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Year 1900

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO

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THE UNrvmSTTY UMARYUNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNfA, SAN DBGO

33:11

SIO

ARCHAEOLOGICALEXPLORATIONS

L\

ESCALERILLAS STREET,CITY OF MEXICO,

BY

Xeopolbo Batrcs,

GENERAL INSPECTOR

OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL MONLMENTS,

<v'

Year 1900.

MEXICOJ. AouiLAK \"eka S: Co., Pkintrks.— Santa Clara Stkket, \o. 15.

1902

(c I I

HIS EXCELLENCY GEN. POKFIRIO DIAZ,President of tbe Kepuhlic nf Mexico.

('iiii-rciriii

Hon. KZEQUIEL CHAVEZ,Hiiiinii 111' IlijrliiT Miiil Pinfcssioiinl Education.

ft *»^x^^^' T?

-<y-- -cr-:~-<,r-

y^jy^fciiErn^ Cr-

^

3«''''AMV

ITiitrobuction.

f\^^iince the sanitary works of the cit)' of Mexico were begun,

! I understood to its fullest extent the importance that for ar-

chaeology and history the excavations which would be made at

different levels and depths, should have. But I waited until the

work approached the place where the largest temple of Tenoxtitlan

stood to interfere, in a direct way, with the operations which the

contractors and sub-contractors of this gigantic work ought to

execute.

When the street of Santa Teresa was finished, and they

were beeinino- that of Escalerillas, I sent the following comuni-

cation (Doc. No. i) to the Secretary of Justice and Public Edu-

cation, from whom I depend as Inspector of archaeological mo-

numents of the nation, asking him to authorize me so that I could

officiallv defend the scientific interests, which according to myopinion, should l)c numerous, judging from the past grandeur

of the spot where they were going to work. I say to defend the

scientific interests because however hard the expresion, it is

appropriate, since the treasures of inestimable value which must

be discovered would fall into the possession of negociators who

consider nothing more than their own pecuniary interest, travel-

lino- like the horse of Attila, destroving all that obstructs their

way.

Soon the Supreme Government, appreciating the value of

the authorization I li.id asked, <'iaiUe(l it to me in the iollo\vini>"

lonn ( Doc. No. 2).

I should not fail to mention three names which historx'and

uni\ei"sal archaeolo^x' should reco^'iiize as j)i"esei"vei"s ol the im-

mense (juantitv of treasures which were perfectly catalogued and

placed in the national museum. These names are that of Gen-

eral PorfirioDiaz, President ol the Rei)uhlic, who determinedly

supported this work; the, at that time, Minister of Justice and

Pul)lic pjlucation Hon. Joacjuin Haran(la,\\ho mantained a \e-

ritahle hght in order that the explorations should he carried out,

and that of Plon. P^zequiel Chavez, Head of the Bureau of Higher

and Professional I^(kication.\\ho has alwax's distinguished hmiself

in making every effort in connexion with his offices, to further

the advance of archaeology.

In complying with my cUit)' in this commission, I had to

fight many contrary elements. The first was that of the th'aina-

ge contractors, who as negociators, only attended to their own

interests, and more than once m the length of time that I remained

working in that place, from the director general of the sani-

tary works to the last employee on the contract. I was told that

thev attached no importance to such thino-s; that the onl\- thine

which interested them was that the work schould not be inter-

rupted.

This struggle caused that the respectable Board of Direc-

tors of the sanitary works addressed a comunication to my chiefs,

formulating terrible consequences if I continued there; becau-

se, they assured, the\aluablepropert\- of P^scalerillas street and

even the cathedral itself were in imminent danger of clestruc-

tion.

But the President of the Republic, with the calmness and

good sense which characterize him, considering the courage and

stedfastness Mr. Baranda had shown in carrvino- out such an

enterprise, appointed the trustworthy engineer and architect Mr.

Guillermo Heredia, to examine my works and express an opi-

nion concerning- tiic dani^cr hi which, acconhng' to the Board,

I was placing- the propcrtN- situated m that street.

Fortunate] V the technical re[)ort (Doc. No. 5) was favora-

ble to the Inspection of monuments, and the l^^irst Magistrate

of the Republic authorized me to prosecute the archaeological

investigations. The fioht continued as I advanced, not without

having a new encounter every day with the interests attacked

Ijy the exploring pickaxe.

The secontl enem}- whom I had to combat was the ano-

yance of the reporters, who, with the desire of filling their co-

lumns, clothed their articles with so much fantasy, and in this

way did such a gra\e injustice to true history, that I was forced

to instruct the police not to permit so many who pretended to

represent newspapers of the capital city to approach the works.

Of course, the result of this order, dictated in behalf of truth, was

that some of those would be reporters went to certain daylies

and ad\-iced them of the horrors which the Inspector of monu-

ments was committing. They assured to have seen with their

own eyes the Inspector constructing towers and objects of gold,

which he buried in order to make the public belie\'e that they

had belonged to the god of the infernal regions himself.

On the other hand, certain trustworthy publications, such

as E/ Iniparcial, El Ticinpo, El Correo Espafiol, and El Pais,

tried in a correct wav to o-ive a faithful account of the truth.

The third enemy was the state of infection in which the soil

was where the explorations were made, since besides the ditch

being very narrow and nearly always at a depth of five metres,

it was full of the decayed mud of the subsoil, the perpetual hu-

midity of the filtrations, and the affiuence of the sewers, besides

the drainage waters from houses, hotels, and cheap restaurants

on both sidewalks of the street, made that place truly terrifying

for the timid. No word could be heard but typhus, to such an

extent, that a learned doctorof medicine, etc., who had the cou-

rage to approach the borders of the cavernous canal for a few

moiiU'iUs, ot course lioldin^- his nose, reproache-l ine s.-umul; ihat

he would lea\-e all those thmi^s mttMTed radiei" than expost' the

cit\' to the (hsastcrs ot a eertam epidemic.

In a little compendium st\led, «Kxcavations on the Siteof

tile main 1 emple ot Mexico,» published 1)\' l)r. Seller, m the

tenth line ot the iirst i)aiL>e it saws: «0\\ini;- to these finds, the

interest not onK <>! scientific circles was aroused, but that of the

entire eitw 1 his interest brought al)out a fortunate result, as

the Mexican Cioxernment ^a\e orders that the erudite and the

employees alike should watch the works ot canalization, m or-

der to see that the laborers did not madxerteiiK' oxerlook the

objects which [Ucv found, and that no sin(>"le monument was

lost .

»

It ma\' be readilv seen that Mr. Seller wrote his work thous-

ands ot miles distant trom the theatre of these operations, since

he assures inexactitudes such as 1 ha\e )ust transcribed. No,

Doctor, no one but I and m\- son, SaKador Batres, remained mthe drain tcd<mo" care of scientific interests and directing the ex-

plorations, from Sej)tember until the end of December; staving

there, nearly always, fi"om six or seven o'clock of the morning

until ele\-en, tweh'e, and one o'clock at night, at times without

taking am tood, because it we al)an(loned for a moment our

personal vigilance, we would have run the risk of losing perhaps

forever the treasures we were trying to save.

