Old Mexico and her lost provinces; a journey in Mexico, southern California, and Arizona, by way of Cuba (1883) (14594765748)

Identifier: oldmexicoherlost1883bish (find matches)
Title: Old Mexico and her lost provinces; a journey in Mexico, southern California, and Arizona, by way of Cuba
Year: 1883 (1880s)
Authors: Bishop, William Henry, 1847-1928
Subjects: Mexico -- Description and travel California -- Description and travel Arizona -- Description and travel
Publisher: New York, Harper & brothers
Contributing Library: Brown University Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Brown University



Text Appearing Before Image:
, picking out the path in thedark. The view had been very deceptive, and we hadmany miles to go. Lonely gulches, brooks, and bits of wood were passed.Cows had gone to sleep in upland pastures, and one occa-sionally loomed up, a mysterious shape, in the path andtook herself out of the way. The rays of a clouded moongleamed now and then on a white patch of the lake, butthe city seemed to have vanished out of existence. Atlast, however, a dim light in a dome, then a barking ofdogs, and audible human voices. All this time there hadbeen neither house nor hut. It was after nine oclock.I came close up to one of the formal lines of trees,opened a gate in it, and was in the midst of Iguala. I do not know whether the place has quite advantagesenough to offset so much discomfort. What there is tobe seen could easily have been taken in the next day onthe march. There is no other vestige of Iturbide yieldedto inquiry than the house in wdiicli the Plan of Iguala is CONVERSATIOXS WITH A COLONEL. 281
Text Appearing After Image:
282 OLD MEXICO AND HER LOST PROVINCES. said to have been signed—the oldest, as it is one of theshabbiest, in the place. It is of one story, like most pro-vincial Mexican houses, with the whitewash badly rubbedoff its adobes, and is now a poor fonda, or restaurant,without so much as a sign. But Iguala is charming. A row of clean, wliite colon-nades, made up of square pillars of masonry, supportingred-tiled roofs, extends around a central plaza. The win-dows of the better residences are closed, not with glass,but projecting wooden gratings of turned posts, paintedgreen. The market, a little paved plaza, opening fromthe other, consists of a series of double colonnades, light,commodious, and very attractive. The church, of a no-ble, massive form, made gay by an azure belfry and clock,stands in a grassy enclosure surrounded by posts andchains. Across tlie way is the zocalo, with brick benches,deep, grateful shade of tamarindos^ as large as elms, andarbors draped with sweet-peas in blosso