Democratic Sentinel, Volume 2, Number 47, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 January 1879 — Glimpses of Mexico. [ARTICLE]

Glimpses of Mexico.

The careless American Gringo, if you will, and the unprogressive Mexican of to-day, wandering amid the great and natural attractions of the table lands, scarcely realizes that here once existed one of the best civilizations, one of the most populous empires of a splendid antiquity. Here, occupying then, as now, a territory 2,000 miles in length and 1,000 broad, of 862,460 square miles, and equal to the combined areas of France, Spain, Austria and the British isles—once flourished a monarchy, said to have had 30,000,000 subjects, and whose traces, visible in the temples, pyramids and palaces that remain as monuments to attest its grandeur, are fully as interesting, if not as ancient, as the hieroglyphics on the pvramids of the Nile. According to Humboldt, who passed some time in Mexico studying its antiquities, the first race that inhabited that country—the Toltecs—were of Asiatic origin, and emigrated by way of Behring’s straits about A. D. 700. This belief, however, combatted by the advocates of the theory of more than one center of animal creation, rests upon conjecture, but appears plausible. In the opinion of Humboldt, the Toltec dynasty and occupation lasted 500 years, ending about A. D. 1200, nearly three years before the advent of Columbus. The Toltecs are then said to have emigrated to the mountainous recesses of Central America, being succeeded by another race of aborigines—the Aztecs—as possessors of the territory they had left behind.

They were an Indian race, of forms rather taller and stouter than ordinary, well-proportioned, good complexions, narrow foreheads and black eyes; regular, white teeth, and thick, black, coarse hair and thin beards, and the peculiarity of no hair upon their thighs and legs. Many of their women were beautiful and fair, whose attractions were increased by winning sweetness of manner and speech and modest behavior. The Aztec empire is traced for about 300 years from the cessation of the Toltec dynasty; it. originally comprised the Central States of Mexico proper, Rueretaro and Vera Cruz; and, in 1352, after a long series of revolutions and wars, was consolidated under its first King. In 1436, a generation before the discovery' of Columbus, the first of the celebrated line of Kings, the Montezumas, ascended the Aztec throne. Two reigns followed, when Montezuma 11. took the reins of power. Under this Prince the Aztec empire, after an existence of 150 years, assumed a pitch of grandeur and power—a height of civilization—scarcely ever attained by any other nation in so short a time. Under Montezuma 11. the empire was extended over 1,500 miles of territory, and is thought to have numbered 30,000,000, the City of Mexico alone having 300,000 inhabitants. So splendid an empire, so beneficent a civilization, was destined to be crushed by Cortez, who overthrew the power of the Montezumas in 1520, nearly 400 years ago. This adventurer and his myrmidons, although they bore the banner of the cross, were nothing but murderers, thieves and cut-throats who came to plunder and strew ruin and misery up and down among the populous cities, the stately temples and beautiful palaces of a land to which they had no more, right than the burglar has to the safe he is rifling. Cortez, the bloodthirsty scoundrel, with the innate cruelty of the Spaniard, sought to annihilate the Aztecs, and his whole “ conquest ” was one unspeakable outrage, in which the utmost horrors were visited on the unoffending subjects of Montezuma. No age or sex was spared; millions, whole races, were cut off and exterminated. The high civilization of the Aztecs and the monarchy of the Montezumas were savept away, to be replaced by Spanish cruelty and spoliation. Of the splendid empire of the Aztecs the 300 years of Spanish domination succeeding the fall of Moutezuma have left little except the remains of magnificent temples and stately palaces still visible in this beautiful land, and that once added glory to a monarchy that must forever eclipse the despotism of the 120 thieving Spanish Viceroys that succeeded the ancient line of Aztec Kings.— Mexico Cor. St. Louis Globe-Democrat.