308 PLATEAU OF CAXAMAHCA. 



employed by the great historical writer now living at Boston ; 

 Prescott, Vol. i. p. 444. " El camino de las sierras es 

 cosa de ver, porque en verdad en tierra tan fragosa en la 

 cristiandad no se han visto tan hermosos caminos, toda la 

 mayor parte de calzada." 



( 7 ) p. 275. " Greeks and Romans < shew these contrasts." 



" If," says Strabo,' (Lib. v. p. 235, Casaub) "the Greeks 

 in building their cities sought for a happy result by aiming 

 especially at beauty and solidity, the Romans on the other 

 hand have regarded particularly, objects which the Greeks left 

 unthought of ; stone pavements in the streets ; aqueducts 

 bringing to the city abundant supplies of water ; and pro- 

 visions for drainage so as to wash away and carry to the 

 Tiber all uncleanliness. They also paved the roads through 

 the country, so that waggons may transport with ease the 

 goods brought by trading ships." 



( 8 ) p. 276. " The messenger of the deity 

 N,emterequeteba" 



The civilisation of ancient Mexico (the Aztec land of 

 Anahuac), and that of the Peruvian theocracy or empire of 

 the Incas, the children of the Sun, have so engrossed atten- 

 tion in Europe, that a third point of comparative light and 

 of dawning civilisation, which existed among the nations 

 inhabiting the mountains of New Granada, was long almost 

 entirely overlooked. 1 have touched on this subject in 

 some detail in the Vue des Cordilleres et Monumens des 

 Peuples Indigenes de FAmerique (ed. in 8vo.) T. ii. p. 220- 