The onl\- ones wl:o came to visit the wt)rks without think-

ing of the danger were Mr. Joaquin Baranda, in that time Mi-

nister ot Justice and Public Education, with Mr. Jose Mendez

Estrada; the Minister of the Interior, General Gonzalez Cosi'o;

General Jesus Lalanne and his son; General Clayton, Embassa-

dor of United States; Messrs. Antonio Garcia Cubas, Ezequiel

A. Chavez, Guillermo Heredia, Sanchez Santos, editor of II/

Pais, Eugenio Parrodi, and m the last clays of the works Pro-

fessor Marshall H. Saxille; ])ut the erudite and scientific socie-

ties, as Dr. Seller calls them, did not even approach that spot.

since, as learned men, they are liriident. VUcy reserved the ri<rht

of advancmL;- science afterwards, and, without ha\-ino- e\'en seen

the monuments, to enhu-hten the world with their wise writini^s.

LlvOrOLDO B.ATRKS.

NoTA Bkxe.—The enuineer Mr. Oluares, Inspector Ge-

neral of the Sanitary \\'orks, has had the kindness to supply mewith the terms relative to the technical observations of engineer-

ing, made by the office under his charge in the street of Esca-

lerillas.

Document No. i.

Since the bemnnino- of the drainage works in the citv, there

has been found in different places archaeoloirical objects ofgreater

or less importance, which until today have been destroyed or

sold by the workmen reoardless of beino- the property of the

nation.

As the work progresses in the direction of the Main Plaza,

and it is known that in this place thousands of most important

monuments belonging- to the main Teocalli and to the Coapa-

//i ?\.v& buried, I call the attention of the Supreme Government

to the fact that if it meets with its approval, to give me authori-

tv so that I would interfere in the works referred to, and reco-

ver the specimens which ma\- be discovered, and send them to

the National Museum.

W ith due respect for vou.

Liberty and Constitution. Mexico, July 23, 1900.

Leopoldo Batres.

Mr. Secretary of Justice and Public Education.—Present.

Document No. 2.

Office of the Secretary ot Justice and Public Education,

Mexico. Bureau of Preparator\' and Professional P^ducation.

No. 8956.

Acknowledging receipt of your letter of the 23d. inst.. the

lO

President of the RepuMic has been ])lease(l to i^rant \<)ii the

authontx' \<)U asked lor, to interfere in the woi'ks otlhe eit\ (h"ai-

naoe, with the \ae\\ nl reeoxcnn^ archaeoloo-ical specimens that

nia\' he discovered, and senchn^- tht'in to the National Museum.

I cummunicate it to sou.

Libert)' and Constitution. Mexico, J ul\- 2^, 1900.

B .A RAN DA.

Mr. General Inspector and Presc-rver of Archaeolooical

Monuments.—Present.

Document No. 3.

In repl\- to)'our estimed communication of yesterda)-, I take

pleasure m saxini^- that I ha\e made a careful examination of

the works that with the motixe of archaeolooical explorations

are o'oino" on m l^scalenllas street, discoxermo" m m\' imestioa-

tions: That the work has been carried out with judoement and

prudence, and that there is no imminent danger lor the ad)oin-

mo" buildmu-s.

That the region of explorations in the drainage trench has

been limited to se\-en metres m lonoitud, having in consecfuence

little importance.

Mr. Batres has \'erv wiselv strenothened the cramp-irons

used b\- the sanitation compauN' 1)\- means ot woden cross-

pieces and wedges, as he found those alreadv there 111 bad con-

dition.

I deem it ])rudent.in case that the ex])lorations have to be

continued much longer m this place, that solid wood be substi-

1

1

tuted for the timber at present in use, and that new cramj)-ir()ns

be j)ut, in order to duly arrest the weio-ht of earth, avoiding- all

danger.

Which I take pleasure in comunicatinc to vou.

Liberty and Constitution. Mexico, Nov. 7, 1900.

Guiri.l-.K.MO l)]-. IIlCREDIA,Architectural KiiKiiiccr.

I ha\'e the honor of sendino- to you a report relative to the

archaeological explorations which, by the directions of your De-partment, were carried out in Kscalenllas street during the months

of September, October, November, and December, 1900.

Very respectfully.

Liberty and Constitution, Mexico, jul\- 24, 1902.

Leopoi.do Batres.

Mr. Secretary of Justice and Public Education.—Present.

REPORT.

On the 31 of August, 1900, I commenced my visits of ins-

pection to the sanitary works, beginning with the constructions

discovered in Santa Teresa street, near Seminary street. One

of the contracting engineers, Mr. Braulio Martinez, had the kind-

ness to tell me that, besides the constructions that I saw in the

levees, there had been discoverd a door, whose jambs were of

well carved stone, but which was now covered with the walls

of the collector trench.

Afterwards I went to the warehouse of the contractors, situated

in the same street of Santa Teresa, and took possession of the

objects discovered at this place, deposited there b\- these gen-

tlemen.

List of Objects.

A stone idol m erect position was found, with the lower

part broken, set upon a small base; it appeared to be whitewashed.

Dimension, i'".'—A human skull sculptured in stone. Height,

0.23—A rough stone upon which was found sculptured a hu-

man face; measure, 0.36—Twenty-three earthen utensils, in-

cense-pots, all broken. Most of them have the form of a tumbler.

They rest upon three cvlindrical feet. Different dimensions.

Of some there were onlv fragments—A shapeless porous stone

with fragments of mortar in some parts; measure, 0.5 7—A frag-

ment of an ornament of clav like a halo; measure: 0.65 long;

height, 0.2 1

5—A rectangular stone, engraved only on its rectan-

gular sides; dimensions: 2. 38 long, 1. 10 broad, 0.23 high.

I Measures are indicated in metres and decimals of metre.

M

No. O.

Discoveries of September 4.

There aj)|)eai\(l in I'Lscalerillas street. 111 the (hrection of

Seminary .street, xanous constructions ol masonrw the most no-

tal)le beino- a staircase", two metres in width, formed of three

steps; each step measures 0.22 heii^ht 1)\" 0.26 tread, coated o\er

with cement ot mortar of hme. This staircase was looking' to-

ward the west. \\ liere the little stairi'ase seemed to end, a slant-

int^- wall was (hscox'ered, following the same (hrection as the

staircase. On (hsco\erin<4 this, there were found si.xty heads

and thirt_\- copper mornshells In the evening; of the same day,

and at the foot of the staircase, was found a la\'er of 0.88 in

thickness, formed o! fra^nients of huildinn' inaterials of tezontle

stone and mortar, ver\- compact and resistent.

No. I.

Discoveries of September 6.

In order to continue the sanitary works, the layer of tezon-

tle stone was broken, and under it was found an idol of <rreen

I":

Stone, wihch measures 0.755 "t Hci((ht by 0.61 in diameter, one

of the most interesting; specimens which the National Museumpossesses. Of this idol I sent aphotooraphic copy to the Minis-

ter of Justice and Public Iiducation (see first plate of Apendix).

This layer of debris was extended the entire leuirth of Es-

calerillas street, rcachino- different depths below the level of the

street.

No. II.

Discoveries of September 11.

The discovery of the staircase, commenced on the fourth

of this month, was completc'd. It had nine steps, the first three

included.

i6

No. III.

