Jardin de Borda [pp. 176-179]

178 Jardin de Bord~z.`L~eb.
His first fortunate venture was in the tury ]ater Carlota, in a letter to Gutiermine of the Canada del Real at Tlalpu- rez de Estrada, referred to Cuernavaca
jahua, where both gold and silver are as "the most beautiful jewel of the
yet to be found, and whence he acquired country." By his actions, Borda exan immense fortune. And following pressed the same opinion. The whole
the example of the wealthy foreigners country was before him, but he chose a
all around him, he gave a part of his certain slope of the Cordilleras on the
wealth to the church. Half a million western edge of Cuernavaca as his home.
he spent in the erection and adornment There he proposed to establish his
of a beautiful parish church (still stand- family and his name, trusting that both
ing) in Tasco, an ancient mining town would endure for ages.
about fifty miles southwest of Cuerna- The house he built, a marvel of magvaca. This was about the middle of the nificence in its day, was destroyed dureighteenth century. ing the wars for independence. It was
But the millionaires of Mexico in the not only money, but a sybaritic taste
eighteenth century seemed not content also that he expended upon the grounds.
with wealth that was obtained by the His million of dollars went a long way in
simple process of digging the precious those days of cheap labor, and we may
metals directly from the earth, as Borda see even now, in what remains of its
was able to do at Tlalpujahua. Mining past splendors in the ~ardin de Borda,
speculation was rife, and Borda was in- how unrestrained he was in carrying out
volved in it. Suddenly he experienced his plans. There are successions of
a reverse of fortune and was reduced to terraces and a flight of marble steps
sore straits. In a very practical way he connecting one portion of the garden
realized the wisdom of making the with the other; there are tanks of waterchurch his savings bank, for the Arch- fowl and running streams; there are
bishop of Mexico permitted him to dis- luxurious groves of forest trees, forming
pose of a golden chandelier, ornamented dense and delicious shade over basins
with diamonds and other precious of cool water, where fountains once
stones, which he had given to the church played incessantly; and at one end of
at Tasco, and from this he realized near- the grounds a summer-house extended
ly a hundred thousand dollars. nearly the whole width of the garden
The mining enterprises of Zacatecas upon arches, its walls painted in fresco
were about to be abandoned, but Borda to resemble a garden of flowers filled
set out to revive them with the capital with birds of rare plumage, which gave
thus obtained. At first he succceded: the appearance of the extension of the
then in working the famous Quebradilla garden in that direction indefinitely.
mines he lost. all that he had made and Over the western wall rose a belvidere,
nearly all his capital. He persevered, from which a view - unsurpassed anyhowever; struck the veta 6~rande or great where in the world - might be enjoyed.
vein of L~ Esperauza mine, regained Borda hoped that this might ever be
his former wealth, and at his death in the home of a family which should bear
1778 was estimated to be worth over his name, and to favor this plan he inforty millions. duced his daughter to take the veil and
No man of his time knew Mexico enter ~ religious house. The property
throughout its length and breadth bet- could then be given unembarrassed to
ter than Don Jose' de la Borda. He his only son, Jos~. But the son in herknew where its mineral wealth lay hid. ited none of his father's worldly ambiHe knew also where that wealth, once tion, and defeated all his plans by emobtained, could be best enjoyed. A cen- bracing the monastic life. One of the