contended that the treasures were cast in the Lake Texcoco, where even to this day searches are made for them.

The Spaniards reigned in Mexico from August, 1521, until the year 1810.

The first viceroy of the newly acquired Aztec country was Felix Berenguer de Marquina, chief of the squadron and ex-governor of the Mariana islands. He deserves mention chiefly because he was possessed of ideas far ahead of the time, and even at that early date endeavored to suppress bullfights.

As early as 1696, the students of the University of Mexico began to oppose ecclesiastical influence in civil affairs in Mexico. During 1767, after many terrible "autos de fe" (public executions by burning) practiced by the church in the burning of Fernando Molina and others, by order of the Marquis de Croix, all the Jesuits in New Spain (Mexico) were imprisoned and subsequently expelled from the country. During the reign of Marquis de Valero, Don Juan Texas de Acuna, Marques de Casafuerte, beginning in 1722 and continuing for twelve years, the town of San Antonio de Bexar (now in Texas) was established.

Mexico

The plague swept over Mexico in 1736 and many thousands d1ed.

Statistics give the population of the City of Mexico in 1747 as 50,000 Spanish European and Creole families, 40.004 Mestizos, Mulattoes, and Negroes, and 8,000 native Indians.

In 1776, Don Antonio Maria de Bucareli y Ursua, of the Order of San Juan and lieutenant-general of the army of Spain, established the Monte de Piedad (National Pawnshop) which was founded by Pedro Romero de Terreros, Count of Regla, who endowed it with $300,000 capital. The object of this institution was to lower the usurious rates of

the money-lenders and to enable the poor to borrow money upon personal pledges, at lower rates of interest.

There was a general famine and plague in 1784 and 1785, the result of the losses of harvest due to many snow storms.

While excavating in Mexico City, in 1790, for the foundation of the present cathedral, the wonderful "Calendar Stone" was unearthed, and later in 1791 the "Sacrificial Stone," both of which are now exhibited in the museum of the City of Mexico.

Mexico
Independence

On September 16, 1810, the priest, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, since called "The Father of Mexican Independence," headed an uprising of the natives against Spanish rule. With General Ignacio Allende, Juan Aldama, Abasolo, and Jimenez, at 2 o'clock on the morning of September 16, 1810, Hidalgo captured the prison of Dolores, near Guanajuato, liberated the prisoners, armed them with swords, and began the war.

On March 21, 1811, Hidalgo and Allende were betrayed and captured by a Spanish officer named Elizondo at a place called Acatita de Bajan, and were taken to Monclova. On July 30, 1811, Hidalgo was executed in front of his prison in Chihuahua and later on the same day, Allende Aldama and Jimenez. Their heads were cut off and placed upon pikes at the four corners of the Alhondiga de Granaditas, a stone warehouse for grain in Guanajuato, Mexico. At this date, 1916, the building still stands.

The death of Hidalgo brought forward many leaders, a priest, Morelos, achieving almost as great distinction as Hidalgo. During Morelos' leadership a congress was organized and on the sixteenth day of November, 1813, a declaration of Independence was framed. Morelos was captured and shot on the morning of December 22, 1815, at San Cristobal Ecatepec. He was betrayed by one of his men

and delivered to the Spanish officer. He was tried by the "Holy Office" which though suspended in June, 1813, had been reestablished January 21, 1814, to combat the spread of revolutionary ideas. He was condemned to do penance for being "an unconfessed heretic and abetor of heretics, a profaner of the Holy Sacraments, a traitor to God, the King, and Pope."

Mariano Matamoros, a priest who also enlisted in the battle for independence was likewise betrayed and executed on February 3, 1814, at Valladolid, Mexico.

The Inquisition held sway in Mexico until May 31, 1820, when it was declared inoperative by the Spanish Cortes, its last "auto de fe" being on November 26, 1815.

