some of the public buildings.

Few tropical localities in Mexico equal the privileged section of Northern Puebla. Here nature has lavished its profusion ungrudgingly, and for the man of energy, success and prosperity are assured. The natural products are many and diversified. Building woods and those suitable for making furniture exist mostly in dense forests, while dye-woods and a species of wild indigo abound. Various fibres suitable for the manufacture of brooms and brushes as well as those for ropes, etc., clothe forest, meadow and hill. There is plenty of wild game and large quantities of fish are found in the limpid streams. Along the western section long stretches of natural grass well-adapted for pasture and stock-raising bring very satisfactory results. The cultivated products are coffee, corn, sugar cane, tobacco, pineapple, banana and rubber. Corn yields here four hundred bushels for one; cane produces without irrigation. Rubber and coffee yield to the industrious planter a rich reward for his enterprise. The climate is very acceptable for farming; fruit growing, especially the tropical products, is a profitable occupation. Bee culture, in connection with vanilla, is now a source of wealth. The district of Atzlan lies at the base of the Sierra Madre Range in the State of Puebla and comprises the extreme north end of the rich and fertile country of Huachinango. It is located at a distance of eighty miles south of the port of Tuxpan and one hundred and forty miles northeast of Mexico. This district takes in an area of over one hundred and sixty square miles of the most excellent tropical land. A large English-speaking colony has settled in this district. The soil is a rich dark loam finely adapted for the cultivation of every vegetable, fruit and fibre and capable of yielding prolific products. The temperature in summer, though high at mid-day, is low in the mornings and evenings and the winter months are generally delightful. The lands are undulating slopes abounding with fine forests and inviting streams while the well-drained plains are covered with perennial grass. Every section of these lands is of easy access. The Ward Line steamers call at Tuxpan from Vera Cruz or Tampico every week and the Mexican mail boats every few days. The Valley of Atlixco is noted for its fertility and its abundant crops of vegetables as well as for the fineness of its fruit.

The Metlaltoyuca colonization lands, which lie along the Gulf slope on the Mesa de los Coroneles, are quite important. The journey there from Mexico City is most interesting, leading across a deep chasm and beautiful valleys. Sometimes a road clings to the shoulder of the great mountain; sometimes it rushes suddenly into a lovely valley carpeted with Mexican flowers or gay with ruby coffee or tasselled corn. Wide fields of grain and banana spread for miles along the sides of the road, leading to the colony lands. Here and there are great forests of cedar, mahogany and rubber trees, interlaced with rich tropical foliage and parasites. Bright winged birds and orchids of wonderful color light up the recesses of the forests, and groves of luscious oranges and lemons perfume the air. Shortly before the road reaches the outskirts of the Metlaltoyuca lands it crosses the Pantepec River, swiftly making its way to the Gulf. The crystal waters reveal a pebbly bottom about sixty feet wide; and the entire stream forms one of the most beautiful rivers in Mexico.

The prospects of this colony, composed of English-speaking people, are very promising. Extensive fields of grain may be seen here; the warm moist climate being particularly adapted to the raising of cereals. Nature has been lavish in gifts to this region; the climate is mild; the thermometer seldom going above eighty in the day time, while the nights are cool. The houses are of bamboo and comfortable. Some of them have rosewood floors, and little gardens around them make the region homelike and pleasant. In this small village of a few hundred inhabitants there is a spirit of association and friendship.

The warm springs of Cuautla are reached by the Interoceanic Railroad. Surrounding this resort are mountains perpetually white, yet no snow ever falls on this tropical town. The arrival here is full of greatest interest, as the train pulls into the oldest railroad station in the world. It was built in 1657, and was formerly a church, but finally reverted to the government and was disposed of to the railroad company. It seems strange that a once beautiful church should end in being the scene of excitement that attends the arrival of a train. The sulphur baths of this resort are a little way out of town but a drive through the rustic scenery of a primitive region repays one for the trip. In this old town, full of peculiar legends and romances, the natural Indian folk mingle their ancient customs with the modern.

