250 CERTAIN^ ANTIQUITIES OF EASTERN MEXICO [eth. ANN. 25 



CASTILLO DE TEAYO 



This pyi'amid lies not far from Tuxpan, and is one of the best exam- 

 ples in Vera Cruz of the pyramidal mound with cut stone surface and 

 continuous stairway. This pyramid (plate cxi) is situated in the plaza of 

 the pueblo of the same name and is a much-prized monument; as shown 

 in the accompanying- plate the structure above the temple is modern. 

 The image or idol that once stood on the summit of the temple is now in 

 the Dehesha collection at Jalapa. According to Doctor Seler/' all the 

 carved stone images found near Teayo indicate that its culture was 

 Nahuatl and not Totonac, or that Teayo was an Aztec garrison town. 

 The style of cutting and symbolism of the stone idols found in tiiis 

 neighborhood by Doctor Maler leaves no doubt that Seler is right ii: 

 calling this an Aztec building. Teayo was probably a Nahuatl garrison 

 town in the Totonac tiMritorv. 



015.1ECTS FROM CEMPOALAN AND XICO 



The general appearance of the mounds of Cempoalan. Xico, and 

 one or two other Totonac ruins has been indicated in the preceding 

 pages. This brief notice is next supplemented with a few observations 

 on archeological specimens found in the neighborhood of some of these 

 ruins. Notwithstanding the wealth of ancient Totonac material in 

 collections, these objects have been superficially treated by students, 

 and practically nothing has been written in English on this subject. 

 The localities from which many of these objects have been obtained 

 are not known, so that we are not able to refer them to the Totonac 

 rather than to other cultures. This is particularly unfortunate, 

 especially as the state of Vera Cruz was once inhal)ited by distinct 

 peoples/' whose culture \ aried considerably. 



In his comprehensive work, Alt Mexico, Dr H. Strebel has figured 

 and described a number of stone and cla}' artifacts that well illustrate 

 the art products of the Totonac. This work is an authority on the 

 subject but is in German and has never been translated; moreover, 

 many important types of stone objects are not mentioned in this valu- 

 able memoir. A consideration of some of the more striking specimens 

 observed in the course of studies at Cempoalan and Jalapa might enlarge 

 our knowledge of the culture of this region and properly form a por- 

 tion of the general account of the author's visit to Vera Cruz. As there 

 is no collection of Totonac prehistoric ol)jects in the world that can com- 

 pare with that of Gov. Teodoro Dehesa at Jalapa, the author has gi\en 



<< Since writing this paragraph the author has read Doctor Seler'a comprehensive account of the ruins 

 of Teayo, published in the proceedings of the Stuttgart meeting of the Americanists. 



h Although some of the Vera Cruz pueblos were Nahuatl and others Totonac, the expert can nadily 

 ilistinguish objects characteristic of these cultures. 



