109 



Trlexican antiquaries, what the Pelasgian colo- 

 nists were to the Archaeologists of Italy. What- 

 ever is lost in the night of time is considered as 

 the work of a people, among whom we think we 

 discover the first germes of civilization. 



The hill of Xochicalco is a mass of rocks, to 

 which the hand of man has given a regular conic 

 form, and which is divided into five stories, or 

 terraces, each of which is covered with masonry. 

 These terraces are nearly twenty metres in per- 

 pendicular height ; but narrow toward^ the top, 

 as in the teocallis, or Azteck pyramids, the sum- 

 mit of which was decorated with an altar. The 

 whole of the terraces slope a little toward the 

 south west, probably for the easier running off 

 of the rains, which are very frequent in this 

 region. The hill is surrounded by a deep and 

 very broad ditch, so that the whole entrenchment 

 is nearly four thousand metres in circumference. 

 The magnitude of these dimensions ought not to 

 surprise us : on the ridge of the Cordilleras of 

 Peru, and on heights almost equal to that of the 

 peak of Teneriffe, M. Bonpland and myself 

 have seen monuments still more considerable. 

 Xines of defence, and entrenchments of extra- 

 ordinary length, are found, in the plains of 

 Canada. The whole of these American works 

 resemble those, which are daily discovered in 

 the eastern part of Asia ; nations of the Mongul 

 race, those especially that are most advanced in 