At the foot of llu' last step of the staircase, appeared lari>-c

flaostones, perfectly worked and united together. T^ach stone

measured 4.30 m thickness.

No. IV.

Discoveries of September 28.

Four i)()ts()fclay— I^ if teen earthen l)o\vls—AclaN' urn with-

out co\-er, m the shape of a hed^ehou-, painted red and \ellow;

measure, 0.22 m height, 0.49 in diameter—Forty knives of silex.

—A sepulchre in rectangular form, composed of six flaostones

—

A broken brasier of clav, j)ainted red; the feet are spherical, and

the circumference is adorned with circular fioures; heioht, 0.23;

diameter, 0.325, lackino- one foot— Another brasier, the same

as the first, in good state of preservation— Two large brasiers,

each one resting upon three spherical feet, with Maltese crosses

of o[)en work; they are painted white, and one with the lower

border painted red on one of its sides only. The bowl of one

of them is broken at the to{); 0.45 m height, 0.42 in diameter

—

A cylindrical incense-pot of clay, with two feet, painted white,

broken in different places; measure. 0.26 in height—Numerous

human bones.

No. V.

Discoveries of October 28.

A little staircase composed of four steps, built of masonry,

each step measuring 0.29 height, 0.22 tread.

At the foot of that staircase, always below the la\er of te-

17

^^n

i8

zontlc stone, was discovered the largest number of iinportant ob-

jects which the excax'ations ha\c produced, consistm^ ol two te-

zoiUlc .-.tone statues re[)resentni^- the ^od Mliecatl (the ^od of

the winds), measurinoo.5 5—A curious shell with the two articu-

larpieces—Twent\—fi\'e snail-shells of different sizes, from 0.29

to o. I 2 ^, in very ii'ood state of preservation— rwentv—three shells

of different dimensions and forms, one of them \erv beautiful.

—Six frao'ments of sann'—A disk ot wood, 0.13 111 diameter

— bragments of a snake of stone, entirely smooth Two little

instruments of stone, of 0.47 to 0.35—A little skull of stone,

verv well modeled, measuring 0.04 One hundred and twcKe

tlmt knues of different sizes and colors— l\\o little heads of

stone, fineK' carx'cd—A fragment of human bone, \-erv hnel\'

carved, measurinoo.07

—

Ihree [)ieces of obsidian; two are small

knives with one of their extremities endino- ni a circular sur-

face, and the other in an arrow point

—

Iwo pieces of shell, of pa-

rallelopipedic shape—Three pieces of polished stone, instruments

for art— An uncarved stone, with a small perforation, 0.075

mean diameter dWo annular pieces, 0.067 in diameter—

A

perforated stone, decidedh' conical in shape, 0.06 at the base,

and 0.017 in height—Four stone disks, three carxed on one

of Its sides, and the other with a circular perforation m the cen-

tre, 0.075 ""> diameter—Five pieces of fine stone A necklace of

twenty beads of fine stone, ofan oblono' form. Of these beads, one

is parallelopii)edic, and the others are in the shape of a jewel

—

A necklace of twent\-fi\'e pieces of fine stone, most of them

beads—A necklace of forty-one beads of fine stone, and an-

other piece of marbled stone representing" the head of an animal

—A necklace of fifty-five pieces of fine stone, most ot them

beads—A necklace of fort\-two beads of fine stone—A neck-

lace of fortv-one beads of fine stone—A necklace of sixty-se-

ven beads of fine stone—A necklace of fifty-six beads of fine

stone, also, and an amulet-—A necklace of fifty-two beads of

fine stone, and an amulet of the same material, representing a

19

/I

iiDlO*a^ut

ji..)j^^^ ^f\

20

human head—A necklace ofseventv-seven ohlonir and spherical,

somewhat flattened, heads of fine stone—A necklace ( ! little heads

of mother of pearl—A j)iece of stone sensihlv conical in shape.

perforated, 0.03 5 in diameter, 0.02 in heiorht—A|)ieceot whitish

stone, perforated, 0.02S loni^.— Two strings of cop[)er mor-

ris-bells—A small snail-shell strin_i^— Two strings ol coj)per

morris-hells—A small snail-shell string—A flint knife, remark-

able for its unusual dimensions, since it is 0.6 15 lon^-. An ob-

ject of clay, in the form of a disk, with ornaments m the shaj)e

of architectural roses on one of its faces, 0.063 in diameter

—

1 wo little instruments of stone, 0.047—A stone mask, polished,

gray-green in color, with circular perforations, and one eye of

sulphuret of copj)er, o. 1 8 high —A set of very small beads of

mother of pearl, the largest measuring 0.004, and the smallest

0.002-—A wooden instrument in the shaj^e of a globe with an

oblong addition—A rectangular slab, of a very porous stone,

with a snake (crotalus) sculptured on one of its sides. On the

snake's body, a series of circles in relief may be seen. The slab is

0.56 long, 0.555 l^i'oad— Fhree polychrome incense-pots of clay,

formed of a vessel similar to a stewing-pan. One of these m-

cense-pots ijas cross-shaped perforations; another cross-shai)ed

and circular, and the other has them in different shapes. 1 he

handle of one of these incense — pots ends in a serpent's head.

On the C(3nvex side of one of these pots is a kind of owl's head

in oj)en work and relief which, I believe, represents a Tlaloc.

It measures 0.60 in length, 0.22 in diameter. Another of these

incense-pots represents a Tlaloc; it measures 0.625 in height,

0.245 in diameter. The other incense-pot has only six cross-

shaped perforations, and the handle ends in a talon. It mea-

sures 0.67 long 0.26 diameter. These three objects are very re-

markable—Two polychrome pots of fine manufacture. One of

them measures 0,25 in height (fig. i), and the other 0.24 (fig. 2)

—

An incense-pot ofpolychrome clay, with open work in the shape

of crosses. It is 0.23 in diameter; the handle ends in a serpent's

21

head, twisted at the upper part, where there is a whistle. It mea-

sures 0.41 in length—An incense-pot, broken at its border, sim-

ilar to the preceding- one, 0.226 m diameter—An mcense-|)()t,

also broken at the border, without a handle, similar to the laU

mentioned, 0.225 in diameter -An incense-pot in frai^^ments, the

same as those just nn-ntioncd. On the outside, this one has or-

naments in relief, circular in form. Measure, 0.24 m diameter

—Another incense—pot of polychrome clav, in fragments. Its

open work is of a sj)ecial cross-shape type—Another incense-

pot of claw in fragments, with cross-shaped open work, similar

to that one with reliefs in circular form—Two other polychrome

incense—pots in h'agments, with open work in the sha|)e of cros-

ses. A lot of twenty handles of mcense-pots, similar to those

mentioned before— The neck of a polychrome vase—A frag-

ment of a j)ol\chrome vase, representing a human bod\-. with the

head off.

The hieroglyphics on the in-

cense-pots, and the two statues of

/i/ura// CRVved on them, here dis-

covered, clearly indicate that here

was the site of a Temple of the god

of the winds, and that these in-

cense—pots were used in the feast

in honor of the sacred fire.

