184 SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 



America. It was in this palace that Cortes, 

 with his whole army, was lodged and enter- 

 tained as described in the simple narrative of 

 Bernal Dias, whose accounts I had many 

 opportunities of corroborating. It was in the 

 market-place here, too, that the zeal of the 

 first bishop collected the documents of Mex- 

 ican history, knowledge, and literature — all 

 the Aztec paintings, manuscripts, and hiero- 

 glyphical writings ; — and, forming them into 

 an immense pyramid, committed the whole 

 to the flames amid the unavailing prayers 

 of the people for their preservation. 



The history of Tezcuco is so little known 

 to the English reader, that I make no apology 

 for introducing the following short abstract 

 from the works of Gama, whose labours have 

 added much to our slender stock of knowledge 

 of the history and customs of the ancient 

 inhabitants of New Spain. 



" The kingdom of Acolhuacan, whose 



