THE CATHEDRAL OF MEXICO.—SITE OF THE AZTEC TEOCALLI.—HUMAN SACRIFICES.—PANORAMA OF THE VALLEY OF MEXICO.—EXTENT AND COST OF THE CATHEDRAL; CHAPELS AND ALTARS.—TOMB OF ITURBIDE.—THE CAREER AND TRAGIC END OF ITURBIDE.—THE RICHEST ALTAR IN THE WORLD.—GOLDEN CANDLESTICKS A MAN COULD NOT LIFT.—THE AZTEC CALENDAR-STONE; ITS INTERESTING FEATURES; INSCRIPTION ON THE STONE.—BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE AZTECS.—THE TRIBE CALLED MEXICANS.—AZTEC LAWS AND CUSTOMS.—PREVALENCE OF THE DEATH PENALTY.—AZTEC POSTING SYSTEM.—PICTURE-WRITING.—FLOWER-SHOW IN THE ZOCALO.—A FASHIONABLE ASSEMBLAGE.—WONDERFUL WORK IN FEATHERS.
"In Paris," said Frank in his note-book, "the Church of Notre Dame is the first object of interest to the stranger. In Vienna he goes first to St. Stephen's, and in Rome to St. Peter's. So in the capital of Mexico we go first to the cathedral.
"It is a magnificent building, and would do honor to any of the capitals of Europe. The spot where it stands is historic; the Spaniards destroyed the Aztec city that stood here, and built their own upon its ruins, and where now stands the cathedral the Teocalli, or temple of the Aztecs, was formerly to be seen. It is saddening to think of the rivers of blood that flowed here in the sacrifices which the Aztecs deemed necessary to their religious exercises.
"The historical authorities say generally that 60,000 persons were slaughtered in a single year on the altars of the Great Teocalli of Tenochtitlan (the Aztec city that stood here and was destroyed by the Spaniards); most of them were prisoners of war, but when there was not a sufficient supply of prisoners the Aztecs themselves were chosen for sacrifice. The Spaniards may have shown great cruelty in their treatment of the people they conquered, but they did well to put a stop to this terrible shedding of blood in the name of religion.
"The Teocalli was a pyramid of earth, faced with stone, and is said to have been 150 feet in height. Steps led around and up its sides, and they were so arranged that in mounting to the top the pedestrian made a complete circuit of the structure. On the summit was the sacrificial altar, and this is supposed to have been very nearly where the centre of the cathedral
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 is at present. The sacrificial stone from the Teocalli is now in the museum; it is shaped like a millstone, is three feet high by nine in diameter, and is elaborately carved on the sides and upper surface. There is a bowl in the centre, and a gutter leading from the bowl to one side to permit the flow of blood from the victims.
 THE CATHEDRAL, CITY OF MEXICO.
"But we are wandering from the cathedral in considering what preceded it. The Teocalli was destroyed, and the materials were used for filling up the neighboring canal; then a small church was erected, and followed by a larger one, and this again was removed in 1573 to make room for the present cathedral, which was completed ninety-four years later at an expense of $2,000,000. It stands on the eastern side of the Plaza Mayor, and is a very conspicuous object in the panorama of the city. Like most Catholic cathedrals, it is in the shape of a cross, its greatest length being 426 feet, and its greatest width 200 feet. It is 175 feet high, and its towers rise to a height of 200 feet. We ascended to the top of one of the towers, and advise all visitors to the city to do likewise, as they will have from it one of the finest views in the world.
 MOONLIGHT VIEW OF PLAZA AND CATHEDRAL.
"As we looked from the tower we agreed with Bishop Haven that never did a city have such an environment. The whole city lay below us spread out like a map; there are few chimneys in Mexico, and consequently there was no smoke to mar the view, and we readily traced the streets and avenues, stippled with the green of the squares and gardens that abound so numerously. We looked over the plains and down upon the lakes, and then our gaze swept to the mountains that surround the valley in a jagged chain that covers nearly 200 miles of distance in its girdling course. The snow-covered peaks of Popocatepetl and his sister and companion, 'The White Woman,' seemed to rise higher than we had before seen them, and added a solemnity to the picture in addition to that which it already possessed. North of the city rises the hill on which is built the Church of Guadalupe, and on the west is that of Chapultepec. As we looked on the latter we thought of the heroic attack upon the fortress by the American army in our war with Mexico, while the former secured our respect as one of the places which are sacred in the eyes of pious Mexicans.
"The $2,000,000 which I mentioned as the cost of the cathedral were for the walls alone; at one time the wealth of the church, in silver and gold and costly pictures, was something almost beyond calculation, but it has been repeatedly plundered, and the aggregate work of the despoilers has stripped off much of its magnificence, but even now it is very rich, and as long as peace continues is likely to remain so. There are six altars, fourteen chapels, and five naves; there are paintings by famous artists of Spain, and there is a balustrade around the choir which is said to weigh 50,000 pounds, and is so valuable that the church authorities refused an offer to replace it with a balustrade of solid silver of equal weight. The balustrade was made in Macao, China, and is of tumbago, a composite of silver, copper, and gold. It was brought to Acapulco, and transported thence on pack-mules to this city.
