HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



273 



was conveyed with many fuperftitious ceremonies ; fome 

 of the priefts offering incenfe, others facrificing quails, 

 and anointing the lip or border of the aqueduct with the 

 blood ; Others founding mulical inftruments, and other- 

 wife folemnizing the arrival of the water. The high- 

 prieft wore the fame habit with which they reprefented 

 Chalchihuitllcue^ goddefs of the water {u). 



With fuch congratulations the water was received at 

 Mexico ; but the prevailing joy was not long of being 

 changed into lamentations : as the rains of that year 

 were fo plentiful, the waters of the lake rofe and over- 

 flowed the city \ the flreets were filled with failing veffeJs, 

 and fome houfes waflied away. The king happening to 

 be one day in the lower chambers of his palace, the 

 water entered fuddenly in fuch abundance, that as he 

 haflened to get out at the door which was low, he re- 

 ceived a violent contufion on his head, which fome time 

 after occafioned his death. DiftrelTed equally with the 

 accident of the inundation, and the clamours of his 

 people, he called the king of Acolhuacan to his alTift- 

 ance, who, without delay, ordered the dyke to be re- 

 paired, which had been built by the advice of his father 

 in the reign of Montezuma. 



The Mexicans were fcarcely delivered from the ca- 

 lamity of the inundation, when a year after, the fuper- 

 abundance of water having rotted all their maize, they 

 were afHifted with a fcarcity of corn ; but in this year 

 they had the fortune to difcover a quarry of tetzontli 

 in the vale of Mexico, which proved fo ufeful for the 

 Vol. I. M m build- 



(«) Acofta teftifies that the conveyance of the water of Hultzilopochco to 

 Mexico, and the ceremonies performed by the priefts were reprefented in a 

 Mexican painting, which in his time was, and may be Hill, in the library of 

 the Vaticaa. 