Two gold disks in the form of

cvmbals , with four perforations

(fig. I ). One of them was found

doubled, and afterwards we found

( )ut that some one had tried to steal

it. Thev are 0.13 in diameter^

Six annular smooth disks, also of

gold (fig. 2), 0.05 in diameter—An ornament for the nose, representing a butterfly (fig. 3), 0.078

high, 0.075 broad.

Cosies "FoRrzRia Diaz'

(°)"(^ ^\SPlate v.— Codex Porfirio Diaz.

23

Plate F represents a fi((iire taken from the Codex Porfirio

Diaz. It niav be seen m this fioure, that about the lower l()I)ule

of the nose it has an attribute similar to fio-. 3, No. V. This pro\-es

that the object of gold mentioned above had been worn as a

nose—]"ing'.

\

24

Two small wooden heads (fio-. i)—An Idol, enoraved on a

green stone tablet (fio-. 2)—An idol oforay soap stone (fio-. 3).—A \ery curious skull ot sulphuret of copper, sliownino- at

the back part how it was made (fio-. 4). It measures 0.06—

A

shin-bone of a child, enonixcd near the higher end. The en-gra\ino- represents a rabbit (fio-. 5). It is 0.156 long^—Two lit-

tle heads of stone, \-cry ex(iuisitely worked. The first one has a

very fine head-(h"ess; both are perforated (figs. 6. (S). Measure,

0.03 and 0.045 respectively—A piece of stone, rectangular in

sc

form, with a relief that calls to mind

those of Xochicalco. Ihis relief re-

presents a personage, seated with

the leQfs crossed, a beautitul tuft on

the head, and a s\'mhol at the ob-

server's left ( fig. 7 ). It measures

o.ioS m height, 0.09 in breadth.

—

A piece of green stone with \er)-

exquisite carving on one side, repre-

senting a tiger knight. It has a per-

foration accross the stone. It is 0.02 2

broad, 0.018 high, 0.008 thick.

An earthen x'essel of peculiar

shape, haxing rugosities on its la-

teral surface, with its top co\er. It

measureso.2 i inheight, 0.44 m dia-

meter— An idol of porous stone,

sittino- in a cowerino- manner with

the arms crossed resting uponthe

knees. Thehead is ornamented with

scollops of relief. It is o. 1 7 high

—

A broken disk of fecali, carved on

both surfaces, o. i 6 in diameter

—

A stone idol sensibl}' laminar; it is

standino", with the hands on the<>'

breast. It is 0.182 high—A wood-

en instrument used for weaxing,

called in Aztec tzatzopazfly, a hard

heaxv wood called tepeguaje. which

they employed for tightmg the wo\'en threads. It is 0.74

long — Three small masks, one of marble and two of stone.

The one of marble measures 0.08, and the otlier two mea-

sure 0.075. ^^ three are perforated— Several necklaces of

stone— luo necklaces of co[)per jingle -bells

—

Xw earthen

disk which measures o.io in (haiiieter— A stone idol wliieh

measures 0.14 m hcii^ht I^i^lit small masks ol tmc stone.

one 0} which has a j:)ecullar form, is perforated, and measures

0.14— An instrument of ^ray stone—A small head of stone

representing- a coyote. It measures o.oS 1)\- 0.064 — An idol

of i^orous stone whuh represents a ilaloc. It is 0.12 hi^h-

-

A bead of porous stone, measurino- 0.07—An instrunnnt of Hint

of j)eculiar foi'm, measuring- 0.13 in length—A knife with white

.md red hieroglyj)hics, measuring 0.24—A necklace of stone

beads—Six fragments of mother of |)earl; two of circular form

0.025 "1 diameter, and four with carxings; one of the last men-tioned has the shape of an c/o. and is perforated.

No. VI.

Discoveries of October 17.

A stone idol i-epresenting the «Sad In(lian»,sat scjuatting

with the arms crossed and resting upor the knees—An idol's

h(.:a(l of tezontle stone, representing Ilaloc, with a roun<l hole

on the top. It measures 0.1 1

—

I^ix'e little idols of cv>/c?'/(a resi-

nous substance), sitting, with high head-dress. They measure:

one, 0.19; two, o.iS; another, 0.176, and another 0.16—An-other copal idol, very well modeled, sitting- with the hands resting

upon the knees, head-dress, and ear-rings. It measures 0.19—

-

Two copal idol heads, fragments of larger idols than those just

mentioned—A great number of fragments of copal—Some idols

ol green st(Mie—Seven little stone heads; some of fine stone—Four little stone idols, measuring 0.045 . 0.065, 0.09, 0.058 each,

in height—Si.x small idols of tezontle stone, all sitting with the

arms crossed and resting upon the knees. On the back of

some ofthem is sculptured the figure of Tccpatl;\\\&\ ha\e a dia-

dem ol three points in front, and measure 0.14, 0.17, 0.175,

27

28

0.165, O.I 5- 0.16, o.i8respecti\cl\—A necklace of four beads of

crreen stone, and a little stone mask—A necklace of lih\- hc-ads

of green stone and an amulet—Another necklace of thu-ty-eight

beads of green stone and an amulet with a star cngraxed on it

-— A necklace of fifty-one beads oi green stone , w ith a long

-9

cylindrical object—A necklace offifty beads of i^reen stone ancl a

black perforated amulet— Another with iitty—four round and

CN'lindrical beads and a [perforated circular stone— Another of

eiohty-oneobjectsofdifferent forms and kmds of stones—Ar.other

of eio:htv nieces of stone, most ofthem beads—Another of sixtv

pieces, similar to the one just mentioned — Anf)ther of ei^^hty-

four beads—Anoti'erwith fifty-eight pieces, most ofthem beads

— Another with one humdred and forty-three little pieces of

stone—Another with seventy-three pieces of stone, most of them

beads—Another with one hundred and seventeen pieces, the

same as the preceding one— Another with sixty-four beads

and a cylindrical object—Another with fifty beads, a little idol,

and a small rectangular object — Two other necklaces, with

ninetv-two beads each—Another with ninetv-one—Another with

seventy beads and a perforated disk—Another with .-eventv-

seven beads—Another with seventy-eight—Another with eightv-

three—Anotherw ith fifty-four - Another with fortv-nine—Twourns very well preserved, of a quadrangular form, with their

respectiv^e top covers. These urns are 0.2 1 5 high, o. 1 3 broad

—

Several child skulls—Seventy silex knives.

No. MI.

Discoveries of October 18.

Thirty-tw^o idols of i)olished stone, rudel\- worked—Manvshells— Snail-shells and jaw-bones of (juadrupcds. seemiiv^lv

of tiger— Two Hint km\'es, blood stained—An idol of basal-

tic stone, sitting with the arms crossed and resting u|)on the

knees, with tusks sticking out of the mouth. It is 1.44 high—A basaltic stone, painted white, almost circular in form, broken,

w ith reliefs on botli surfaces. It measures 0.80 in diameter on the

complete side, and o.6o on the broken side - A long idol of

30

green stone, painted red, secminsj^ly a woman, with the arms pla-

ced ale )n<r the bod)-. It measures 0.55 m heigh. It has two per-

forations.

Uiscovenes ul October 18.

31

Sign ^

Discoveries of October 20.

An idol of green stone o. 1 4 high, looking toward the north,

inside of a niche made of five flagstones, each stone measuring

0.50 square. It was found inheded in the south side wall of the

trench. It seems that the figure is sitting—Two knives of silex.

