HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



235 



from the feverity of the laws againft robbers ; but to pre- 

 vent the infpe&ion of paffengers, they covered the en- 

 trance with little reeds, from which they fufpended a firing 

 of cocoas, or pieces of broken kitchen utenfils, or fome 

 other thing fit to awake by its noife the attention of the 

 family, when any perfon lifted up the reeds to enter the 

 houfe. No perfon was permitted to enter without the 

 confent of the owner. When necellity, or civility, or 

 family connections did not juftify the entrance of any per- 

 fon who came to the houfe, he was liftened to without 

 and immediately difmiffed. 



The Mexicans underftood the building of arches and 

 vaults (t), as appears from their baths, from the remains 

 of the royal palaces of Tezcuco, and other buildings 

 which efcaped the fury of the conquerors, and alfo from 

 feveral paintings. Cornices, and other ornaments of 

 architecture, were like wife in ufe among them. They 

 took great delight in making ornaments of flone, which 

 had the appearances of fnares about their doors and 

 windows, and in fome buildings there was a large ferpent 

 made of ftone in the act of biting his tail, after having 

 twitted his body through all the windows of the houfe. 

 The walls of their buildings were upright and perpen- 

 dicular ; they muft have made ufe of the plummet, or 

 fome other inftrument of its nature, although owing to 

 the negligence of hiftorians, we are ignorant of the tools 

 which they employed in building, as well as many other 



Vol. II. G g things 



(t) Torquemada fays, that when the Spaniards took away the roof from an 

 arch built in the firft church of Mexico, the Mexicans from terror durft not 

 enter the church, expecting every moment to fee the arch fall. But if they 

 were feized with any fuch apprehenfion, it was certainly not occafioned by fee- 

 ing the arch, which was in ufe among themfelves, but poffibly from feeing the 

 fcaffolding taken away quickly, or fome other circumftance which excited their 

 admiration. 



