Montreal, with 4.1 million people, is Canada's second largest city. The city has a flag with five symbols; the cross represents christian principles, the fleur-de-lis represents the French influence, the shamrock is for the Irish, the thistle is for the Scottish and the Lancasterian rose is for the English. The city is actually an island and has nine bridges servicing her. The subway (Metro) has 68 stations that span 4 lines but even more amazing is there is an entire underground city of shopping that spans 20 miles, underground. Because we walked our feet off and saw so much, we will post Montreal, by the individual day. Enjoy the pictures, this place is so rich with history and culture.
Our first day we started at the Notre-Dame-de-Montreal Basilica which was first founded in 1642 in the town that was then known as Ville-Marie. In 1657 the Sulpician Fathers undertook the construction of a larger church. By 1800, this church had become too small and they hired the services of a New York Irish Protestant architect, James O'Donnell. The main construction of the current church took place between 1824-1829. O'Donnell died prior to the completion of the church, however, prior to his death he converted to Catholicism and is buried in the church's crypt. On our tour we had clarified the difference between a basilica and a cathedral. A Basilica is a facility that the Vatican has deemed has artistic significance. A cathedral is a church that is headed by the Bishop. A Cathedral can be a Basilica, but is not necessarily a Basilica. Our guide shared so many things about the church. Many of those details, for those interested, can be read about at; Basilic Notre Dame We have provided a few pictures, more can be seen at the link above. Of note, the largest wedding they have ever had in this Basilica, that holds over 3,000, was marriage of Celiine Dion to Rene Angelil. The organ in the church has an impressive 7000 pipes and another incredible feature, we counted 14 confessionals. Enjoy the pictures.
Our next stop for the day was the Pointe-A-Calliere Museum. The big hit of the day was a traveling exhibit located there on the Aztecs which we highly recommend if one gets the chance. Our tour was fascinating and the exhibit has over 265 items of incredible quality and preservation. They did not allow pictures but amazingly enough there is a great video they have provided online that we suggest you take the time to view. The Aztecs
Our tour guide told us the story of the Aztecs that begins in Mesoamerica around 1000 AD when a tribe set out on a southward journey. The story is that twin brothers had a fight and one brother with his followers headed south. Their journey was to continue until the Sun God gave them a sign that they had arrived at a promised land. It sounds like it took at least 200 years to come upon the promised land, which they knew was chosen when they spotted an eagle perched upon a cactus in a marshy area near Lake Texcoco. Of interest the eagle perched on the cactus is a prominent part of the Mexican flag today.
The Aztec drained the marshy lands of the area and built chinampas, or floating gardens, These man-made islands were made from woven reed mats that they then piled high with rich soil from the bottom of the lake. First they planted fast growing willow trees. These trees quickly grew long roots that firmly anchored these floating gardens to the lake bottom. These numerous islands were then planted with crops that produced large amounts of food.
Eventually the Aztec formed a three way alliance with the Texocans and the Tacubans. By the early 16th century the Aztecs had come to rule over 5 -6 million people! Busy markets visited by 50,000 people daily drove the Aztec economy. The Aztec society was very developed socially, economically and artistically, including a formalized education system for their young adults.
They had an incredible devotion to the many God's (some 200) they believed in. And they believed that the God's that created them required human sacrifices for the God to be nourished. It was considered an honor to be sacrificed, believing that the sacrificed would walk with the Gods in eternity. While some Gods may only require nourishment once a year, the Sun God required a human sacrifice every day They believed that if they failed to provide the Sun God with a sacrificed human each day that the sun would no longer rise. Because of this the Aztecs had many wars, in order to obtain humans to be sacrificed. Their prisoners from these wars were treated quite well, in fact like Gods, as they were to be eventually sacrificed (sometimes as much as a year later) at which time they would then walk among the Gods.
The Aztec's advanced calendar was based upon a solar cycle of 365 days and a ritual cycle of 260 days. It was the center off all that the community participated in. Their universe was divided into three universes - the sky, the earth and the underground with each having multiple layers. They were known for their codices that they used to write elaborate books about their economy, tax roles, politics, history, education, religion- just about all aspects of their life.
When Cortez arrived in the 1500's, the Aztec thought he was a God and they welcomed him and his men. This made the Aztec vulnerable and Cortez along with his men would use this vulnerability to bring a complete end to the Aztec Empire.
After the Aztec tour, while at the Pointe-A-Calliere Museum, we visited their other exhibits. We saw a video that gave a very good overview of the birth and life of the city of Montreal. We also visited some archaeology digs of the original city and also went through an exhibit on snow-its affects on the residents and how they have coped with snow over the years.
Heading out from the museum we passed by the Banque de Montreal. Such a beautiful old building. The Banque de Montreal, founded in 1817, is the first bank in Canada. The bank has occupied this historic building that we passed since 1847.
