Great Cities Through Travelers' Eyes by Peter Furtado

Author:Peter Furtado
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Published: 2019-09-22T16:00:00+00:00

1839 FRANCES CALDERÓN DE LA BARCA

The Scottish writer Frances Calderón de la Barca (see page 126) moved to Mexico City in 1839 and stayed for two years. Her book Life in Mexico was based on letters she wrote; it was not popular in Mexico itself but provides a vivid picture of the young nation.

At length we arrived at the heights looking down upon the great valley, celebrated in all parts of the world, with its framework of everlasting mountains, its snow-crowned volcanoes, great lakes and fertile plains, all surrounding the favoured city of Montezuma, the proudest boast of his conqueror, once of Spain’s many diadems the brightest. But the day had overcast, nor is this the most favourable road for entering Mexico. The innumerable spires of the distant city were faintly seen. The volcanoes were enveloped in clouds, all but their snowy summits, which seemed like marble domes towering into the sky. But as we strained our eyes to look into the valley, it all appeared to me rather like a vision of the Past than the actual breathing Present. The curtain of Time seemed to roll back, and to discover to us the great panorama that burst upon the eye of Cortes when he first looked down upon the tableland; the king-loving, God-fearing conqueror, his loyalty and religion so blended after the fashion of ancient Spain, that it were hard to say which sentiment exercised over him the greater sway. The city of Tenochtitlan, standing in the midst of the five great lakes, upon verdant and flower-covered islands, a western Venice, with thousands of boats gliding swiftly along its streets, long lines of low houses, diversified by the multitudes of pyramidal temples, the Teocalli, or houses of God – canoes covering the mirrored lakes – the lofty trees, the flowers and the profusion of water now wanting to the landscape – the whole fertile valley enclosed by its eternal hills and snow-crowned volcanoes – what scenes of wonder and of beauty to burst upon the eyes of these wayfaring men!…

But my thoughts…were soon recalled to the present by the arrival of an officer in full uniform at the head of his troop, who came out by order of the government to welcome the bearer of the olive-branch from ancient Spain, and had been on horseback since the day before, expecting our arrival. As it had begun to rain, the officer, Colonel Miguel Andrade, accepted our offer of taking shelter in the diligence [stagecoach]. We had now a great troop galloping along with us, and had not gone far before we perceived that in spite of the rain, and that it already began to grow dusk, there were innumerable carriages and horsemen forming an immense crowd, all coming out to welcome us. Shortly after, the diligence was stopped, and we were requested to get into a very splendid carriage, all crimson and gold, with the arms of the republic, the eagle and nopal [cactus], embroidered in gold on the roof inside, and drawn by four handsome white horses.

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