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remains of Azteck sculpture, were discovered : 

 in fact, three curious monuments, of which we 

 shall give a description in this work, the stone 

 of sacrifices, the colossal statue of the goddess 

 Teoyaomiqui, and the stone of the Mexican ca- 

 lendar, were found, when the Viceroy, Couat 

 Revillagigedo, levelled the great square of 

 Mexico, by lowering the ground. A very credi- 

 ble person, who had been commissioned to direct 

 these works, assured me, that the foundations of 

 the cathedral are surrounded by an immense 

 quantity of idols and reliefs,, and that the three 

 masses of porphyry, which we have just men- 

 tioned, are the smallest of those discovered in 

 digging to the depth of twelve metres. Near 

 the capilla del sagrario a sculptured rock was 

 discovered, which was seven metres long, six 

 broad, and three in height ; the workmen, find- 

 ing that they could not get it out, were about to 

 break it in pieces ; but happily they were di- 

 verted from their intention by a canon of the 

 cathedral, Mr. Gamboa, an enlightened friend 

 of the arts. 



The stone, which is commonly known by the 

 name of the stone of sacrifices (piedra de los sa- 

 crificios), is of cylindrical form : it is 3 metres 

 broad, and 1 1 decimetres in height ; it is sur- 

 rounded with a relief, in which we find twenty 

 groups of two figures, all represented in the same 

 attitudes. One of these figures is constantly the 