Near these was found a layer of hard mortar m the form of

a vessel — Four long human bones, two pamted l)lack, one red,

and another in its natural color—Several little masks of clay, and

abundant copal resin.

No. YIII.

Discoveries of October 23.

A construction in the form of a tower, crowned by four

denticulated turrets, built on the northern side. Each turret is

0.45 high, 0.32 broad, each dentil being 0.12 broad, 0.17 high.

The crown was 6.05 in circumference, 1.90 in diameter, and

0.34 in depth. The turreted part was found under the wall

of the trench. In the center of the circle formed by the crown

was a hollow of rectangular form, the northern and southern

sides measuring 0.84 each, and the eastern and western sides,

0.29 each.

The drainage waters poured in torrents upon the crown of

the tower, a circumstance which rendered impossible its explo-

ration and made the use of a pump necessary. Duly authorized

bv that Department, I caused a centrifugal pump of ten horse-

power to be installed by the Sieniens & Halske Co.

Mr. Francisco Neueebauer inft)rmed me that he would go

to examine the place in order to see what was to be clone; hut

asked nie to tell the Department that the compan\- would not

charge an\thmg for the use of the pump, tor the installation of

same, nor for ])o\ver; that this would be the contribution of the

coni[).-in\- to die disco\-ery of those imi)nrtant relics of anti(|uity.

33

No. IX.

Discoveries of October 26.

An idol of tczontle stone, reprcsentins^ the god Tlaloc, per-

fectly identified. It measures 0.20 P21even flint pieces. Each

one has a s[)here-shaped addition of copal resin of various de-

mcntions. Iheir averai^e measure is 0.07.

Thisdisco\'erv shows that the laroe kni\'es of silex were not

simply cutting instruments, but that they symbolized thedevine

flint, or the father of all the oods.

No. X.

Discoveries of October 29.

Three walls constructed of the same material as those of

the tower, coated also with lime mortar. Thev are parallel from

34

north to south, and cross thr Ircnch. They measure 0.09 each.

They are 1.30 from each other. At a (bstance ot 1.53 ti-oin the

first the last wall was discovered, which has the form of an arch.

It is 0.80 thick.

In explormi^' the wallsalar^e monkey's head was discover-

ed, with open mouth, so well preserved, that e\-ery detail maybe well seen.

Three peons had hid. wrapped in [hew tnui/cs, several si-

lex kni\'es and other small ol))ects. The peons, except one whofled, were taken to the proper authorities.

No. XI.

Discoveries of October 30.

One hundred and ten copper jinii^le-bells. perfectl\- finish-

ed—Sixteen lan'e silex kni\es, and a (i^reat number of snail-

shells.

No. XII.

Discoveries of October 13.

A piece of stone rectan^^ular in form, worked on one side,

measuring 0.30 high, 0.24 broad (fig. i) —A rectangular stone

35

worked on one side, measuring 0.41 hi'^h, 0.41 hroad (fig. 2)

—A rectangular stone worked on one side, representmg a kmdQ>{ tlaloc. It iso.^i^ broad. 0.2 S hi irh (fitr. \) -A reccanjular

stone 0.69 high and o.3<S broad, with a symbol sculptured

Discovciies of October 30.

on one side (fig. 4)—A slone representing a tlaloc, measuring

0.40 in height and 0.54 in l)readth(fig. 5)—A rectangular stone

Discoveries of October 13

with a symbol sculptured on it; it is 0.60 high 0.30 broad (fig. 6

—A quadrangular stone measuring 0.50 b\- 0.40 (fig. 7).

On the morning of Xo\ember 16, one of the peons of the

contractors, obe\ing the instructions of an Italian foreman, Sal-

:.6

\'aton. as he confessed later, made a la^e hole fifl\' eentimtres

helow the ei"o\\ ii of the towel". 1 he ol))eet ol this was to till the

monument with the drain waters m order to render liirther ex-

ploration im[)ossil)le, since the capacitx' of the pump in operation

was not sufficient to draw out the profuse stream from the drain-

age. I he peon and Sal\-atori were taken to the proper autho-

rities for in\'estio-ation of the facts, in order that the ouilt\ one

should be punished.

At the same time, I placed a proxisional coHer-dam 'o

stop the waters, an operation which enabled me to continue the

explorations.

I streno'thened the tower with timber, in order to protect

the laborers, as 1 saw that it had commenced to crack.

No. XIII.

Discoveries of November 4.

A basaltic stone represcntino- a serpent's head, measurinq;

0.85 in leno-th b\- 0.50 in breadth (fi^'. i ).

After the stone had been x'crv carefulK' taken out in orderml

to prevent deterioration, the excavation was deepened more.

There were found eioht silex knives, smaller than, and of dif-

ferent sha{)es from, those found in pre\ious days— Six snail-

shells, cut and perforated where the spiral end Pottery and

human remains w^ere also found, all of which was dul)' put in

order.

At five o'clock, the installation of the electric pump was

finished and immediatel}- commenced to operate with such suc-

cess that in a short while the trench was almost drv.

On the 3 I , the water inside the turreted tower was pump-

ed out, and the exploration the interior was be^un. After the

mud had been remox'ed we foundasmall mortar coating, which

3.7

was examined. Nothino' of interest was found in the coatini^,

so it was destroyed m order to contmue the exjjloration. There

was found a threat deal of charcoal dust in the center of a small

sitting- idol which was painted red. It is 0.13 hi^li — 1Wo ob-

sidian kni\'es, and many traoments of skulls and other humanbones—There was also found a small stone w ith a circular hole

iiV)the center.

No. XIV.

Discoveries of November 6.

Two stones of porph\-r\- which represent two snake heads,

same as the previous ones. They measure 0.85 in length and

0.17 in height. See figs. 2 and 3 of plate XIII.

No. XV.

Discoveries of November 8.

Two stones of basalt which measure 0.17 m height and

0.85 in length (see fig. 4 of plate XIII., and fig. 5 of this plate).

Thev represent snake heads like the ones mentioned before, but

these have the mouth less opened and show their lour tangs.

Also the form of the upper part of the head differs from the

others.

,^H

rets and of the erown ot the tower

At li\e o'cloek I sus-

pended all work on the

exploration ot the tower,

heeause we struek a \'er\'

nuid\ and hiMttle earth,

whuh olti'iH'd imminent

danger ot tailing" m. Be-

tore suspen(hi>" the work

I took moulds ot the tur-

No. XVI,

Discoveries of November 9.

A l)it of oTound paved with lar^e flao-stoncs. Under it one

hundred c()pj)erjinole-]:)ells were found—A flint knife 0.30 lono;

—A small pot of clay of a yellow redish color, and numerous

broken potter\- of the same style. With these objects o-reat many

bones were found, which seem to be of carnixorous animals

—Afine amulet ofjade,

artisticalK' polished and

sculptured It has the

form of a human head

with the head-dress

of the tiger knight

(Ocelod)—A loo- two

metres lono-— Twenty

fragments of poly-

chrome i)otterv—A small pot containing a snail-shell. It is 0.08

liio-h—A fragment of an earthen disk, polychrome on one side,

with two circular perforations— An object of tezontle stone, of

39

an annular form, measuring- 0.325—Xine objects of stone, co-

nical in form, instruments for the arts.

