HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



315 



America. Thefe three affertions are three very grofs 

 errors. The Mexicans did know how to make bridges 

 of ftone, and among the remains of their ancient archi- 

 tecture are to be feen at prefent the large and ftrong pi- 

 Jafters which fupported the bridge which was upon the 

 river Tula. The remains of the ancient palaces of Tez- 

 cuco, and (till more their Temazcalli, or vapour baths, 

 fliew us the ancient ufe of arches and vaults among the 

 Mexicans, and the other nations of Anahuac. Diego 

 Valades, who went to Mexico a few years after the con- 

 quefl, and remained there thirty years, gives us, in his 

 Christian Rhetoric, the image of a fmall temple which 

 he faw, and therefore leaves no fort of doubt in this 

 matter. 



With refpecl: to the ufe of lime, it requires the for- 

 wardnefs of M. de Paw to be able to affirm, as he does, 

 that the fecret of making lime was totally unknown in 

 all America ; fince it is certain, from the teftimony of 

 the Spanifti conquerors as well as the firft miffionaries, 

 that the nations of Mexico not only made ufe of lime, 

 but that they had the art of whitening and curioufly 

 fmoothing and polifhing the walls of their houfes and 

 temples. It appears from the hiftories of B. Diaz, Go- 

 mara, Herrera, Torquemada, and others, that the wall 

 of the principal palace of Mexico appeared to the firft 

 Spaniards who entered the city to be made of filver, 

 from their being fo finely whitened, and fhining with 

 polifli. It is certain, laftly, from the paintings of the 

 Tributes which are in Mendoza's collection, that the ci- 

 ties of Tepejacac, Techamachalco, Quecholac, &c. were 

 obliged to pay annually to the king of Mexico four thou- 

 fand facks of lime. But although we had none of thefe 

 proofs, the remains of ancient edifices, Hill extant in 



Tezcuco, 



