overland to acapulco.—scenes of long ago.—present mode of travel.—ten days on horseback.—way-side accommodations.—acapulco's harbor.—return to the capital.—excursion to guadalajara.—doctor bronson left behind.—old bridges and their history.—battle between hidalgo and the spaniards.—stories about brigands.—slaughter by private enterprise.—how señor perez secured peace.—attractions of guadalajara.—the cathedral and other churches.—the great hospicio.—what the earthquake did.—public schools.—a day on a cattle hacienda.—a rodeo.—return to the capital.
a way-side shrine.
at cuernavaca our friends learned that they were on the road from vera cruz and mexico to acapulco, and the youths greatly wished to continue to the pacific ocean. it is the old route of commerce between spain and asia, and was travelled for hundreds of years by long trains of pack-mules laden with the products of the orient on their way to europe, and with those of mexico and europe destined for asia. it seems incredible that such a route should have been so long maintained across the continent, with no track for wheeled vehicles, over mountains and through deep gorges, with the dangers of robbers, pestilence, and the hundred accidents that are liable to occur in such a country and such a time; but so it was. over this route were carried the cargoes of many richly freighted galleons; along these dangerous path-ways thousands of soldiers marched to glory or the grave, and hundreds if not thousands of civilians went in search of new lands from which they could gather the wealth they coveted.
on the road to acapulco.
it is eighty leagues, or 240 miles, from cuernavaca to acapulco, the port which once enjoyed a profitable commerce but is to-day of comparatively little moment. spasmodic efforts have been made at different
[pg 349]
times for the construction of a wagon-road, but they have never been carried far. there is a wagon-road between cuernavaca and mexico city, a distance of about forty-five miles, and over this a diligence runs three times a week each way, and wagons laden with merchandise pass in fair number. but the business of the route is less than it was two hundred years ago; the mexicans hope for a revival when the railway is completed from vera cruz to acapulco, and a line of steamers between acapulco and china is under consideration.
doctor bronson's plans did not include the overland journey to acapulco, and by way of consolation the youths determined to write a description of the route from what they could learn from others. by consulting those who had made the journey, and by references to some of the volumes in their possession, they composed the following:
"there is no regular system of hiring horses and baggage-mules for the journey, and the traveller must make his bargain with an arriero. a horse to carry himself, and a mule for the baggage, will cost about forty dollars, twenty for each animal; if there are several persons in a party the
[pg 350]
price can be reduced somewhat. it should be carefully stipulated that the arriero pay his own expenses and those of his animals, or the traveller will find himself mulcted for a considerable sum as he goes along. the arriero will want to be paid in advance, a demand that should be strenuously refused; the affair can be compromised by paying half down, and the other half at the end of the journey, which is ordinarily made in ten days.
"as we start from cuernavaca we find ourselves on a carriage-road, and wonder how it happens that we were told we must go in the saddle. the reason is soon apparent, as the carriage-road comes to an end after a little while. it reminds us of that famous turnpike somewhere in the western states that began with a macadamized road fifty feet wide, and steadily dwindled till it became only a squirrel-track and ran up a tree, or a similar road that terminated in a gopher-hole. one gentleman says the route from cuernavaca to acapulco is spoken of as a bueno camino de pajaros (a good road for birds), and he is about right.
"the country is rough and the scenery wild and interesting, except that one wearies of mountains and valleys after seeing a few hundreds of each. portions of the way as we leave cuernavaca behind us are through the sugar region. we pass large fields of cane and meet trains of mules laden with sugar. at irregular intervals we find villages or isolated houses, and in the construction of these buildings we observe that the cane is very prominent. houses in this region are mostly built of cane, and their roofs are heavily thatched to keep out the heat of the tropical suns and the heavy downpour of tropical rains.
[pg 351]
a country hotel.
"this is the regular routine: we make an early start in the daybreak, take a long rest in the middle of the day, then ride in the late afternoon, and put up in a meson, or inn, or in the hut of some villager. the accommodations are of the most primitive character, but they are the best the country can afford, and we accept them without murmuring. for food, we have eggs, chickens, fried bananas, tortillas, and always the national dish, frijoles. we can get milk in the morning but not at night, as they milk their cows only once a day.
"some of the rivers are fordable, others have been bridged, and others swollen by rains must be crossed in boats. some of the boats are large enough to ferry our animals along with ourselves, while at the crossing of others we are transported in dugouts, and the horses and mules are compelled to swim. of course in such a case everything must be removed from the backs of the animals, and this causes a considerable delay. we think ourselves fortunate in getting through in ten days when all the hinderances of progress are considered. in some places there is absolutely no track, as we follow the beds of streams, where at each rise all traces of
[pg 352]
previous travellers are washed away. in the time of floods these river-beds are abandoned, and the banks of the streams are followed.
galleon of the sixteenth century.