Tehuacan is called Mexico’s Carlsbad. It is one of the popular springs that are splendid specifics for many ills. There are some modest hotels here. The little town is very picturesque and retains the mark of centuries, having been founded in 1524, by the Spaniards. The antiquity of the town, the primitive manners of the people, lend more attraction to the searcher for health than the more modern hotels of the fashionable resorts. There are comfort and pleasure to be found and accommodation for the most fastidious.

Cholula is an old city that dates from before the Conquest. It was a commercial centre and was one of the most populous and flourishing cities during the time of the Aztec Confederacy. It was the scene, in 1519, of a fearful battle between the Spanish Conquerors and the Cholulans, in which many of the inhabitants were massacred.

The tradition of Quetzalcoatl and his life up among the great purple sunlit hills is a most beautiful story. Never was there a more tender spirit than Quetzalcoatl, who loved all living creatures and could not bear that any should suffer or live in sin and ignorance. But the people, while they loved him, feared the other powerful gods, who were devoted to bloodshed and battle. They built temples and altars and daily offered human sacrifices to the gods of war. This grovelling fear filled the great heart of Quetzalcoatl with pity and deep sorrow, and so he left his beautiful, peaceful home to teach these people, with a wonderful eloquence, the gospel of love and charity. Such was his influence that at last they deserted the altars of the cruel gods, and instead of offering human holocausts, in which quivering hearts burned upon the sacred fires, they climbed the hills to lay upon an altar of Quetzalcoatl flowers and fruits.

The people of Cholula began the construction of the great pyramid in memory of Quetzalcoatl. On the top of it they built the temple of Cholula, and dedicated it to the worship of the “fair god.” For generations they tilled and builded until more than a century afterward the pyramid was completed, standing bold and distinct on the dust-blown plain, the everlasting token of a nation’s faith. They believed that this pyramid would stand until Quetzalcoatl should come back to them.

The view from the top of the great pyramid toward evening is almost beyond description. With the softened light of the setting sun upon the plains and the hills one can easily understand why it was that the gods and the angels loved this region. Back from the soft tender lights in the valleys the great mountains stretch up bold and distinct against a background of the palest aërial blue that contrasts wonderfully with the varying lights on the mountain side.

The perpendicular height of the pyramid is one hundred and seventy-seven feet. Its base is one thousand four hundred and twenty-three feet long--twice as long as that of the great pyramid of Cheops. It may give some idea of its dimensions to state that its base, which is square, covers about forty-four acres and the platform on its truncated summit embraces more than one acre. It reminds one of those colossal monuments of brickwork which are still seen in ruins on the banks of the Euphrates, and in much better preservation on those of the Nile.

“Nothing could be more grand than the view which met the eye from the area on the truncated summit of the pyramid. Toward the west stretched that bold barrier of porphyritic rock which nature had reared around the valley of Mexico, with the huge Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl standing like two colossal sentinels to guard the entrance to the enchanted region. Far away to the east was seen the conical head of Orizaba soaring high into the clouds, and nearer, the barren though beautifully-shaped Sierra de la Malinche, throwing its broad shadows over the plains of Tlaxcala. Three of these are volcanoes higher than the highest mountain peak in Europe and shrouded in snows which never melt under the fierce sun of the tropics. At the foot of the spectator lay the sacred city of Cholula, with its bright towers and pinnacles sparkling in the sun, reposing amidst gardens and verdant groves, which then thickly studded the cultivated environs of the capital. Such was the magnificent prospect which met the gaze of the conquerors, and may still, with slight change, meet that of the modern traveller, as from the platform of the great pyramid his eye wanders over the fairest portion of the beautiful plateau of Puebla.” So wrote Prescott.

The great temple was afterward purified by Cortés’s orders and the standard of the cross solemnly planted in its midst. From this pyramid, it is interesting to know, Baron von Humboldt made many of his valuable astronomical calculations.

The church now standing there is dedicated to the Virgin de los Remedios. The popular tradition among the native Indians is that the pyramid was erected by a family of giants who had escaped inundation and intended to raise it into the clouds, had not the gods become angry and sent down fire from heaven to stop them where it is truncated.

Cholula probably numbers now some five thousand people. But there is no doubt that at the time of the conquest it was one of the largest towns in Mexico.

But what a land of romance! How can busy twentieth-century people realize that in 1519 such events were making Mexican history, and that even then the pyramid dated far back of legend or tradition?