THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 



skin. The early Spaniards, in their zeal to destroy the 

 native religion, burned hundreds of these books, which 

 recorded their ceremonial rites and historical events. 

 Occasionally, for preservation, some of these were pasted 

 on the walls of the native churches and coated with light 

 plaster, in later years to be brought to light by explorers. 



The Aztecs, the principal tribe to settle in Mexico, 

 founded their capital city, called Tenochtitlan, on marshy 

 islets in Lake Texcoco about the year 1325. Tradition 

 states that this location was pointed out by the gods. An 

 eagle perched upon a prickly pear cactus plant, the nopal, 

 strangling a serpent, now forms the national seal of Mexico. 



The cast of the sacrificial stone, or Stone of Tizoc, at the 

 west end of the hall, is a record of some of the principal 

 Aztec conquests made before 1487, and the calendar stone 

 on the south wall is a graphic representation of the four 

 prehistoric creations and destructions of the world, as well 

 as a symbol of the sun and a record of the divisions of the 

 year. 



In another portion of the hall is a model of a cruciform 

 tomb found at Guiaroo, near the ruins of Mitla. A large 

 reproduction of this tomb, in part, may be found by visiting 

 the restaurant in the basement of the building. 



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