"years and years before new england and new york were settled the spaniards were traversing this route with long trains of beasts of burden, laden with the treasures of the east. if you want to know what they carried, read bret harte's poem of 'the lost galleon:'
"'in sixteen hundred and forty-one
the regular yearly galleon,
laden with odorous gums and spice,
india cotton and india rice,
and the richest silks of far cathay,
was due at acapulco bay.
"'the trains were waiting outside the walls,
the wives of the sailors thronged the town,
the traders sat by their empty stalls,
and the viceroy himself came down.
the bells in the town were all atrip,
te deums were on each father's lip,
the limes were ripening in the sun
for the sick of the coming galleon.
"'all in vain. weeks passed away,
and yet no galleon saw the bay;
india goods advanced in price;
the governor missed his favorite spice;
the señoritas mourned for sandal
and the famous cottons of coromandel;
and some for an absent lover lost,
and one for a husband tempest-tossed;
"'and all along the coast that year
votive candles were scarce and dear.'
"a thousand mules and donkeys were required for the transport of the freight of one of these galleons; a cargo was often valued at $2,000,000, and the return one to the east was of equal worth. the return cargo consisted mostly of silver, cochineal, cocoa, and other mexican products, together with european goods from spain. the cargoes from asia were taken to the city of mexico, and whatever did not find a market there was sent to spain by way of vera cruz. the old chroniclers say that the mexicans had the first selection of the goods, and often aroused the jealousy of their friends in spain in consequence.
[pg 353]
town and castle of acapulco.
"well, here we are at acapulco, and for the last time dismount from our steeds. we look upon the blue waters of the little harbor, but can see no galleon at anchor, only a few sailing-ships and one of the steamers of the pacific mail company, which has just come into port and lies fuming uneasily, as though impatient to continue her voyage. were it not for the semi-monthly visits of the pacific mail steamers, acapulco would have no regular connection with the rest of the world. the place has a population of three or four thousand only, and it has a fort on an island which lies opposite the town, cutting off the long swell of the pacific ocean, and forming one of the best harbors on the western coast of mexico."
a scene on the diligence road.
frank and fred returned with doctor bronson to the city of mexico by diligence. the road is rough, and they were severely jolted in their eight hours' ride; they managed to shorten the rough part to six hours by leaving the diligence at tlalpan and coming thence to the city by the tram-way.
hardly had the youths shaken the dust of the road from their garments than they looked around for "new worlds to conquer." their attention was drawn to guadalajara (pronounced gwa-da-la-ha-ra), a city that is not often visited by tourists, for the reason that it lies off the main route of travel. it is the capital of the state of jalisco, has a population of some eighty or ninety thousand, contains a fine cathedral, and
[pg 354]
other public buildings, and altogether is worth a good deal more than a passing thought.
"we can go there by train," said frank, "as the branch line from the mexican central railway at irapuato has been recently opened."
"how long will it take us to get there?" queried fred.
"about twenty-two hours," was the reply. "we can leave here at 8.10 p.m., and if not delayed, the north-bound train will get us to irapuato at 6.57 the next morning. the train for guadalajara leaves irapuato at 8.40 a.m., and we are due in that city at 6 p.m."
"but perhaps uncle will not wish to go there; what will we do in that case?"
"why, go alone, to be sure, if he can spare us the time."
the plan was duly laid before doctor bronson, who at once gave his permission for the youths to make the excursion without him. he did not care particularly for it, and said he would be satisfied to look at guadalajara through their eyes.
they immediately secured places in the pullman sleeping-car for irapuato, and were off by the train that evening. by good-fortune they were introduced during the day to a mexican gentleman, señor sanchez, who had a large hacienda near guadalajara, and was then on his way to it.
with the customary politeness, he informed the youths that his "house and all it contained were theirs;" he followed up the formality by inviting them to spend a day or two with him, either on their outward or return journey. they took the hint, and concluding that he desired to have a little time to himself on his arrival, they arranged to stop off on their return from guadalajara.
it is 353 kilometres from mexico city to irapuato, and 260 from that station to guadalajara, a total of 613 kilometres, or 380 miles. the
[pg 355]
country from irapuato is for the most part broken, but it contains few high mountains, and here and there the youths found themselves looking across plains of considerable extent. the region is well peopled, and there are several towns or cities along the route, each of them containing upwards of 5000 inhabitants. there are many arroyos and barrancas that severely taxed the abilities of the engineers, but they are insignificant when compared with the great barrancas between guadalajara and the western coast. construction parties are at work on the western section of the route, and in due time the locomotive from guadalajara will sound its whistle at san blas, on the shore of the pacific ocean.
an interior town.
