268 THE CITY OF MEXICO. 



This artificial mountain, or pyramid, was probably a 

 fortified temple, which originally contained an arsenal, 



and served in war as a fort. The Indians of the neigh- 

 bourhood showed an ancient map, drawn before the ar- 

 rival of the Spaniards, in which, where this monument 

 should have been, there was a rude sketch of two war- 

 riors fighting with clubs. And about thirty years before 

 the arrival of Humboldt and Bonpland, an isolated stone 

 was found near by, with a relief of an eagle tearing a 

 captive. 



It was in the capital, however, which they soon 

 reached, that the travellers found the greatest number 

 of ruins. In fact the city of Mexico was based on ruins 

 — the wrecks of the ancient capital, Tenochtitlan. Under 

 the Great Square were fragments of the spacious temple 

 of Mexitli. Behind the Cathedral was the palace of the 

 king of Axajacatl, where Montezuma lodged the Span- 

 iards on their arrival ; and opposite the Vicerov's palace 

 stood formerly the palace of Montezuma himself. These 

 things had a great influence over the imaginative travel- 

 lers; but their first object, after finding a residence, and 

 delivering their letters, was to inquire for a new set of 

 scientific instruments, in order to pursue their studies. 

 They were not content to run through the country like 

 ordinary travellers, chronicling their journey by a list 

 of the inns at which they stopped : nor yet like artists 

 or poets, alive to the charm of beautiful seenery and 

 strange traditions. They were poets, artists, travellers, 

 it is true: but they were something more. They were 

 men of science, philosophers, savans : whose business and 

 pleasure it was, to understand what they saw. They 

 would read, or at least would try to, every page in the 



