Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tepeaca is an important agricultural centre, close on 6,000 feet above sea level. At night
it was bitterly cold, but in the daytime the temperature was very agreeable. Every Friday the
Tianguis
is held, as the important weekly market is called, when enormous crowds flock into
town, and buyers from various States come to do business.
ShortlyaftertheSpanishconquestTepeacawasveryimportant,Cortesdeclaringitthecap-
ital of 'New Spain'. He ordered the convent of San Francisco to be built, a fortress that was
impregnable in those days, and which even now stands in perfect condition. The town has
twenty-one churches, the cathedral being the most noteworthy among them for its rare archi-
tecture. In the main plaza stands a monument which was erected in 1547 and on which a pub-
lic clock has been installed during recent years. Around it at the top is a platform where those
condemned by the Spanish Inquisition were chained to rings in the presence of thousands of
'fieles,'asthebelieverswerecalled,wholookedoninawefrombelowwhilstthe'holywork'
wasperformed.Nearthetownisaspotthattodayisknownas'SantosSepulcros',wherevalu-
able archæaeological objects have been found, together with bones of interest to medical sci-
enceandanthropology.Someofthehumanskulls,thatareestimated todateback2,000years,
show that in those days the scourge of syphilis existed, and more notable still, human teeth
have been found with incrustations of oxidium and gold, which were used as ornaments to
distinguish the chieftains and great men of that epoch.
Although it was only eighteen miles from Tepeaca to Puebla, and the road good, I thought
I should never get there. I was so ill and my body ached so much that I could not ride, so I
made almost the entire journey on foot whilst hanging on to Mancha. We passed crowds of
picturesqueIndianswhowereontheirwaytothemarketatTepeaca.Somedroveladenburros
before them, whilst others trotted along with their loads on their backs.
The news of our arrival soon spread through Puebla, and whilst I was in the town hall pay-
ing my respects to the authorities, Mancha and the pack-horse were outside in charge of a po-
liceman. When I came out, the crowd that had collected followed us to the military quarters
where my animals were to be stabled. The fact that we were only expected to reach this town
on the next day was a blessing in disguise, for I was too ill and worn out to stand the strain
of another popular reception. I spoke to a few newspaper men and delegates of societies who
came to invite me to
fiestas
or to greet me, and when they realised that I was ill they took me
to one of the most noted doctors in the town. He gave me an injection and recommended a
good rest, but although I tried hard to sleep in the comfortable hotel, all my efforts were in
vain.Nextmorningvisitorscalled,andatmiddayandatnightIhadtogotodinnerparties,and
itisnotdifficulttoimagine whatIfeltlike.IntheeveningofmyseconddayinthetownIwas
givenanotherinjection,afterwhichIwenttoadance,andnextmorningthe
charros
gavemea
fiesta
whereIwitnessedsplendidhorsemanshipandskillwiththe
reata
(lasso).Onthefollow-
ing day, after a third injection of quinine, I attended another dance and was only able to leave
it in the early morning when it was time to saddle up, whereafter I rode twenty-seven miles
to a place named San Martin, where I had visions of putting in a good sleep at last. However,