"We visited the chapels in which the remains of some of the great men of Mexico are buried, notably the chapel of San Felipe de Jesus, which contains the tomb and monument of the unfortunate Iturbide, the first emperor of Mexico. On the monument he is called 'The Liberator,' and we are told that his birthday is remembered and honored, as it justly deserves to be. We haven't yet told you who Iturbide was.
"He was born in 1783, his parents having come from Spain shortly before his birth, and settled at what is now Morelia, in Mexico. He became
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 a soldier, and fought in the wars against the revolutionary movements in the first fifteen years of the present century. In 1816 he went into private life, having been dismissed from the service in consequence of quarrels with men high in power; then he began to dream of securing the independence of Mexico; and when the revolutionary movement became general in 1820, he joined it. He was soon at the head of the army, the revolution succeeded, independence was acknowledged, and Iturbide was proclaimed Emperor May 18, 1822, and crowned on the 21st of the following July.
 AUGUSTIN DE ITURBIDE, GRANDSON OF THE LIBERATOR.
"But peace did not follow his coronation. There was a new revolution, with Santa Anna at its head, and Iturbide was forced to abdicate the throne and leave the country. He went to Italy, and afterwards to England; but in 1824 the desire to regain his crown led him back to Mexican soil, where he had been proclaimed a traitor and an outlaw. He landed at Soto la Marina on the 14th of July, and was arrested. Five days later he was shot by order of the military commander; as he fell he assured the multitude that his intentions were not treasonable, and exhorted them to religion, patriotism, and obedience to the Government. And here his body rests, the judgment upon his conduct having been long ago reversed. His grandson now lives in Washington. Maximilian, being childless, chose young Iturbide, the grandson, to be his heir to the throne of Mexico, but there is little likelihood that he will ever ascend its steps; the atmosphere of Mexico does not seem favorable to imperial plants.
"In the days of its glory the high altar of this cathedral was the richest in the world. There were candlesticks of solid gold upon it; they were so heavy as to make a load for a strong man, and some were so large that the strength of one man was not sufficient to raise them. The other ornaments and appurtenances of the altar were of corresponding richness and value, some of the crosses, pixes, and censers being studded with diamonds, pearls, amethysts, sapphires, emeralds, and rubies. There was a statue of the Assumption, which was of gold set with diamonds, and is said to have cost more than $1,000,000. It is gone; and so is a lamp which was valued at $70,000; and with them many other things of great value have disappeared. Some one says that it cost $1000 to clean that famous lamp, but the revolutionary troops cleaned it out for nothing. The balustrades of tumbago remain undisturbed, possibly because the real value of that metal was unknown at the time of the looting of the cathedral.
 GRANTING ABSOLUTION IN THE CATHEDRAL.
"Like Catholic churches everywhere, the cathedral is always open, and men and women come here for prayer whenever opportunity offers, in addition
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 to their attendance at mass. In nearly every chapel we saw one or more kneeling figures. All classes meet here on common ground; and the poor Indian may be seen worshipping side by side with the richly clad and jewelled lady whose family is of the purest blood of Spain. On great festivals the church is crowded, and the mingling is most indiscriminate. At such times pickpockets are said to abound; and they manage to steal handkerchiefs and purses while kneeling devoutly at the side of those whose possessions they covet. Mexican thieves are quite adroit, and some of their performances are, professionally considered, worthy of the highest praise.
"Before leaving the cathedral we inspected the famous calendar-stone of the Aztecs, which is in the base of one of the towers. Fred will tell you about it; my business is now with the churches."
Frank added to his notes that in addition to the cathedral there were forty-six large churches in the city, all of them broad and high, and ornamented with domes or towers. One, the Sagrario, adjoins the cathedral,
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 and is connected with it by a large door; its façade is richly, and, as Frank thought, rather grotesquely carved.
 READY FOR MASS.
One of the most fashionable churches is the Profesa, which is crowded during Lent with the ladies of the best society, all arrayed in solemn black, in accordance with the church-going custom already mentioned. Our friends went there, and also to the Church of San Fernando, which is near the cemetery, and is the resting-place of most of the illustrious men of Mexico. Generals Miramon and Mejia, who were shot with Maximilian, are buried there; San Fernando also contains a monument to President Juarez, which is considered one of the best works of modern sculpture. It was made by Manuel Islas, a Mexican sculptor. The monumental group is in a small Greek temple, and represents the dead President lying at full length, with his head resting on the knee of a feminine figure, which represents Mexico.
 OLD SPANISH PALACE IN THE CALLE DE JESUS.
Doctor Bronson and the youths paid a visit one morning to the church where the remains of Cortez the Conqueror rested at one time, and by many are supposed to be resting to-day. It was the desire of Cortez, in case of his death in Europe, to have his bones transported to the New World. They were brought to Mexico in 1629, and rested quietly in this church for nearly 200 years, when they were secretly removed, through fear that the tomb would be violated by the
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 Revolutionists, who had a bitter hatred of everything Spanish. They were first placed in a............