SELER] TEMPLE PYRAMID OF TEPOXTLAN 348 



villa, refers to the place as Villa de Tepoxtlan, and mentions six 

 estancias subordinate to it. In the same Relacion it is also stated that 

 the Mexican language was spoken by the inhabitants, both by those 

 who still lived in the place and those who, having become disgusted 

 with the country, had emigrated to the neighborhood of Vera Cruz. 

 Through incorporation into the marquesado the town was doubtless 

 saved from oppression and vexation by lesser encomenderos. In 

 their isolated mountain home the people have been able to preserve 

 their language and their old customs. The place has now a popula- 

 tion numbering from 5,000 to 6,000 souls of fairly pure Indian 

 descent, who speak pure, uncorrupted Mexican, are proud of their 

 descent, and cling .tenaciously to the ancient traditional customs. 

 It is deserving of mention as an interesting fact that since last year 

 a newspaper has been published here with the title El Grano de 

 Arena, which, besides the Spanish text, always contains several 

 columns of matter in the Mexican language. 



As we passed through the town of Cuernavaca in December. 1887, 

 on the return from our expedition to Xochicalco we were told that 

 there was a pyramid in Tepoxtlan as interesting as that of Xochi- 

 calco. We wished to Ansit it, but the governor of the state of Morelos 

 told us at that time — whether correctly I leave undecided — that he 

 could not permit it, for '* these Indians are terrible *". As we had still 

 so much else to see Ave did not insist upon it. Beyond this general 

 report nothing has been known until very recently of the pyramid of 

 Tepoxtlan ; but two j^ears ago, when the extraordinary session of the 

 Americanist Congress was about to be held in Mexico and an effort 

 was being made throughout the whole country to furnish something 

 fresh in the nature of relics and finds for the scholars attending this 

 meeting, the thought arose even in Tepoxtlan of freeing the pj^ramid 

 of that localit}^ from the rubbish hiding it from A'iew and of opening 

 up its interior chambers and outer walls. A j^oung engineer, Fran- 

 cisco Rodriguez, a native of Tepoxtlan, followed out this idea with 

 enthusiasm and strove to carry it into execution. He was able to 

 induce the people of his district to furnish volunteer labor, and thus 

 in the months of August and September, 1895, the pyramid was un- 

 covered, a result of which the Tepoxtecs themselves are now quite 

 proud, A description of the pyramid, including a plan of the struc- 

 ture, was submitted by Mr Rodriguez to the congress assembled in 

 October of the year 1895. It has now been published in the pro- 

 ceedings of the congress. Later, accompanied by Mr Rodriguez, Mr 

 Marshall II. Sa^nlle visited the pyramid and took several photo- 

 graphs of it. In August, 1896, Mr Saville read a report on this 

 pyramid before the American Association for the Advancement of 

 Sciences, convened in Buffalo, which was published in volume 8 of 

 the bulletins of the American Museum of Natural History, and again 