No. XVII.

Discoveries of November 9.

A platformof masonry coated with mortar. I nits lower part

the ground had two snake heads imbeded in it, painted yellow,

very similar to those already described, ]:)ut much better sculp-

tured ( figs. 6, 7 ). The first snake head was discovered 0.90

from the southern side of the trench, and the other atadistance

of 1 .09 north of

the first one. Onthe upper [)art of

the platform, on

the north-eastern

side of the trench,

is a hole 0.19 mdiameter and 0.30

in depth, running

clown until it reaches one of the snake heads, with wIticIi it

communicates.

No. XVIII.

Discoveries of November 20.

A construction in the form of a dice, with its sides co\-er-

ed with human skulls and crossed thigh-bones, sculptured in

hieh relief. In the ioints ot the stone blocks it mav still be seen

remains of the paint which once covered the skulls, a white coat-

ing and a light green paint.

40

On tlu' u|)i)cr and Iowxm- j)arts, all around, is sculptured a

rope, indicating- that the construction was tied. On the eastern

side a smaller construction was found, restm^- uj)()n the laro^e

construction. This smaller construction, similar in torm to the

large one, which seems to bean altar, is also covered with hu-

man skulls sculptured on the small blocks ol tezontle stone. In

the center of the smaller construction is incrustated a skull of

stone.

This monument, uj) to the edge of the surface already dis-

coxered. measures 1.335 ^^^^^^ surface is covered with mortar of

lime, w ith hgures j)ainte(l red and black, representing skulls and

bones. The state ot preservation both of the j)ainte(l and the

sculpturetl rtgures, is \'ery remarkal)le. The whole construction

is made of tezontle stone.

Near this monument were found three steps 0.22 of tread

and 0.20 in height each step.

On the 21 I had timbered the excavation made on the j)re-

vious day, in order to finish the exploration of the monument.

When the whole monument was discovered, I had a photogra-

phic xiewof it taken. Its final measures are: height. 1.45; pedestal,

0.885; length. 2.44 and the pedestal, 2.96; width 1.96 by 1.75.

This whole constructir)n was mo\-ed to the National Mu-seum. Ihe work of removal was a hard and delicate one. As the

monument was built of small blocks of stone, and its upper sur-

face was coated with a \ery fine cement of mortar on which

skulls and bones were painted in green and blue colors, and the

whole monument had to be taken out of its foundations, there

was great danger of being broken into pieces.

On the 22 two fiightsof steps were discovered on the sides

of the basement u])on which the altar of the skulls is huWt.

Each section of the staircase: was composed of two ste{)s. the

lower one being 0.24 in height and 0.2 i of tread, and the upper

one 0.19 of tread and 0.21 in height. The staircase ran toward

the west, and gave access to the large wallsurroundinir the altar

4t

on the northern and southern sides. Fortune and the courage

and skill ot iii\- lanorcrs helloed me, all dan^^er was averted,

and the comi)lete moiuiinent was taken away without suffering

r^

NVrlhern and Western Sides of the Altar.

liastern and Southern Sides ol the Altar

Ill the least. Now our arch acolhot possesses a genuine speci-

men of the j)rehistoric architecture of thecit\ of Mexico.

Ihroui^'h a crack found on tlie upper plane of the altar, 1

could see that another monument was constructed mside. I made

an opening and discovered two A/// ///^>//'////. some knives of si-

lex, and se\'eral ornaments of mother ofi)eail. I made the oj)en-

ino- larorer, andtoda\' thenif/nument constructed inside ma\' he

seen.

No. XIX.

Discovery of November 23.

A rectanuular stone, with a rectaiii^ular

hollow made m the center. It measures i'" in

height, 0.71 in width, o. 67 in (le{)th.

No. XX.

Discovery of November 25.

In the same place, an earthen broken

brasier of ac)'lindrical form was found.

It has a stripe around the upper part,

and another near the base, close to a

double line of small circles in relief.

On the lateral exterior surface it

has attached a kind of crest of clay. The

brasier measures 0.755 >•'' hei(^ht,o.65

in diameter.

43

\o. XXI.

Discovery of November 25.

A brasier identical to the one just describerl, broken in

pieces.

No. XXII.

Discoveries of November 28.

An urn, incrustatecl in the wall of the trench. It is a box

of tezontle stone, perfectly wrought. It is 0.46 long, 0.46 broad,

0.42 high, the walls being 0.05 thick. The top cover is formed

by a flagstone, upon which is a large sphere of porphyry,

supported by a small circular fluted base. The sphere meas-

ures 0.75 in diameter; from the base, 0.58, and 0.75 in thickness

—Three conical pieces of tezontle stone, in the form of a spike,

l)ainted white on one of their ends. Each measures 0.25 bv

0.14 — Within the urn, sixteen silex kniv^es of different sizes

were found^—Several human bones— Fift\' beads of jade— Asmall pot of clay, su{)ported by three fet with two handles of

peculiar form. It is 0.07 high, 0.056 in diameter at the mouth.

No. XXIII.

Discovery of November 29.

Three spheres of j)orphyry, perfectly- made; two of these

are painted, one blue and the other red. Each has a diameter

of o. 1 5.

o

No. XXIV.

Discoveries of November 29.

T\ventv-t\v() knixcs ofsilcx, and two more sphcM'cs of por-

phyry, measLirino- o. 1 5 an<l o. 1 4 in diameter respectively —Three

small copal resin idols (See No. XXIII.).

45

No. XXV.

Discoveries of December 7.

Another skull monument, in ruins, of whieli there rcmams

only the lower part and the nucleus, consistm^' of two c\lin-

(lers of stone. One measures 0.65 m leni>"th and 0.3.^ mchame-

ter, having the s}'mbol Miquizfli. The other is 0.46 in leu'^th

and 0.22 m diameter at its base. Each cylinder represen'iS A7////-

mo/pi/Ii, or tie of years. The smaller one is })ainted hkie and

yellt)W.

I oday I began to |)rej)are m\' work for remoxing the monu-ment of tezontle stcMie called altar.

No. XXVI.

Discoveries of December 9.

I here were blocks of stone belonging to the monument in

ruins, and another altar similar to the ones mentioned before.

This was left incrustated in the northern wall of the trench.

46

B>o

a

47

No. XXVII.

Discoveries of December 13.

