File:Young folks' history of Mexico (1883) (14597877990).jpg

Identifier: youngfolkshistor01ober (find matches)
Title: Young folks' history of Mexico
Year: 1883 (1880s)
Authors: Ober, Frederick A. (Frederick Albion), 1849-1913
Subjects:
Publisher: Boston : Estes and Lauriat
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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ptuoustemple, including the works added by succeeding genera-tions, has exceeded two millions of dollars. A complete description of it would be out of place in awork like this, but we may mention, in passing, that it isone of the most magnificent churches in the New World.Its. length is 425 feet, its breadth 200, and the height of itstowers 200. These towers contained forty-six bells, whichrang out their deafening clamor upon the very spot wherestood the altars of the Aztec war-god, upon the summit-platform of the temple-pyramid. Its interior was adorned with every work of art availableto its builders at that period. Its Virgin and the glory ofits cupola are the work of celebrated artists. Its highaltar was formerly the richest in the world, and even to-day,after having been successively plundered, is most magnifi-cent, ablaze with gold and jewels. It contained chalices,candlesticks, crucifixes, of solid gold, encrusted with pre-cious stones. Some of these golden candlesticks required
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The Great Cathedral. 379 two men to lift them. The statue of the Assumption (nowmissing) was of solid gold, and cost $1,089,000! Therewas a lamp of gold that cost eighty thousand dollars.Around the choir is a balustrade, of a metal so precious (amixture of silver, gold, and bronze) that an offer to replaceit with one of equal weight in silver, was refused. Thisweighed twenty-six tons, and was brought from China dur-ing those ancient days of Spanish dominion. All theseriches (the half of which have not been described) wereacquired when bishop, priest, and monk were rulers of NewSpain, and owned two-thirds the entire wealth of thenation ! . Towards the end of this history we shall see how theseparasites were made to relax their hold upon the peoplesearnings, and compelled by popular indignation to disgorgetheir ill-gotten gains. Three years previously the cathedral of Guadalajara wascommenced, which was not completed until 1818, havingconsumed nearly two hundred and fifty years in build

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