The Chautauquan (Volume 55) - Softcover

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1909. Excerpt: ... THE central part of Spain consists of an enormous plateau of an average height of twenty-five hundred feet. This plateau includes the ancient kingdoms of Leon, Old Castile, New Castile, and Estremadura. The whole district is almost devoid of trees, chiefly because of the character of the soil and climate, but also because the peasant in central Spain is opposed to trees since, in his mind, they harbor too many birds and the birds eat up his crops. In spite of the general height the district divides up into two natural basins, which were the beds of prehistoric lakes and correspond roughly to Leon and Old Castile, and New Castile and Estremadura. Leaving San Sebastian at three o'clock in the afternoon we soon come to Tolosa to the northwest of which lies the convent of San Ignacio de Loyola, on the road between Azpeitia and Azcoitia. This church was built on the site of the house in which Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, was born. About an hour further on we reach the town of Zumarraga, which is of interest to Americans as being the birthplace of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, who conquered the Philippines, in 1571. An interesting example of the irony of fate is the fact that the province erected a bronze statue to Legazpi in 1897, only a year before the Philippines were to be lost to Spain. At seven o'clock we passed through Vitoria, of which we have already spoken, and about two hours later reached the celebrated Garganta, or Gorge, of Pancorbo. The beautiful scenery of the gorge is not its only interest. During the middle ages it is believed that there were two or three bands of criminals devoted to a specific trade, namely, that of child stealing. The children thus obtained were kept in various secluded mountain fastnesses, and were tortured and ...