To finish off the day we were of to catch the Metro back to our traveling home. Better planning would not have had us arrive there at rush hour on a Friday, but, its just time after all.
Our first day we started at the Notre-Dame-de-Montreal Basilica which was first founded in 1642 in the town that was then known as Ville-Marie. In 1657 the Sulpician Fathers undertook the construction of a larger church. By 1800, this church had become too small and they hired the services of a New York Irish Protestant architect, James O'Donnell. The main construction of the current church took place between 1824-1829. O'Donnell died prior to the completion of the church, however, prior to his death he converted to Catholicism and is buried in the church's crypt. On our tour we had clarified the difference between a basilica and a cathedral. A Basilica is a facility that the Vatican has deemed has artistic significance. A cathedral is a church that is headed by the Bishop. A Cathedral can be a Basilica, but is not necessarily a Basilica. Our guide shared so many things about the church. Many of those details, for those interested, can be read about at; Basilic Notre Dame We have provided a few pictures, more can be seen at the link above. Of note, the largest wedding they have ever had in this Basilica, that holds over 3,000, was marriage of Celiine Dion to Rene Angelil. The organ in the church has an impressive 7000 pipes and another incredible feature, we counted 14 confessionals. Enjoy the pictures.
Our next stop for the day was the Pointe-A-Calliere Museum. The big hit of the day was a traveling exhibit located there on the Aztecs which we highly recommend if one gets the chance. Our tour was fascinating and the exhibit has over 265 items of incredible quality and preservation. They did not allow pictures but amazingly enough there is a great video they have provided online that we suggest you take the time to view. The Aztecs
Our tour guide told us the story of the Aztecs that begins in Mesoamerica around 1000 AD when a tribe set out on a southward journey. The story is that twin brothers had a fight and one brother with his followers headed south. Their journey was to continue until the Sun God gave them a sign that they had arrived at a promised land. It sounds like it took at least 200 years to come upon the promised land, which they knew was chosen when they spotted an eagle perched upon a cactus in a marshy area near Lake Texcoco. Of interest the eagle perched on the cactus is a prominent part of the Mexican flag today.
The Aztec drained the marshy lands of the area and built chinampas, or floating gardens, These man-made islands were made from woven reed mats that they then piled high with rich soil from the bottom of the lake. First they planted fast growing willow trees. These trees quickly grew long roots that firmly anchored these floating gardens to the lake bottom. These numerous islands were then planted with crops that produced large amounts of food.
Eventually the Aztec formed a three way alliance with the Texocans and the Tacubans. By the early 16th century the Aztecs had come to rule over 5 -6 million people! Busy markets visited by 50,000 people daily drove the Aztec economy. The Aztec society was very developed socially, economically and artistically, including a formalized education system for their young adults.
They had an incredible devotion to the many God's (some 200) they believed in. And they believed that the God's that created them required human sacrifices for the God to be nourished. It was considered an honor to be sacrificed, believing that the sacrificed would walk with the Gods in eternity. While some Gods may only require nourishment once a year, the Sun God required a human sacrifice every day They believed that if they failed to provide the Sun God with a sacrificed human each day that the sun would no longer rise. Because of this the Aztecs had many wars, in order to obtain humans to be sacrificed. Their prisoners from these wars were treated quite well, in fact like Gods, as they were to be eventually sacrificed (sometimes as much as a year later) at which time they would then walk among the Gods.
The Aztec's advanced calendar was based upon a solar cycle of 365 days and a ritual cycle of 260 days. It was the center off all that the community participated in. Their universe was divided into three universes - the sky, the earth and the underground with each having multiple layers. They were known for their codices that they used to write elaborate books about their economy, tax roles, politics, history, education, religion- just about all aspects of their life.
When Cortez arrived in the 1500's, the Aztec thought he was a God and they welcomed him and his men. This made the Aztec vulnerable and Cortez along with his men would use this vulnerability to bring a complete end to the Aztec Empire.
After the Aztec tour, while at the Pointe-A-Calliere Museum, we visited their other exhibits. We saw a video that gave a very good overview of the birth and life of the city of Montreal. We also visited some archaeology digs of the original city and also went through an exhibit on snow-its affects on the residents and how they have coped with snow over the years.
Heading out from the museum we passed by the Banque de Montreal. Such a beautiful old building. The Banque de Montreal, founded in 1817, is the first bank in Canada. The bank has occupied this historic building that we passed since 1847.
To finish off the day we were of to catch the Metro back to our traveling home. Better planning would not have had us arrive there at rush hour on a Friday, but, its just time after all.
                without them, Inuit would experience snow blindness Snow Exhibit Pointe-A-Calliere Museum  Used in 1900 by the Canadian Transfer Company They wee contracted by the Post Office to Carry Mail through the winter months Snow Exhibit Pointe-A-Calliere Museum   Pointe-A-Calliere Museum   Montreal Metro |
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