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supposed was surrounded by four oblong edifices. That on theright is tolerably preserved, the remains of two columnsbeing still in existence. The principal building had a terrace,raised between three and four feet above the level of thecourt, and serving as a base to the walls it surrounds. In thewall is a niche with pillars four or five feet above the levelof the floor. The stone lintel over the principal door of thehall is in a single block 12 feet long and 3 feet deep. Theexcavation is reached by a very wide staircase, and is in theform of a cross, supported by columns. The two portions ofit which intersect each other at right angles are each 82 feetlong by 25 feet wide. The inner court is surrounded by threesmall apartments having no communication with the fourth,which is behind the niche. The interiors of the apartmentsare decorated with paintings of weapons, sacrifices, andtrophies. Of windows there are no traces. Humboldt wasstruck with the resemblance of some of the ornaments tothose on Etruscan vases of Lower Italy. In the neighbour-hood of these ruins are the remains of a large pyramid andother buildings.”

The only remarkable monuments in the valley of Mexico ,Mr. Humboldt tells us, are the remains of the two pyramidsof San Juan de Teotihuacan , on the north-east of the lakeTezcuco, consecrated to the sun and moon, and called by theIndians Tonatiuh Ytzaqual, (house of the sun,) and MetzliYtzaqual, (house of the moon.) Mr. Bullock visited thissite on his return from Themasceltepec. For some time beforehe reaches the gate of Tezcuco, the traveller is apprized of hisapproach to a place of ancient importance by a large aqueductstill in use, and the ruins of several stone buildings. TheSpanish quarters, built for Cortes, are still entire. Severaltumuli are seen on entering the gates, which are supposed tohave been teocallis. The most important ruin is whatMr. Bullock calls the site of the palace of the ancientcaziques of Tezcuco, which, though in ruins, far surpassedevery idea he had formed of ancient Mexican architecture.It extended 300 feet, forming one side of the great square,and was placed on sloping terraces, raised one above anotherby small steps. Some of these terraces are still entire, andare covered with cement, very hard, and equal in beauty tothat found in ancient Roman buildings. From what is knownof the extensive foundations of this palace, it must have occu-pied some acres of ground. It was composed of large blocksof basaltic stone, of about 4 or 5 feet long and 2-| or 3 feetthick, cut and polished with the utmost exactness. Thesculptured stones from these ruins have been used in build-ing the modern churches and houses. Heaps of ruins sur-round it on every side, and Tezcuco, the Athens of Anahuac,as it is called by a Spanish historian, would seem to invite,above all others in Mexico , the attention of the antiquary.

At about two leagues from Tezcuco, is a spot called Banode Montezuma, Montezuma’s Bath, on the summit of a conicalhill called Tescosingo. “ We scrambled with great difficulty,”observes Mr Bullock, “ through bushes and over loose stones,which were in great quantities on all sides, and at lastperceived that we were on the ruins of a very large build-ing, the cemented stones remaining in some places coveredwith stucco, and forming walks and terraces, but muchencumbered with earth fallen from above, and overgrownwith a wood of nopal, which made it difficult to ascend.”He discovered the bath on one of the sides of the hill. “Itwas cut in the solid rock, and standing out like a martin’snest from the side of a house. It is not only an extraordinarybath, but still more extraordinarily placed. It is a beautifulbasin, about 12 feet long by 8 wide, having a well about5 feet by 4 deep in the centre, surrounded by a parapet oruin 2 feet 6 inches high, with a throne or chair such as is

the

represented in ancient pictures to have been used bykings. There are steps to descend into the basin orthe whole cut out of living porphyry rock, with the titm |mathematical precision, and polished in the most beaut>manner.” The mountains appeared to have been co aI) <lwith palaces, temples, baths, hanging gardens, &c. >

Mr. Bullock was informed that he had seen but the cmencement of the wonders of the place. 0 f

About two miles from Tezcuco, is the Indian villag e ,Huexotla. Mr. Bullock observed, on his approach, sevfsmall pyramids of alternate layers of clay and unburnt br* .one of them had evidently an entrance in the centre, ^ ^was discovered by part of it having fallen in ; with' 0town were the foundations of a palace, and two large r ^voirs, with which it was supplied with water, remain enThe ancient wall of the town, almost 30 feet high andthick, extends to a considerable distance. It is singm^econstructed, being divided into five unequal parts. -broadest division is built of large oval stones, with ® ^standing out, so as to give it the appearance of having u ^formed of human skulls, and it is divided from the res

road

Beyond the walls, on the

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a projecting .— ...-

Tezcuco, a broad covered-way runs between two hugeterminating near a river, which appears to have been 0the entrances to the town. Over the bed of the river,^is now dry, there is a remarkable bridge, with a pointed • ^nearly 40 feet high, supported on one side by a m a tmasonry in a pyramidal shape. It is ascribed to the an ^ jMexicans; but if constructed on the principle of the ar ’must have been the work of European architects.

Mr. Bullock visited the celebrated pyramids of Sa n ^di Teotihuacan. “ As we approached them,” he says, ste psquare and perfect form of the largest became at every tmore and more visibly distinct, and the terraces coin ^be counted. We rode first to the lesser, which is ^ ie #3 aedilapidated of the two, and ascended to the top, over ^of fallen stone and ruins of masonry, with less difficn* ^ j e fltwe expected. On the summit are the remains ot an [jybuilding, 47 feet long and 14 wide; the walls areof unhewn stone, 3 feet thick and 8 feet high ; the #at the south end, with three windows on each side, 9the north end it appears to have been divided at about ^of its length ; we soon arrived at the foot of the ^ ^epyramid, and began to ascend. It was less difficult 9 r £expected, though, the whole way up, lime and celD ®,mixed with fallen stones, The terraces are perfect-vparticularly the second, which is about 38 feet wide, j owith a coat of red cement 8 or 10 inches thick, coB1 ^ a3 (jeiw’small pebble-stones and lime. In many places as y° 9 g tep?|the nopal trees have destroyed the regularity ot 1 lV Iii c11but nowhere injured the general figure of the sq uare ’j;gyp*'is as perfect in this respect as the great pyramid 0We everywhere observed broken pieces of instrum ^knives, arrows, spear-heads, &c., of obsidian, the • jiifcthose found on the small hills of Cholula ; and onthe summit, we found a flat surface of consideredwhich has been much broken and disturbed. 8 a 9 * 11 jt,probably a temple or some other building ; report say

ih

covered with gold. We rested some time onenjoying one of the finest prospects imaginable, J J1 v

city of Mexico is included. Here I found j

small statues and earthenware, and, what surprise sC e0^eoyster-shells, the first Iliad seen in Mexico . I n e<

I also found some ornamental pieces of earthen'' ^ t j,o9 e .pattern, one of which is in relief, much resembliOr^ fl ofChina , the other has a grotesque human face. t)n ■ g A

east side, about half way down, at some remote