Mexico and its Religion | Page 3

Laws.--A primitive Court.--A Territorial Judge in San Francisco.--Mistaken Philanthropy.--Mexican Side of the Picture.--Great Alms.--City of Mexico overwhelmed by a Water-spout.--The Superiority of Californians. 142
CHAPTER XIV.
First Sight of the Valley of Mexico.--A Venice in a mountain Valley.--An Emperor waiting his Murderers.--Cortéz mowing down unarmed Indians.--A new kind of Piety.--Capture of an Emperor.--Torturing an Emperor to Death.--The Children paying the Penalty of their Fathers' Crimes.--The Aztecs and other Indians.--The Difference is in the Historians.--The Superstitions of the Indians.--The Valley of Mexico.--An American Survey of the Valley.--A topographical View.--The Ponds Chalco, Xochimulco, and Tezcuco were never Lakes. 167
CHAPTER XV.
The Two Valleys.--The lake with a leaky Bottom.--The Water could not have been higher.--Nor could the Lagunas or Ponds have been much deeper.--The Brigantines only flat-bottomed Boats.--The Causeway Canals fix the size of the Brigantines.--The Street Canals.--Stagnant Water unfit for Canals.--The probable Dimensions of the City Canals.--Difficulties of disproving a Fiction.--A Dike or Levee.--The Canal of Huehuetoca.--The Map of Cortéz.--Wise Provision of Providence.--The Fiction about the numerous Cities in and about the Lake 176
CHAPTER XVI.
The Chinampas or Water Gardens.--Laws of Nature not set aside.--Mud will not float.--The present Chinampas.--They never could have been floating Gardens.--Relations of the Chinampas to the ancient State of the Lake in the Valley 186
CHAPTER XVII.
The gambling Festival of San Augustine.--Suppressed by Government.--The Losses of the Saint by the Suppression of Gambling.--How Travelers live in the Interior.--A Visit to the Palace 192
CHAPTER XVIII.
Visit to Contreras and San Angel.--The End of a brave Soldier.--A Place of Skulls.--A New England Dinner.--An Adventure with Robbers--doubtful.--Reasons for revisiting Mexico.--The Battle at the Mountain of Crosses.--A peculiar Variety of the Cactus.--Three Men gibbeted for robbing a Bishop.--A Court upon Horseback.--The retreat of Cortéz to Otumba.--A venerable Cypress Grove.--Unexpectedly comfortable Quarters.--An English Dinner at Tezcuco.--Pleasures unknown to the Kings of Tezcuco.--Relics of Tezcuco.--The Appearance of the Virgin Mary at Tezcuco.--The Causeways of Mexico 196
CHAPTER XIX.
The Streets of Tacuba.--The Spaniards and the Indian Women.--The Retreat of Cortéz.--The Aqueducts of Mexico.--The English and American Burying-grounds.--The Protestant President.--The rival Virgins.--An Image out of Favor.--The Aztecs and the Spaniards 208
CHAPTER XX.
The Paséo at Evening.--Ride to Chapultepec.--The old Cypresses of Chapultepec.--The Capture of Chapultepec.--Molina del Rey.--Tacubaya.--Don Manuel Escandon.--The Tobacco Monopoly.--The Palace of Escandon.--The "Desierto."--Hermits.--Monks in the Conflict with Satan.--Our Lady of Carmel 219
CHAPTER XXI.
Walk to Guadalupe.--Our Embassador kneeling to the Host.--An Embassador with, and one without Lace.--First sight of Santa Anna.--Indian Dance in Church.--Juan Diego not Saint Thomas.--The Miracle proved at Rome.--The Story of Juan Diego.--The holy Well of Guadalupe.--The Temple of the Virgin.--Public Worship interdicted by the Archbishop.--Refuses to revoke his Interdict.--He fled to Guadalupe and took Sanctuary.--Refused to leave the Altar.--The Arrest at the Altar 229
CHAPTER XXII.
The old Indian City of Mexico.--The Mosques.--Probable Extent of Civilization.--Aztecs acquired Arts of the Toltecs.--Toltec Civilization, ancient and original.--The Pyramid of Papantla.--The Plunder of Civilization.--Mexico as described by Cortéz.--Montezuma's Court.--The eight Months that Cortéz held Montezuma.--What happened for the next ten Months.--The Siege of Mexico by Cortéz.--Aztecs conquered by Famine and Thirst.--Heroes on Paper and Victories without Bloodshed.--Cortéz and Morgan 242
CHAPTER XXIII.
The new City of Mexico.--The Discoveries of Gold.--Ruins at Mexico.--The Monks, and what Cortéz gained by his Piety.--The City of Mexico again rebuilt.--The City under Ravillagigedo.--The National Palace.--The Cathedral.--A whole Museum turned Saints.--All kneel together.--The San Carlos Academy of Arts.--Reign of Carlos III.--The Mineria 259
CHAPTER XXIV.
The National Museum.--Marianna and Cortéz.--The small Value of this Collection.--The Botanic Garden.--The Market of Santa Anna.--The Acordada Prison.--The unfortunate Prisoner.--The Causes of that Night of Terror.--The Sacking of the City.--The Parian.--The Causes of the Ruin of the Parian.--Change in the Standard of Color.--The Ashes of Cortéz 271
CHAPTER XXV.
The Priests gainers by the Independence.--Improved Condition of the Peons.--Mexican Mechanics.--The Oppression they suffer.--Low state of the Mechanic Arts.--The Story of the Portress.--Charity of the Poor.--The Whites not superior to Meztizos.--License and Woman's Rights at Mexico.--The probable Future of Mexico.--Mormonism impending over Mexico.--Mormonism and Mohammedanism 280
CHAPTER XXVI.
The Plaza of the Inquisition.--The two Modes of human Sacrifice, the Aztec and the Spanish.--Threefold Power of the Inquisition.--Visit to the House of the Inquisition.--The Prison and Place of Torture.--The Story of William Lamport.--The little and the big Auto da Fe.--The Inquisition the real Government.--Ruin of Spanish Nationality.--The political Uses of theInquisition.--Political Causes of the Bigotry of Philip II.--His eldest Son dies mysteriously.--The Dominion of Priests continues tillthe French Invasion 292
CHAPTER XXVII.
Miracles and Earthquakes.--The Saints in Times of Ignorance.--The Eruption of Jorullo.--The Curse of the Capuchins.--The Consequences of the Curse.--The unfulfilled Curse.--The Population of the Republic.--Depopulation from 1810 to 1840.--The Mixture of Whites and Indians not prolific.--The pure Indians.--The Meztizos.--The White Population.--Negroes and Zambos.--The Jew and the Law of Generation.--The same Law applies to Cattle.--It governs the Generation of Plants.--Intemperance and Generation.--Meztizo Plants short-lived.--Mexico can not be resuscitated.--She can not recover her Northern Provinces 304
CHAPTER XXVIII.
The Church of Mexico.--Its present Condition and Power.--The Number of the "Religios."--The Wealth of the Church.--The Money-power of the Church.--The