HISTORY OF MEXICO. 35 



Particular apartments were deftined for the keeping 

 of the idols, the ornaments, and all the furniture of their 

 temples ; and among them were three halls fo large, 

 that the Spaniards were aftonifhed upon feeing theme 

 Among the buildings mod ftriking from their Angulari- 

 ty, was a great prifon like a cage, in which they kept 

 the idols of the conquered nations as if imprifoned. In 

 fome other buildings of this kind they preferved the 

 heads of thofe who had been facrificed, fome of which 

 were nothing but heaps of bones piled upon one ano- 

 ther. In others the heads were arranged in regular 

 order upon poles, or fixed againft the walls, forming, 

 by the variety of their difpofition, a fpe&acle not lefs cu- 

 rious than horrid. The greateft of thefe buildings call- 

 ed Huitzompan, although not within the great wall, was 

 but a little way from it, over againft the principal gate. 

 This was a prodigious rampart of earth, longer than it 

 was broad, in the form of a half pyramid. In the low- 

 eft part it was one hundred and fifty-four feet long. 

 The afcent to the plain upon the top of it was by a ftair- 

 cafe of thirty fteps. Upon that plain were erected about 

 four feet afunder, more than feventy very long beams, 

 bored from top to bottom. By thefe holes, fticks were 

 paired acrofs from one beam to another, and upon each 

 of them a certain number of heads were ftrung by the 

 temples. Upon the fteps alfo of the ftair-cafe there 

 was a head betwixt every ftone ; and at each end of the 

 fame edifice was a tower which appeared to have been 

 made only of ikulls and lime. As foon as a head began 

 to crumble with age, the priefts fupplied its place with 

 a frefti one from the bone-heaps in order to preferve 

 the due number and arrangement. The Ikulls of ordi- 

 nary victims were ftripped of the fcalp ; but thofe of men 



of 



