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Zitierempfehlung
Alexander von Humboldt: „The City of Mexico“, in: ders., Sämtliche Schriften digital, herausgegeben von Oliver Lubrich und Thomas Nehrlich, Universität Bern 2021. URL: <https://humboldt.unibe.ch/text/1809-Voyage_de_MM-37-neu> [abgerufen am 26.04.2024].
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| Titel | The City of Mexico | ||||||
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| Jahr | 1821 | ||||||
| Ort | Annapolis, Maryland | ||||||
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Nachweis in: Maryland Gazette and Political Intelligencer 77:36 (6. September 1821), S. [1].
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| Sprache | Englisch | ||||||
| Typografischer Befund | Antiqua; Spaltensatz. | ||||||
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Statistiken
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|Spaltenumbruch|
Abridged from the travels of Baronde Humboldt, for the Americas.
The city of Mexico is situated ina vale, surrounded by verdant andlofty mountains. The capitol, re-constructed by the Spaniards, ex-hibits, perhaps, a less vivid, thougha more august and majestic appear-ance. With the exception of Pe-tersburg, Berlin, and Philadelphia,and some quarters of Westminter,there does not exist a city of thesame extent, which can be compar-ed to the capital of New Spain, forthe uniform level of the ground onwhich it stands, for the regularityand breadth of the streets, and theextent of the public places. Thearchitecture generally is of a verypure style, and there are even edifi-ces of very beautiful structure.The balustrades and gates are all ofBiscay iron. The edifice destinedfor the school of mines, for whichthe country furnished a sum of morethan three millions of francs,(125,000l. sterling,) would adorn theprincipal palaces of Paris or London.Two great palaces were recentlyconstructed by Mexican artists, pu-pils of the Academy of Fine Arts ofthe capitol. One of these palacesexhibits a very beautiful oval peris-tyle of coupled columns. The trav-eller justly admires a vage circum-ference, paved with porphyry flags,and enclosed with an iron railing,richly ornamented with bronze, con-taining an equestrian statue of King
Charles IV. The city of Mexico isremarkable for its excellent police.The most parts of the streets havevery broad pavements, and they areclean and well lighted. The objectswhich generally attract the attentionof the traveller are, 1. The cathe-dral, which has two towers, orna-namented with pillars and statues,& is of very beautiful symmetry. 2.The Treasury, from which, sincethe beginnning of the 16th century,more than 6,500 millions in gold andsilver have been coined. 3. TheConvents, among which the greatconvent of St. Francis is particular-ly distinguished which, from almsalone, posesses an annual revenueof half a million of francs. 4. TheHospital, or rather the two unitedhospitals, of which the one main-tains 600, the other 800 childrenand old people. 5. The Acordada,a fine edifice, of which the prisonsare generally spacious and well air-ed. 6. The School of mines, withits fine collections in physics, me-chanics, and mineralogy. 7. TheBotanical Garden, which is extreme-ly rich in vegetable productions. 8.
The edifices of the University andPublic Library. 9. The equestri-an statue of King Charles IV. Ac-cording to the most recent and leastuncertain dates, the actual popula-tion of the city of Mexico appearsto be from 132 to 140,000 souls.The clergy of Mexico is extremelynumerous. The Archbishop possess-es a revenue of 682,5000 livres, (11,120l. sterling.) The revenue of theInquisition amounts 200,000 livres.The market of Mexico is richly sup-plied.
|Spaltenumbruch|
The greater part of the roots arecultivated on the Chinampas, calledby the Europeans floating gardens.They are towed with long poles.The edges of the squares are gene-rally ornamented with flowers. Thepromenade in boats around the Chi-nampas, is one of the most agreea-ble that can be enjoyed in the envi-rons of Mexico.
No city of the new continent,without even excepting those of theUnited States, can display suchgreat, solid and scientific establish-ments as the capital of Mexico. Inthe Academy of the Arts is a muchfiner and more complete collectionof casts than is to be found in anypart of Germany. The collectionof casts brought to Mexico, costthe King 200,000 francs.
The revenue of the Academy ofFine Arts at Mexico amounts to125,000 francs. It is impossiblenot to perceive the influence of thisestablishment on the taste of thenation. What a number of beauti-ful edifices are to be seen at Mexico!nay, even in the provincial towns!Those monuments, which frequent-ly cost a million, and a million anda half of francs, would appear toadvantage in the finest streets ofSt. Petersburgh, Berlin or Paris.
M. Talso, professor of sculptureat Mexico, was even able to cast anequestrian statue of King CharlesIV, which, with the exception of theMarcus Aurelius at Rome, surpass-es in beauty and purity of style,every thing which remains in thisway in Europe. Instruction is com-municated gratis at the Academy ofFine Arts. The architectural workscarried on in the capital of Mexicoare so great, that notwithstandingthe low rate of wages, the superbedifice for the school of mines willcost at least three millions of francs.
Nothing can present a more richand varied appearance than the val-ley, when in a fine summer morningwe transport ourselves to the topof one of the towers of the Cathe-dral of Mexico. The city appearsas if washed by the waters of theLake of Fezcuco, whose basin, sur-rounded by villages and hamlets,brings to mind the most beautifullakes of the mountains of Switzer-land. Large avenues of elms andpoplars lead in every direction tothe capitol, and two aqueducts, con-structed over archs of very greatelevation, cross the plain, and ex-hibit an appearance equally agreea-ble and interesting.
the city of mexico.