An idol of j)nri)h\ry, |)ainte(l red. Fhc idol is in a sittiiKJ-

position, havino- on the breast a shield with a kind of circular

coat—Four pots of clay, restino^ upon a circular base. Each has

modeled a hiunan head on one side and also two handles—Twocylindrical pieces of clay, which seem to l)e tepoiuixties with

their reeds or tongues. At one end of each of them, there is al-

so a cylindrical piece of clay, and at the other end each one has

a circular hole. Length, 0.20; diameter, 0.10—Seven pieces, si-

milar to the precedmg ones, but restmg uj)on a fluted circular

base. Length, 0.155 and o. i 2; diameter, o.oS and 0.45— Fi\'e

objects of clay, of regular form. On the obverse of each are en-

graved several stripes, and have attached an apendix of sj)her-

ical shape. On the edges they hav^e four ornaments in front of

each other, representing the hieroglyphic Z^'/z^^r//. On the back

surface is a circular perforation with an edge arround in thef )rm

of a cord. They are o.ii in length— l\vo objects similar to

the first five mentioned, but instead of four, these ha\'e onK'two

ornaments. They are 0.12 long—A flute ot clav, 0.22 long

—

Two broken rattles of cla\' in the shape of egg beaters. Theyare composed of a cylindrical handle and a pomgranate shaped

box at one end. They measure 0.13 and o. i 2 respectix'ely—Six fragments of rattles, similar to the preceding ones— Anobject of cla)', representing a human fluted thigh-bone, 0.16

long—A set ol three objects of cla)-, similar to the one just

mentioned, both broken in two fraonients—Three fraomentsof

objets like the preceding ones — A set of twent\-foiir different

fragments—A turtle of clay, made of two pieces. On the upper

part is a circular piece resembling a twisted cord. It is 0.12

—

A set of twenty-four different fragments of turtle like the one

18

49

just described—Two pieces of tezontle stone, resembling" tepo-

jiaxtles of clay, but without the circular reeds or tongues. They

are o. i (S5 long each—Two long engraved pieces of tezontle stone,

measuring 0.35 and 0.29 respectively. They represent c[uivers.

—Three pieces of tezontle stone composed of a long handle and

a kind of globe attached at one end. They are o. 1 8 and o. i 7 res-

pectively—A turtle of redish stone, o. i 5

long and o.c; high — An instrument of

tezontle stone 0.31 long—A teponaxtlc,

with its reeds on!)' engraved, o. 1 9 long

—

A icponaxtle, identical to the prececHng

one, with circular perforations on the lower

part. It is o. I 7 long—A pot of clay with

a human head sculptured on its surface.

I leight, o. I I ; diameter at the mouth of the

j)ot, 0.1 I—Two objects of clay, smiilar to

those already described—An object of clay,

which seems to be a quiver, 0.225 long

—

A rattle of clay, the shape of its box being that of a poppy-fruit.

The rattle has the form of an egg-beater. It measures 0.145

in length—A human thigh-bone of clay, with [)arallel fiutings

carved on it. It is 0.145 long.

All these objects are pamted with \ermilion red. Judging

b)' the fact that these objects are musical instruments, it is ra-

tional to believe that the deity mentioned at thebeeinnino- of this

No. was the Euterpe of the ancient Mexicans.

Front Viewof the Re'.l Idol Oesn ibed above.

APPENDIX

Discovery of September 6.

J//(////J;///—Death . I'his is a statue of oreen stone, o. 7 5 high

and 0.6^ in diameter.

This monument, although mutilated at sex'eral places, has

its hieroolvphs preserved well enough to show us what it un-

doubtedl)' represents.

The face of the idol is characterized by the front part of a

human skull resting u[)on the vertex of the truncated cone which

forms the body of the dcitw ()n

the surface of the skull there are

sculptured mhi^h-i'cliet, hieroi^l)'-

phics that usualK' acconipan\' this

o-oddess m the dittereiit h-fcciias.

or terms ot thirteen days, ot the

Tonalainall.

The hieroo'lvphies referred tofig. 2.

are on the lateral sides ol the hody,

on the to}) of the skull, on the fringe of

the robe, on the Hat surface of the idol,

and on both sides of the skull, at the

parietal regions.

I. I. mark two of the four hands

that fall from the neck at the sides of

the bodw In \w\ conception, they re-

present four nuicui/Iis, which simbo-

lize the number 20, which is the last

da}' in the fioure Miquiztli'\r\ the ca-

lendar of the Tonalaviatl.

Fig. 2 represents one of the skulls

that form the fringe of the goddess's

robe, and means Miqiiiztli with Mi-

quizHi in the seventh trecejia.

Fig. 3 represents one of the hiero-

glyphics on the lateral side of the skull

,

and means Miqiiiztli accompanied by

Tecpatl {%iX\\.) in the tenth trecoia (No. \.)

53

II. marks the four paws of Ocelot! {(x^^^x), acompanied by Mi-

qtihtlim the second and fifteenth trecenas. III. marks the hiero-

glyphic of Ccnfcofl, companion of Miq2iizf/i in the thirteenth

trecena. I\'

. marks the i)rmcipal hieroglyph ic of Tcpeyolotl {\\<t?iX\.

of the mountains), companion of Miqiiizt/i in the second and

sixteenth frccciias.

Fig. 4 represents Xochit! (flower), which accompanies Mi-

qiiizlli in the nineteenth treceiia. This hieroglyphic is situated

on the upper and back parts of the skull, ending on the back of

the idol.

Fig. 5 represents Atl ( water ),

which accompanies J//^////^/// in the

first and fifteenth trcccjias . It is

placed on the frontal joint of the

skull.

Fig. 6 represents Xiiihtccuth-

fc'// (god of the Fire), companion of

Miquiztii \\\ the fourth and eighteenth //7yw^c7j- (I.), and XiiiJi-

Ay7//// accompanying Tli'r///// (rabbit) in

the sixteenth //7'<:r;/<'?. Besides accompany-

ing Tochtli in this li-cccna, Tocht/i \\ .

with fig. I (cc-tochlii), as it is sculptured

on the head of Tct/, signifies the date in

which the festivity of the fire was held at

the conclusion of the centur\-. A iuhtccuth-

fc(/\\'\\\\ Olliii in the third, sixth, and twen-

tieth trecenas.

This statue has on it, written m hiero-

'i)l\'i)hics, e\'erv one of the daws dedicated

to its festivities in the ritual calendar.

Pig. 5.

Great Temple of the City of Mexico.

Lines showinir the extension of the Great Temple of Mex-

ico, and the position of the two chapels, one dedicated to Huit-

zilo|)ochtli and the other to Tlaloc,

Trace of Escalerillas street, where the descoveries were

made.

Coateocalli, tem[)le situated at the north-east corner of the

Coapantli, discovered by Captain of Enoineers Porfirio Diaz

durino- the works of rebuildino; the house No. 8 Reloi and Cor-

dobanes streets.

No. I marks the place where the precious tiger, which I

caused to be taken to the National Museum, was discovered.

No. 2 marks the place where the great serpent headof stone was

found, which also was taken to the National Museum. In 1892

1 located this temple in the plan which I made by the directions

of the Geographical an Statistical Society, under the title «P2say

on the Reconstruction of the Ancient City of Tenoxtitlan,» as

it was in the year 1521 A. D., since it was undoubtedly located

b\' the descovery made by Mr. Porfirio Diaz. Jr.

The city of Mexico at the coming of the Spaniards must

ha\e been 3.20 below^ the present level. This is shown by the

depth at which the four flagstones which formed part oi the

court of the area occupied by the great Temple and the subor-

dinate edifices within the enclosure of the serpents were found.

This court corresponds to the last step of the Coateocalli.

NoTA Bene.— I have not marked the five bodies or stories

of the basement of thegreat teocalli, on account of the small pro-

jection of the illustrati(.)n.

uMoi'K • •. It t<i/^ !*•<•« t •• »f|i t««.ii4ii III I

-

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PLAX OF THE GREAT TEMPLE OF MEXICO AND SUBORDINATE BUILDINGS.

