50 



midal edifice, resembling the Babylonian monu- 

 ment dedicated to Jupiter Belus. The palace 

 of the Viceroy of New Spain is on the right ; a 

 building of simple architecture, belonging origi- 

 nally to the family of Cortez, which is that of the 

 Marquis del Valle de Oaxaca, Duke of Monte- 

 leone. In the middle of the engraving is the 

 cathedral, part of which (el sagrario) is in the 

 ancient Indian or Moorish style, vulgarly called 

 Gothic. Behind the cupola of the sagrario, at 

 the corner of the street Del ludio Triste and 

 that of Tacuba, stood formerly the palace of the 

 King of Axajacatl, where Montezuma lodged 

 the Spaniards on their arrival at Tenochtitlan. 

 The palace of Montezuma was on the right of 

 the cathedral, opposite that of the present Vice- 

 roy. It appears to me useful to point out these 

 localities, since they may be interesting to those, 

 who study the history of the conquest of Mexico. 



The Plaza Mayor, which must not be con- 

 founded with the great market of Tlatelolco, 

 described by Cortez in his letters to the Emperor 

 Charles the Fifth, is ornamented, since 1803, 

 with the equestrian statue of Charles the Fourth, 

 executed at the expense of the Viceroy, the 

 Marquis of Brancifortei This statue of bronze 

 is in the purest style, and highly finished ; it was 

 drawn, modelled, cast, and erected by the same 

 artist, Don Manuel Tolsa, a native of Valentia in 

 Spain, and director of the class of sculpture in 