"there are some interesting bridges along the old diligence-road," said mr. sanchez, "that have excited the admiration of travellers. a few miles this side of guadalajara there is a stone bridge of nineteen arches which crosses the rio grande de santiago. nobody can tell when it was built; it bears at one place the date 1740, but whether that refers to the construction or to the repair of the bridge i am unable to say. at each end there are the statues of the king and queen of spain at the
[pg 356]
time of erection, but they are so worn by time and defaced by vandals that they cannot be recognized.
at the hacienda.
"there is another old structure near zapotlanejo, called the bridge of calderon, which crosses a narrow but deep arroyo. it is of interest to the student of mexican history, as it is the point at which the patriot hidalgo, with 80,000 indians, was defeated by a few hundred spaniards. his men were armed only with bows and arrows and spears, in addition to a few old muskets and some wooden cannon that burst at the first fire; the spaniards were well armed, and had six or eight cannon, which wrought havoc among the followers of the patriot priest. they were so ignorant of the power of gunpowder that they rushed up to the cannon and crowded their hats into the muzzles, in the expectation that they would thus prevent the pieces from going off. thousands of them were mowed down, and finally the remnant were driven from the field. this was the last great battle fought by hidalgo; he retreated to chihuahua
[pg 357]
with a hundred followers, and not long afterwards was betrayed, captured, and executed.
"the country around here was formerly terribly infested with brigands," he continued, "but they are rarely heard of now. a large number were killed off by the government troops, others by private enterprise, and finally those that remained were induced to quit the business of robbery, and become members of the rural guard."
"you mention private enterprise as a way of getting rid of brigands," fred remarked. "i do not understand it exactly."
a corner of the market-place.
"i can best explain the matter by giving an illustration," señor sanchez replied. "there is a hacienda called venta de los pagarros about twenty-five miles from tepotitlan, which belongs to señor perez. it is twenty miles long, and there are nearly 50,000 head of cattle upon it. señor perez bought it for a very low price, as the robbers had driven away the former occupants, and nobody dared live there. he strengthened his buildings so that nothing but artillery could do anything against them, and then he organized his men into a military force and armed and drilled them till they were excellent soldiers. they were all well
[pg 358]
mounted, and he had thus a force of 200 men about him, ready to start at an hour's notice by day or night. when a band of robbers was heard of, it was pursued and hunted down, and no prisoners were taken. in two years nearly 100 robbers were killed by perez and his men, and the country became quiet. other proprietors followed his example and brought about a peaceful state of affairs."
"that is very much the plan on which the owners of the great mills at queretaro protected themselves," fred remarked, and then the conversation changed to other topics.
there were broad fields of wheat and barley visible from the windows of the train, and fred observed that the fields were separated, and protected from the incursions of cattle, by fences or hedges of cactus. their new friend explained that it was the cheapest fence in the world to make; they had only to take the long shoots of the organ cactus, cut them into proper lengths, and stick these lengths, or sections, into a trench where the fence was to be. the dirt piled around the end of the sections serves to keep them in place, they soon take root and grow, and as they live for a hundred years or so the owner has no further trouble with them. no animal larger than a rabbit can get through such a fence, and it is equally impervious to a man unless armed with a hatchet.
señor sanchez left the train at a station about forty miles east of guadalajara. the youths named a day when they would visit him, and then continued their journey to the city.
for what they saw and did in guadalajara we will refer to fred's note-book:
"it is a handsome city," said the youth, "and we are not surprised to learn that it is considered next to mexico in importance. it has a dozen or more fine churches, and its cathedral, which was completed in 1618, is one of the oldest in the country, and is considered next to those of the capital and puebla in point of wealth and grandeur. it occupies one side of the grand plaza, has two tapering steeples and a handsome dome, and altogether is well calculated to impress every beholder, whatever may be his religious leanings.
"the interior reminded us of the cathedral of mexico in a general way, though the detail is greatly varied. what surprised us most was the high altar, which is thirty feet high and broad in proportion, and as rich as carving and precious metals can make it. it was made in rome, and hauled here, we cannot tell how, over the terrible roads between this place and vera cruz. some of the blocks weigh several tons, and we shuddered as we thought what an expenditure of muscle, human and quadrupedal,
[pg 359]
must have been required to bring these masses of stone from the sea-coast 500 miles away.
court-yard of a private house.
"the building has suffered from the elements, the cupolas of the towers having been thrown down by an earthquake in 1818. some time in the sixties lightning struck the cathedral during service, and two of the organists were killed by the shock. there are many valuable paintings in the cathedral, and in the vaults beneath it are the bones of the bishops and priests that have died here during the last 300 years and more.