In April, 1817, Francisco Javier Mina, of Tamaulipas Navarro, Spain with a small squadron and a handful of followers, many of whom were Americans, debarked at the mouth of the Sota de la Marina river, 200 miles south of Brownsville, Texas, and marched to the town of that name, 40 miles west. He was met by Mier y Teran, a Mexican refugee, with whom he set out to Bajio de Guanajuato to join the Independent troops against the Spaniards. In May, a number of his men, principally Texas colonists, deserted and he was left with but three hundred followers. The force at Soto de la Marina was compelled to surrender and Padre Mier was taken prisoner. Mina was captured at Venadito, near Guanajuato, on October 27, 1817, and was executed by shooting on November 11, 1817, at San Gregorio, nearby.

Mexico

In 1818, Vicente Guerrero became the leader of the
Independents. He was captured and shot on

February 14, 1831.

In 1820, Augustin Iturbide attached himself to the ecclesiastics and more politic Spaniards, Creoles, and Mexican leaders, and with these agreed on a plan for Mexican Independence and a separation from Spain. A Mexican representative monarchy was to be created, to be ruled by a king of Spanish blood.

Iturbide headed the movement. On February 24, 1821, Santa Anna, Negrete, Cortazar, Fillisola Bravo, and others came to the support of the new leader and soon the whole country was in the hands of the Independents.

In July, 1821, General Juan O'Donoju, the sixty-fourth Spanish viceroy of Mexico, landed and took the oath of office at Vera Cruz. Iturbide and he met at Cordoba and agreed on the famous treaty of Cordoba, by which Mexico was declared sovereign and independent; a constitutional representative monarchy was created, and Ferdinand VII of Spain, was called to be king.

A provisional government was organized awaiting the arrival of the king. What are known as "Las Tres Garantias" (the three guarantees) were adopted. They were: A guarantee to the Mexican people of the Roman Catholic religion, without toleration of any other: the absolute independence of the country; and the equal rights of the native races with the residents of European descent, or Creoles. The flag of the nation was adopted symbolic of these three guarantees, "religion, independence, and union"—green, white. and red.

September 27, 1821, Iturbide with an army of sixteen thousand entered Mexico City, where he was hailed as the "liberator."

A regency was forthwith appointed which named him president.

Those who claimed to have suffered at the hands of the church, resented Iturbide's open committal to it and its inti

mate relations to the Spanish government, and became suspicious of his real motives. A reaction followed. At the first congress of the Mexican nation, convened on February 24, 1822, a disagreement ensued between congress and the regency. Ithurbide, having as his adherents the army, the clergy, and a few of the Spaniards, secured a demonstration in his favor. After various turbulent outbursts of the people he was elected Emperor of Mexico on May 19, 1822. He took the oath of office at once. On June 21, 1822, he was annointed and crowned in the great cathedral at the capital, assuming the title of "Augustin I, Emperor."

Iturbide's reign as Emperor was brief. He imprisoned some of the members of congress who had freely expressed themselves regarding him.

The spectres of Hidalgo, Allende, Aldama, Morelos, Matamoros, Jimenez, and Abasolo, whose lives had been sacrificed in the battles for freedom, and Mexican Independence could not be kept down. Hundreds of patriots stood ready to continue the fight for absolute independence. In 1822, opposition to the empire broke out in open rebellion, headed by General Santa Anna. Iturbide who had been for a while idolized by his people, became an object of scorn. On March 20, 1823, he tendered his resignation to Congress which refused to accept it on the ground that it had never voluntarily elected him Emperor. A provisional government was formed, composed of four revolutionary chiefs, Nicolas Bravo, Guadalupe Victoria, General Negrete, and Vicente Guerrero.

The provisional government, in recognition of the valuable services rendered to the country by him, granted to Iturbide an annual pension of $25,000 on condition that he fix his residence in Italy.

Iturbide, with his family sailed from Vera Cruz in an English ship, "The Rawlins," Welch commander, on May 11, 1823, bound for Italy. He afterwards left Italy and resided