ANTIQUITIES IN MEXICO. 



By S. B. Evans. 



.The town of Tezcoco in Mexico, though uninteresting in general ap- 

 pearance, contains within its limits and vicinity several large mounds, 

 one of which is reputed to be the site of the palace of Nezahuyucoatl, 

 and upon it is a female chapel. An Indian is the owner of one of the 

 tloletes or mounds and in leveling the base or lower terrace on the 

 western side, for the purpose of increasing the area of his kitchen 

 garden, he recently encountered a large stone which interfered with 

 his plans and set him to work clearing off another portion of the mound. 

 Hearing of this stone, and obtaining permission to lift it from its rest- 

 ing place, I found it to be a section of an ancient monument of por- 

 phyry, sculptured in bas-relief. It is 8 feet in length and 6 feet 9 inches 

 at the greatest diameter, the sculpture representing a colossal human 

 figure, a portion of which is visible on this fragment. It appears that 

 it was broken off at the neck and divided down the trunk to the hips, 

 leaving intact the left side, the arm, and a calendar beneath the arm 2 

 feet in diameter. The left hand is shown with palm turned inward. 

 The caleiidar, which is near 6 feet in circumference, is provided with an 

 index, which points to a certain place on the dial, indicating probably 

 the time of the dedication of the monument. The surface of this stone 

 shows marks of violence, as is indicated in the drawing (Fig. 1), given 

 on the following page. 



There is a gorget on the neck, a decoration on the breast, and hiero- 

 glyphics on the arm, representing, according to Mexican authority, 

 phases of the moon. Upon the index of its calendar is a well-defined 

 Maltese cross. The pedestal of this monument was perhaps in the tem- 

 ple, built on the summit of this mound, from which it was hurled by 

 the Spaniards at the time of the conquest. 



The mound was about 60 feet in height and had three terraces or 

 stages, traces of which are to-day plainly perceptible. 



It is probable that the Tezcoconians whom Cortez found here were 



the sculptors of this monument. They, as well as the Aztecs of Mexico, 



were but a wandering tribe of barbarians three hundred years previous 



to the advent of the Spaniards. They entered the valley in the begin- 



H. Mis. GOO 44 ' • 6i9 



