MONTEZUMA'S BATH. 



141 



From this recess, a few minutes' climb brought us to 

 the summit of the hill. The sun was on the point of set- 

 ting over the mountains on the other side of the valley, 

 and the view spread beneath our feet was most glorious. 

 The whole of the lake of Tezcuco, with the country and 

 mountains on both sides, lay stretched before us. 



But, however disposed, we dared not stop long to gaze 

 and admire, but descending a little obliquely, soon came 

 to the so-called bath, two singular basins, of perhaps two 

 feet and a half diameter, cut into a bastionlike, solid 

 rock, projecting from the general outline of the hill, and 

 surrounded by smooth carved seats and grooves, as we 

 supposed ; for I own the whole appearance of the lo- 

 cality was perfectly inexplicable to me. I have a sus- 

 picion, that many of these horizontal planes and grooves 

 were contrivances to aid their astronomical observations, 

 like that I have mentioned having been discovered by 

 De Gama at Chapultepec. 



As to Montezuma's Bath — it might be his foot bath 

 if you will, but it would be an impossibility for any 

 monarch of larger dimensions than Oberon to take a 

 duck in it. 



This mountain bears the marks of human industry to 

 its very apex, many of the blocks of porphyry^of which 

 it is composed being quarried into smooth horizontal 

 planes. It is impossible to say at present what portion 

 of the surface is artificial or not, such is the state of con- 

 fusion observable in every part. 



By what means nations unacquainted with the use of 

 iron constructed works of such a smooth polish, in rocks 

 of such hardness, it is extremely difficult to say. Many 

 think tools of mixed tin and copper were employed ; 

 others, that patient friction was one of the main means 

 resorted to. Whatever may have been the real appro- 

 priation of these inexplicable ruins, or the epoch of their 

 construction, there can be no doubt but the whole of this 

 hill, which I should suppose rises five or six hundred feet 

 above the level of the plain, was covered with artificial 

 works of one kind or another. They are, doubtless, 

 rather of Toltec than of Aztec origin, and perhaps with 



