91 



like a heap of bricks. In making this opening* a 

 square house was discovered in the interior of 

 the pyramid^ built of stone, and supported by 

 beams made of the wood of the deciduous cypress 

 (cupressus disticha). The house contained two 

 skeletons, idols in basalt, and a great number of 

 vases, curiously varnished and painted. No 

 pains were taken to preserve these objects, but 

 it is said to have been carefully ascertained, that 

 this house, covered with bricks and strata of 

 clay, had no outlet. Supposing that the pyra- 

 mid was built, not by the Toltecks, the first in- 

 habitants of Cholula, but by prisoners made by 

 the Cholulans from the neighbouring nations, it 

 is possible, that they were the carcases of some 

 unfortunate slaves who had been shut up to 

 perish in the interior of the teocalli. We ex- 

 amined the remains of this subterraneous house, 

 and observed a particular arrangement of the 

 bricks, tending to diminish the pressure made on 

 the roof. The natives being ignorant of the 

 manner of making arches, placed very large 

 bricks horizontally, so that the upper course 

 should pass beyond the lower. The continuation 

 of this kind of stepwork served in some measure 

 as a substitute for the Gothic vault, and similar 

 vestiges have been found in several Egyptian 

 edifices. An adit dug through the teocalli of 

 Cholula, to examine its internal structure, would 

 be an interesting operation ; and it is singular, 



