374 



ETHNOLOGY. 



Stones and eartb, and of various sizes ; some as Ligli as five yards, with 

 a diameter of from five to twenty yards. Excavation made in them 

 brought to light a large pot of burned clay filled with ashes, but 

 in general nothing is found. The third class of mounds, also built of 

 loose stones and earth, have the form of a parallelogram, whose smaller 

 sides look east and west, and are from five to six yards high, terminating 

 at the top in a level space of from three to five yards in width, the base 

 being from eight to twelve yards. They are found from fifteen to two 

 hundred yards long. Sometimes several are united, forming a hollow 

 square, which must have been used as a fortress. Others again have 

 their outer surface made of masonry, but still the inside is filled up with 

 loose stones and earth. Near river-beds, where stones are very abund- 

 ant, these tumuli are largest. Principally in this latter class, idols, im- 

 plements of husbandry and war are discovered, sometimes lying quite 

 loose, and at others imbedded in hollow square boxes made of masonry. 



The last-described mounds form the transition to those constructions, 

 which are altogether built of solid masonry. I speak only of such as 

 are found near Cordova, Huatusco, Cotastla, &c., in the state of Vera 

 Cruz. One peculiarity of the last-men- 

 tioned ruins is, that they are all con- 

 structed at the junction of two ravines, 

 (barrancas, cations,) Fig. 1, and used as 

 fortresses, on account of their impreg- 

 nability. Most of the larger barrancas 

 have precipitous sides from three hun- 

 dred to one thuosand feet deep, which 

 guarded the inhabitants on their flank, 

 so that nothing more was required than 

 to build a wall from A to B, leaving a 

 small entrance in the middle, C, as a 

 passage, which could be barricaded in 

 time of war. Between Zacuapan and 

 Tlacotepec, at the Eancho del Castille, 

 at Matlaluca, at Cotastla and Consoqui- 

 tla, such constructions can be seen to this 

 day in tolerable good condition. The in- 

 terior of these fortified iuclosures is in general large, sometimes holding 

 from four to five square miles, and could be put under cultivation in 

 case of a siege. 



The wall A B is in general from four to five yards high, and has on 

 the inside terraces with steps to lead to the top. At other places there 

 is a series of semicircular walls, the front one lower than the following, 

 and a passage between each to permit one person at a time to pass from 

 one to the other. The innermost wall is sometimes perforated with loop- 

 holes through which arrows could be thrown. 



Quite a number of ruins are found inside the fortification, as mounds, 



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