(Sahagun—MS. in the Library of the Royal Palace of Madrid.)

Published by Dr. Seller in his study entitled «7'he Excarvations in Mexico,*

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Plan of the Great Temple of Mexico,

Published by Dr. Seller.

a. Teucalii, the Temple,

1). Oiiaiihxicalli, the vase of the cao-le knigfhts.

c. Calmecatl, the priest's dwellings,

(1. Yxnioinoztli, the front or outer altar,

e, Otiauhcalli, the dwelling of the eagle knights.

f Tciitlac/itli, the ball play-ground of the god.

g. Tzinupanfli, the platform of the skulls,

h. Yopico fciicalli, the temple Yopico, the temple of Xipe.

i, Tertialacafl, the stone in the form of a wheel.

k, ColJmacaii, the temple of Colhuacan.

1. MaciLil ciietzpalli, the god «Five Eft,»

m, Maaiil cai/i, the god «Five House.

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n. Ytvalli, the dancing esplanade, or the court of the

Temple,

o, Coatcjiaiuit/, the wall of the serpents.

p. Tcuquiyaoatl yo excan callacovalla, the doors of the

gods; through them it could be entered from three different sides

The location and object of the buildings is shown by a kind

of plan, as seen in plate I. In this j)lan the letters a-p have been

placed according to the preceding ennumeration.

The great pyramid with gratles is marked by the letter a

in the plan. On the upper platform were the sanctuaries of the

national gods, Uitzi/opocht/i -aw^X T/d/oc, the god ot Rain, side

by side. Both sanctuaries are marked in our plate, where it may

be seen that each one was reached bv a special stairway.

I shall add that accordino- to the ineciuixocal lano-uao^e

m Tezozomoc's Cj^oiiica Mcxicana, ' the upper platform was

I Cap.' 30.

58

reached hv three fliohts of steps, and that the main front of the

Temple looked toward the south, that is to say. toward the

plaza which at |)resent forms the center of the cit}'. According;

to Tezozomoc also, as shown m oiir illustration, the court ot the

Temple could >be entered throuo^h three gates made m the walls.

This corrects Durans erroneous statement m his description of

the threat Temple, ' that there werefour entrances to the lour j)rin-

cipal wa\s.

The numl)er()l steps, accordino- to Tezozomoc, corresponded

to the numhcr ot daws m the year, or 360, each Hi^ht haxm^

120 steps. This is corroborated 1)\- Cortes, who m his report ot

the conquest ' says, that «o\'er one hundred steps» gave access

to the [)latform of the Temple. Motolim'a^ afhrms the same thing,

and Andres de Tapia, ^ one of the conquerors, is still morespe-

citic, as he states that the number ot steps was ot 1 13. ^<more

than one hand each.»

1 Historia de las Indias de la Xueva Espaiia, tratado IF., cap. TI.

2 Cartas y Relaciones de Ilornan Cortes, ed. Gayangos, pags. 13

3 Tratado I., cap. XII.

4 Relacion, pag. 582.

Explanation of the Plan of the Excavations in

Escalerillas Street.

The dotted horizontal lines mark, in red fii^ures, the dis-

tance between the corner of Escalerillas and Seminario streets

and the place where the discox'ery was made.

The \ertical lines from the loni^itudinal section to the cen-

tral plane of the street mark, in metres and centimetres, the depth

at which the objects were found.

The Roman numbers o\'er each one of the lines correspond

with the same numbers in the text, where the dates in which

tile discoveries made are to be found.

The arrow at the right hand end of each horizontal line

marking the distance, touches the vertical line marking- the depth

of the finding. The coincidence of these points of interesection

means that both the i";oriz')ntal and xertical lines correspond to

the same disco\'ei"\'.

The hea\-v dotted line alon >- the center of the street repre-

sents the drainage trench in whicli the ex{)lorations were made.

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TIP Y LIT Lf\ FJROPZA «f°

MY TRIP TO NEW YORK CITYon the

Mexican Central, Rock Island, Michigan Central, and New YorkCentral Railroads.

TH€ iiEXKAN CCNTRAL.Tb? ^1€J^!cal) Central Railrway, which connects tlie Republic of Mexico

with the Uhited States is, without doubt, the safest and most comfortable of all

raihvaj' lines reaching our nortlien border line. With its magnificent Pullmancars, in which the traveler can enjo^ the neccessarj' rest and an excellent and well

supplied buffet, saves him the annoyance of alighting for meals in the restaurants

at the stations. Besides it passes through the heart of the Republic, touc;iing

historical points, such as the cit}' of Queretaro, where the CERRO DE LASCAMPANAS [Bells Hill] may be seen, on wliich the high personages of theunfortunate Empire Maximilian, Mejia and Miramon, were executed.

The next important place is Silao, Guanajuato, where may be obtained a verylarge variety of articles of industries purely Mexican, which are taken for sale to

the stations b}- the makers themselves.

Farther on is the picturesque Aguascalientes, where the linen drawn work,whic 1 gives so much delight to the ladies, is made. This is also sold at the station.

Here the branch line to San Luis Potosi and Tampico may be taken, along whichthe grandest ttopical scenery can be contemplated.

Travelling on Zacatecas is passed, and then Torreon, where there is change of

cars for Durango and Eagle Pass, Texas.

ROCK ISLAND.In connection with the Mexican Central run the Rock Is'aDd Railway

trailjS. T.ie Rock Island is the best constructed railroad line between El Paso,Texas, and Chicago. Of all the railroads connecting the last two named cities,

the Rock Island has the advantage of saving the traveler twelve hours on the trip,

to say nothing of the convenience and comfort of its elegant vestibuled trains andfine dining cars, provided with the most excellent cuisine of French and Americanstyle, at very moderate prices, if the high quality of meals served is taken inconsideration.

On this line is located Kansas City, a place of the greatest importance, wherethe best stables of live stock of all kinds are found. The Rock Island has a branchline to Denver, Colorado, on which the Company, wishing to accommodate thepublic, has established a train whicli may be considered the best in the UnitedStates on account of the magnificence displayed in its service and for the excep-tional comfort it affords to tie travelers.

(SOLPCN STAT€ LIKITCP.The finest train in the World. 28 hours El Paso to Kansas Citv; 42', hours

to Chicago; 66 hours to New York City. Two trains daily from El Paso to allpoints East.

Tlie Company has in all its offices very courteous employes, who cheerfullyfurnish every valuable information needed, not only about their lines, but al.so ofother roads.

MICHIGAN CENTRALFrom Chicago the riicbigai) Central is taken, which carries the traveler as

far as Buffalo, passing along tlie Niagara falls. From the cars a splendid view ofthe most imposing water falls in the world may be obtained, these falls being justlycelebrated for their grandeur.

N€W YORK CCNTRAL.In Buffalo the N?W York Ccotral Railway takes the passenger without

transfer to the citv of New York. By taking this route one may be sure to enjoya comfortable, economical and pleasant trip. Having experienced" this myself, it isnothing but paying tribute to justice to recommed these lines to the travelers, if youwant to have a truly enjoyable trip from the city of Mexico to the city of New York.

LEOPOLDO BATRES.

UCS0UTHFRFjR£5,rj,

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