"we visited several other churches, and went to the great hospital of san miguel de belan, which is generally known as 'the belan.' it is near
[pg 360]
the centre of the city, and covers, or rather encloses within its walls, about eight acres of ground. it was founded about 100 years ago, and at one time had a very large revenue; but successive revolutions and robberies have plundered it of nearly all its possessions. it had an income of $1,000,000 a year in its best days, but has barely ten or fifteen thousand at present.
in the poor quarters.
"it is the best constructed hospital edifice we ever saw, and we're very sorry doctor bronson is not here to see and appreciate it. the buildings are only one story high, so that the patients, doctors, and nurses have no stairs to climb, and the rooms are twenty-five feet from floor to ceiling, and well ventilated. the thick walls and roof make the place warm in winter and cool in summer; and they told us there is no artificial heating, and but little change of temperature throughout the year.
"there is another immense establishment, called the hospicio de guadalajara, which is an asylum rather than a hospital, and an asylum for everybody. it was founded about the same time as the belan hospital, by some gentlemen of immense wealth, and they are said to have expended eight or ten millions of dollars in building and endowing it. sixteen hundred people are accommodated there, from infants only a few hours old up to people who are nearing the end of a century of life. it has sixteen departments that comprise an infant asylum, reform school, juvenile school, orphan asylum, deaf and dumb asylum, blind asylum, home for the aged and indigent, high-schools for boys and girls, school of arts, schools of trades, workshops, college, and hospital!
"we saw boys in the workshop making shoes, clothes, hats, and other articles of wear, while others were at work at carpentering, and still others were setting type and working a printing-press of the old-fashioned kind. in the girls' section there were classes in sewing, knitting, lace-making, and
[pg 361]
the like; and there were classes of young women who were learning fine embroidery, music, and painting, to fit them for governesses in families. it would take too long to write down all we saw and heard, and you might get tired before you read it through. we couldn't help wishing that some of our very rich men would endow just such establishments in new york, boston, philadelphia, and other large cities of the united states, and take their reward in the knowledge that they had done a great deal of practical good.
"we were told that the city has an excellent system of public education, and many of its people think it is the best in the whole country. there are twenty primary day schools, five evening schools, and two high-schools or liceos, one for boys and one for girls. the girls' high-school is in an old convent which was confiscated at the time of the reform, and is admirably adapted to its uses. the boys' high-school is in an equally spacious building, and the two schools have each four or five hundred pupils, with a proportionate number of teachers. the boys' school has a library of 30,000 volumes, gathered mainly from the monasteries and convents. then there are a school of arts and industries and a school of painting similar to that of san carlos, though somewhat smaller.
mexicans planting corn.
"they have an opera-house and theatre here, and of course such an enlightened city as guadalajara must have a bull-ring. this ring is equal to the principal one at the capital, and the 'sport' in it is liberally patronized. there are four large cotton-factories here, and there is a considerable industry in making pottery. we have mentioned elsewhere the pottery of guadalajara, which is famous throughout the country and largely exported. we have bought a considerable number of the clay statuettes that are sold here; they represent all the industries and characters of mexico, the prominent men of the country, and in fact of the whole world. statuettes twelve inches in height and well modelled and colored are worth about twenty-five cents each, and you can buy smaller ones as low down as a cent or even half a cent apiece. they offered to make busts or statuettes
[pg 362]
of frank and myself for three dollars each, and have them ready in two days, but we declined the proposal.
"as for the people and the sights and scenes of the streets, they are so much like what we have described elsewhere that i will not venture upon an account for fear of repetition. we will say good-by to this interesting city, and return to the capital, stopping a day at the hacienda of señor sanchez."
a rodeo.
they kept their promise and visited that hospitable gentleman, who organized a rodeo, or cattle-muster, for their benefit. the vaqueros, or herdsmen, rode away in different directions, and after an absence of an hour or two reappeared driving numbers of cattle before them. these cattle were assembled in a large drove, and there was a continuous pawing, bellowing, and dashing here and there as long as they were together. the vaqueros showed their skill in lassoing the animals, seizing them by the leg or horn according to previous announcements of their intentions. the performance ended with a contest of skill in picking up hats or other objects on the ground. frank placed a silver dollar edgewise on the ground, and half a dozen vaqueros, one after the other, endeavored to secure it.
the first, second, and third missed it by only a fraction of an inch.
[pg 363]
the fourth tumbled it over but did not catch it. it was set up again for the fifth, who missed, and saw the coin taken in by the sixth and last as he rode past at a gallop.
their host pressed the youths to remain longer, but they felt that they might interfere with doctor bronson's plans by so doing, and therefore declined the invitation. they returned to the capital without any other break in their journey, and were warmly congratulated by the doctor on the good use they had made of their time.
