THE VOLCANO POPOCATEPETL, FROM THE VALLEY OE MEXICO 



In the geography classes in school we are taught to pronounce the name of this beautiful 

 mountain Popo-cat-epetl, putting the emphasis on "cat." The correct way is Popo-ca-tepetl. 

 The Aztec Indians joined the modifying adjective to its noun with a preposition just as we 

 join two nouns or two parts of a compound sentence with a conjunction. The "ca" in the 

 word Popocatepetl is the conjunction which joins "popo," meaning smoking, to "tepetl," 

 meaning hill. 



gestions of cruelty, as with the North 

 American Indians, but were all rigorously 

 prescribed in the Aztec ritual, and doubt- 

 less were often inflicted with the same 

 compunctious visitings which a devout 

 familiar of the Holy Office might at times 

 experience in executing its stern decrees. 

 Women as well as the other sex were 

 sometimes reserved for sacrifice. On 

 some occasions, particularly in seasons of 

 drought, at the festival of the insatiable 



Tlaloc, the god of rain, children, for the 

 most part infants, were offered up. As 

 they were borne along in open litters, 

 dressed in their festal robes and decked 

 with the fresh blossoms of spring, they 

 moved the hardest heart to pity, though 

 their cries were drowned in the wild 

 chant of the priests, who read in their 

 tears a favorable augury for their peti- 

 tion. These innocent victims were gen- 

 erally bought by the priests of parents 



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