144 Ten Years of ony Life. 



morning promenade in the Alameda, and afterwards they are 

 to be seen walking on the lei;races of their houses drying their 

 mostly very rich long hair, hanging around them like a cloak. 



Some of the convents would perhaps deserve a description ; 

 but I am tired of architecture. 



Interesting is a visit to the National Museum, on account 

 of the Indian antiquities. I shall not venture on an explana- 

 tion and description of all the very curious ugly idols collected 

 there. Most of the statues remind me of those of the Egypt- 

 ians, as seen in the Museum in London and in the Louvre ; 

 whilst other things one remembers having seen amongst the 

 Chinese curiosities. These antiquities make us acquainted 

 with many customs and the domestic life of the Aztekes, and I 

 am sure, if some able persons would examine the ground half 

 as carefully as it has been done in Italy and Greece, many 

 things would be found which might give ample information in 

 reference to the history of the country, which now, as stated 

 before, is very imperfect, thanks to the imbecile act of the first 

 Archbishop. 



On seeing the many things collected in this museum, and 

 admiring the workmanship and the high polish of extremely 

 hard substances, one wonders in what manner they could have 

 done it, since the Aztekes had neither steel nor iron, though 

 plenty of copper, silver, gold, pewter, and lead. The silver 

 and golden jewellery of the Aztekes is indeed wonderful. They 

 understood also the art of enamelling. 



Amongst the many interesting trifles I noticed a kind of or- 

 nament, shaped like a little sombrero, and made of obsidian, 

 and was rather astonished on learning that it was a military de- 

 coration. It called tentetl (lip-stone) because it was worn in 

 the under-lip; I suppose in the same manner as I have seen 

 it in pictures representing some Indian tribe of South America. 

 This decoration was awarded to warriors, not those who killed 

 enemies, but those who made them prisoners, leaving the kill- 

 ing probably for the priests. In some of these tentls were 

 fastened small bunches of the brilliant feathers of humming- 

 birds, and I suppose this was a higher class of the order, like 

 the bows, leaves, swords, &c., attached as a distinction to 

 several Prussian orders. All the servants of the Mexican Em- 

 ptTor had tne privilege of v/earing such tentetls made of rock 

 crystal. 



